Bob Sprague dies
Pittsburgh:30+ year Pittsburgh broadcast veteran Bob Sprague passed away on Saturday, July 17 at his Squirrel Hill home. He was 70. Sprague spent his years at WTAE, KDKA and the majority at KQV-AM (1410). His roots are in Bellefonte, Centre County and he graduated from Penn State in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. His first job was at WMAJ-AM (1450) in State College. Sprague spent 2 years in the Navy and nearly 20 in the Navy Reserves, but once out, he worked at the Washington, DC ABC affiliate and subsequently the radio station in Lynchburg, Virginia purchased by the TV station.
KQV News Director, Frank Gottlieb, told the Tribune-Review, "You could always rely on [Sprague] to go out on a story, get it right, get it accurate. There are so many people, young anchors, who worked here on weekends who were nurtured along by Bob. He was their mentor."
In addition to his work, Sprague was also an accomplished singer and pianist. He performed with several groups including Pittsburgh's prestigious Mendelssohn Choir. He also gave up some of his time to WQED-TV (13) and served on the board of directors for River Quest.
A memorial service will be held in Pittsburgh sometime this fall.
Readers’ Forum
I had the privilege of working with Bob Sprague during much of my KQV tenure. I was occasional news producer and editor for Saturday morning reports anchored by Sprague. It may have been at the tail end of Sprague’s career in broadcasting but it still was a great learning experience. That’s even given that by the time I joined KQV I had 13 years behind me since graduating from Penn State. Sprague was one of the true “voices of God” on the all-news station, where I also often worked with the late Steve Lohle, among many others. Requiescat in pacem.
Pat Cloonan (URL) - July 26, 2010 at 2:01 pm