From Sister Station, WEBQ in Harrisburg
LONGTIME SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, WEBQ RADIO NEWS AND SPORTS BROADCASTER, DAVE BARD, 79 OF HARRISBURG IL, PASSED AWAY FRI. MORNING APRIL 22ND AFTER A BRIEF ILLNESS.
DAVE STARTED HIS 63 YRS IN RADIO AS A TEEN IN 1952 WORKING PART TIME AT RADIO STATIONS IN INDIANA. HE BEGAN HIS FULL TIME BROADCASTING CAREER IN 1960 TN LAPORTE AND VALPARAISO IN. DAVE MOVED TO HARRISBURG TO BECOME STATION MANAGER AT WEBQ AM AND FM IN 1980, AT THAT TIME UNDER THE OWNERSHIP OF MACKIE NICHOLS. FOR MANY YEARS HE BROADCASTED HARRISBURG BULLDOG SPORTS DOING BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, AND HIS FAVORITE, BASEBALL PLAY-BY-PLAY. MOST RECENTLY UNDER THE OWNERSHIP OF WITHERS BROADCASTING, DAVE HAS HELD THE POSITIONS OF NEWS/SPORTS DIRECTOR AND SALES EXECUTIVE. FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS HE HAS BEEN THE VOICE OF ELDORADO EAGLES SPORTS.
HIS FIRST LOVE WAS SPORTS BROADCASTING BUT HE WAS DEVOTED TO LOCAL RADIO ON ALL LEVELS AND THE BROADCAST INDUSTRY. HE TAUGHT MANY INTERNS AND PART-TIME ANNOUNCERS OVER THE YEARS HOW TO BE A GOOD BROADCASTER AND MANY OF THEM STAYED IN THE FIELD BECAUSE OF HIS ENCOURAGEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM. HE WAS ALWAYS A PROFESSIONAL AND VERY CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT HIS WORK. HE WAS RESPECTED AND LOVED BY HIS CO-WORKERS. HIS WRY SENSE OF HUMOR AND CANDOR WILL BE MISSED BEYOND WORDS.
DAVE LEAVES BEHIND TWO DAUGHTERS, SUSAN AND BETSY OF INDIANAPOLIS, IN AND A SON, ROBERT OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS AS WELL AS HIS BELOVED CANINE COMPANION “BOB”. ALSO SURVIVING ARE A COMMUNITY OF LISTENERS THAT WILL MISS HIS MORNING NEWSCASTS AND EXCITING PLAY BY PLAY. ARRANGEMENTS FOR DAVE BARD ARE PENDING AT THIS TIME.
