Where have all the radio people gone?

I've been exchanging e-mail this morning with fellow broadcasters. I used to be in radio and I suppose I'll always consider myself a radio-lady.
My e-mails have been related to the passing of a one-time news anchor for the Mutual Broadcasting System, Kurt Henschen. He died last night after a "battle," or "courageously living with" Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS.

I've lamented that at least I knew Kurt, and other radio people like him, who worked on their voices, how well they read text and their writing, and were friendly mentors. They didn't consider new-comers to the radio industry as threats. They encouraged the newbies to enjoy their love affair with radio.

With podcasting, everybody can be a broadcaster. But, not everybody can be, or should be, considered "talent." Talent is more than just having an outlet. Talent is that special quality that serious practitioners of broadcasting had, and fewer and fewer of us have---it's that feeling of taking ownership over what's going out over the air or Internet and the desire to do the best that one can. It's willing to work on voice and diction. It's that special stuff that fewer and fewer people behind microphones have and desire to work at.

I am so lucky to have worked with Kurt and to have known him for the little time that I did. He's left behind a legacy of people who were just happy to have known him and to have laughed at his jokes, or share a smile with him. There's a whole community of radio people out there who are very sad today.

Rita