NorthEast Radio Watch BULLETIN 5/1: Carl DeSuze Dies

[fybush@world.std.com (Scott D Fybush)]

*Boston has lost one of its legendary broadcasters.  Carl DeSuze died
Wednesday night at the age of 83.  

DeSuze was WBZ's morning host from the 1940s until the early 1980s, a
record that's unlikely ever to be broken.  His urbane on-air manner
and affection for all things European made for an unlikely fit with
WBZ's top-40 format in the sixties, but the combination worked, and
DeSuze remained on top of the ratings for years.

In addition to his duties as "New England's Alarm Clock," DeSuze
traveled the world, relating his experiences in lectures across New
England.

A Maine native, DeSuze was proud of his Bowdoin education.  After
college, he worked at several Maine radio stations before moving to
Boston and WBZ.

On a personal note, your editor had the opportunity to work with
DeSuze while helping to prepare WBZ's 75th anniversary celebration in
1996.  While DeSuze's health was already failing, he was eager to
share his memories and his memorabilia.  I'll long treasure the memory
of spending several afternoons at his home in Concord, as he sifted
through several boxes of photos and posters, recounting the stories of
celebrities interviewed and distant capitals visited.

DeSuze's death follows that of Gordon Swan by only a few months;
together, they represented an era of WBZ history that's now all but
lost.

DeSuze is survived by his wife, Greta,  and three children.  Funeral
arrangements remain incomplete at this writing.

More on Carl DeSuze's legacy will follow in next Thursday's NERW.

- -=Scott Fybush - NorthEast Radio Watch - (c) 1998=-

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