Robert Foster Charles Conners (December 12, 1933November 23, 2014), known professionally as Bob Conners, was an American radio personality on Columbus, Ohio's AM radio station 610 WTVN. On his retirement in 2011, he had been on the air in Columbus for over forty years, 33 of them as WTVN

morning show Breakfast television (Europe and Australia) or morning show (Canada and the United States) is a type of news broadcasting, news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts Live television, live in the morning (typically broadcast pro ...

host. In total, his broadcasting career lasted more than 60 years.

Early life

Conners was born in

Clearfield, Pennsylvania Clearfield is a borough and the county seat of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 5,962 people, making it the second most populous community in Clearfield County, behind DuBois. The borough ...

on December 12, 1933, to Robert Charles and Zona (née Foster) Conners. He graduated from St. Marys Central Catholic High School in St. Marys, Pennsylvania in 1952.

Career

Conners began his broadcasting work while in high school at WKBI in St. Marys and continued at WJET in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

. He served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958, then resumed broadcasting roles at KSON and KDEO in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, and WEEP in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. He began his career at WTVN in 1964 after moving to Columbus from Pittsburgh. After a three-year interlude as the afternoon presenter at WBNS-AM in Columbus from 1973 to 1976, he returned to WTVN where he was named morning show host in 1978.

''Bob Conners in the Morning''

Prior to Conners' 2011 retirement, ''Bob Conners in the Morning'' aired weekday mornings from 5:35 a.m. to 9 a.m. His show had been a mainstay of Columbus radio since 1979. The show interspersed news, weather, and traffic reports between segments discussing issues of varied interest, as well as interviews with authors and local personalities.

''BC's Saturday Morning Open Phones''

On ''BC's Saturday Morning Open Phones'', callers could speak about any topic, whether a simple announcement of a charity event or a minutes-long political rant. There were several regular callers who bantered with Conners over politics or the latest

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

football game. ''BC's Saturday Morning Open Phones'' aired Saturdays on WTVN from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. During the last several years of his WTVN career, Conners performed his show during the winter months remotely from a studio installed in his second home in Marco Island, Florida.

Personal life

According to his obituary, Conners had a lifelong interest in

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

and was an instrument-rated pilot. He earned his bachelor's degree in Aviation and Communications from

in 1986. He was a member of the

Commemorative Air Force The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at Air show, airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. ...

and served as announcer for many air shows at

Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation at Rickenbacker International Airport near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie R ...

near Columbus.Bob Conners' obituary in the ''Columbus Dispatch''
November 25, 2014

Retirement and death

On October 24, 2011, Conners announced that he would be retiring and his last official day on-air would be November 30, 2011. His retirement was marked by a statement on the floor of the

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

by Representative

Pat Tiberi Patrick Joseph Tiberi (; born October 21, 1962) is an American lobbyist and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2018. His district included communities north and east of Columbus. He is a member of the Republican ...

of Ohio's 12th Congressional District. At the time he indicated he planned to continue to live with his family in the Eastmoor neighborhood of Columbus most of the year. On November 24, 2014, the station announced Conners' death of

mantle cell lymphoma Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a type of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, comprising about 6% of cases. It is named for the mantle zone of the lymph nodes where it develops. The term 'mantle cell lymphoma' was first adopted by Raffe ...

at his winter home in Marco Island the previous day at the age of 80. He was survived by his wife of 37 years, Linda, and four children, 13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

References

External links

*
2011 Tribute to Bob Conners
from Ondo Media on Vimeo {{DEFAULTSORT:Conners, Bob 1933 births 2014 deaths American radio personalities Ohio State University School of Communication alumni People from Clearfield County, Pennsylvania Mass media people from Columbus, Ohio Deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma Deaths from lymphoma in Florida People from Marco Island, Florida