Ron Smith (radio Host)
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Ronald Coleman Smith (December 2, 1941 – December 19, 2011) was an American
talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
show host on WBAL in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
.


Early life

A native of
Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...
, Smith dropped out of high school at age seventeen. He served in the
Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...
from 1959 to 1963. Following his discharge, he moved to
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
, where he worked in community theater. In 1963 he enrolled in Northeast Broadcasting School and after graduating, worked as a disk jockey at WHAV in
Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States census. Located o ...
.


Broadcast career

He began his television reporting career at WTEN-TV in Albany in 1968. Five years later, in 1973, he became a weekend anchor at
WBAL-TV WBAL-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is the flagship property of Hearst Television, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to the company's sole ra ...
in Baltimore. From 1976 to 1980 he was co-anchor on that station's evening "Action News" broadcast, sharing the news desk with the likes of Sue Simmons, Mike Hambrick, Spencer Christian and Stan Stovall. On August 5, 1984, after a four-year stint as a stockbroker, Smith became a radio show host at WBAL-AM. Calling himself "The Voice of Reason," his show changed after the start of the Iraq War to focus more on interviews with personalities and newsmakers, both
conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
and liberals. When WBAL cancelled
Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator who was the host of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nati ...
's program in June 2006, his show expanded to four hours, from 2 to 6 pm ET, but was returned to its three-hour format in April 2007 when another host was found for the noon to three spot. He would continue broadcasting on radio until he retired for health reasons in 2011. In September 2011, Smith was recognized by being selected as the first annual recipient of The Charles Carroll of Carrollton Award in honor of his twenty-seven years of bringing the concepts of The Constitution to his massive listening audience.


Political views

Thomas DiLorenzo, a friend of Smith, categorized him as an "Old Right" conservative. Smith was a critic of the Bush administration and the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
. While Smith usually took conservative or paleoconservative political positions, he also frequently criticized Republicans. He supported Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, but referred to
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
as " Joe Isuzu." He reluctantly supported the American invasion on
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, but opposed regime change in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. He frequently addressed issues about the right to own and carry a firearm and the immorality of gun control on his program. In addition, his favorite topics included the discussion of unintended consequences of government programs, corrupt politicians, and what he viewed as the disastrous state of public education, especially in Baltimore. In an op-ed for the ''
Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publish ...
'' on March 10, 2011, he described the US military's treatment of detained alleged
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source
Chelsea Manning Chelsea Elizabeth Manning (born Bradley Edward Manning, December 17, 1987) is an American activist and whistleblower. She is a former United States Army soldier who was convicted by court-martial in July 2013 of violations of the Espionage ...
as torture.


Illness and death

On October 17, 2011, Smith announced on-air that he had "grade four pancreatic cancer that's metastasized to your liver, your abdominal cavity, the lungs and so on." On November 17, 2011, Smith announced on-air that "After consultation among all those involved, it was determined that additional chemotherapy was a futile way to go ... there isn't going to be any miracle. I'm okay with it." On November 28, 2011, Smith announced his retirement from WBAL, citing his dependence on home hospice care. He died on December 19, 2011, aged 70.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ron 1941 births 2011 deaths American talk radio hosts Television anchors from Baltimore People from Troy, New York Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Pennsylvania Journalists from New York (state)