Bob Steele (broadcaster)
| Bob Steele | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Birth name | Robert Lee Steele |
| Born |
July 13, 1911 Kansas City, Missouri |
| Died | December 6, 2002 (aged 91) Hartford, Connecticut |
| Show | The Bob Steele Show |
| Station(s) | WTIC (AM) |
| Time slot | 5:30-10 AM ET |
| Country |
 USA
|
| Children | Robert H. Steele et al. |
Robert Lee "Bob" Steele (July 13, 1911 – December 6, 2002) was an American radio personality. He was with WTIC Radio in Hartford, Connecticut for more than 66 years, and dominated the morning radio scene in Southern New England for most of that time.
He was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1911. After working as a newsboy, salesman, motorcycle messenger and professional boxer, he was invited to Hartford by a race promoter to announce a motorcycle race. On his last day in town, he walked into WTIC-AM on a whim and asked to audition for a vacant announcer position. He became a junior staff announcer at WTIC in Hartford on Oct. 1, 1936.
He took over The G. Fox Morning Watch radio show on WTIC Radio in 1943. (In a day when businesses sponsored entire programs, the prominence of the business was a reflection of the show's popularity. G. Fox was the premier department store chain in the greater Hartford area.) In 1950 it was renamed The Bob Steele Show. By the time he retired from the daily radio show in 1991, he had created one of the longest running radio shows in the country. But he never fully retired; he continued to host a Saturday morning radio show on WTIC-AM until his death.
For much of his time at WTIC, he also did the evening sports program on WTIC radio and television -- no mean feat since he had to be on the air at 5:30 AM. For years, Steele broadcast six days a week and told the occasional incredulous interviewer that the show was his pastime, not a job.
The show was easy-going and comfortably predictable. Segments comprised weather (including world temperatures), sports (Steele was longtime sports director for WTIC), birthdays (only over 80), anniversaries (only over 60), local and national news, storytelling for children. Nothing brightened up a winter morning more for generations of school-age kids than when Bob Steele announced that there would be no school that day. A favorite segment was "Tiddlywinks from the Teletype, little stories of little importance..." that wrapped up each day's show, ending with the final bars of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment March leading into the 10:00 AM news.
Quick with a pun (and a corny joke or two..."my full name is Robert L. Steele - the 'L' stands for Elmer"), Steele’s respect for the spoken word was renowned. He regularly shared with his audience tips and lessons on grammar and pronunciation, including his Word for the Day, an always popular part of his show. His unparalleled popularity was matched by a very responsive audience. He regularly received hundreds of letters a week from listeners, including, reportedly, letters from listeners "Down Under." Due to the 50,000-watt power of the WTIC transmitter, atmospheric conditions would occasionally allow his show to be heard as far away as Australia.
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