Tomorrow is David DeCosmo Day in the city of Scranton. David spent decades in radio and TV here in our area. He was among the people let go when WYOU cancelled all its news programs earlier this month. It would have been understandable if David blasted the people who killed the news department. He didn't. The man has class and dignity.
I first got to know David when I was working at WARM and he was with WDAU. It was clear David never forgot his roots, and he was extremely kind to those of us in the radio biz, especially a very green young reporter trying to find his way around the Luzerne County Courthouse. I wasn't alone. I watched David guide many a young reporter in the right direction, plus he was a valuable source of local history.
Later, David and I were co-workers at WYOU. If David said it, you knew it was right. You could depend on the information. The man did the smoothest live shots in the industry. I have a mental short list of the best people I could trust to get a story fast, get it right, and do it live. David occupies a spot on that list.
It was a wee bit before my time, but David was the radio voice who guided the Wyoming Valley through Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972.
Kevin Jordan nailed it in his blog a couple weeks ago-- David was never bigger than the story he covered. The story came first. It's a pity that is lost on a lot of people working today.
As the blog title indicates, David deserves a day in his honor, but it's also sad. He should still be working.
