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Dec 16, 2009 10:55 pm US/Eastern
"Pittsburgh Lost Its Voice" With Honsberger Death
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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KDKA Radio broadcaster Fred Honsberger died at his home Wednesday.
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The death of veteran KDKA Radio host Fred Honsberger shocked and saddened KDKA listeners, colleagues as well as local leaders.
Honsberger died early this morning at his home in Monroeville at the age of 58.
Reaction to his passing has been pouring in from all around the Pittsburgh area today, with City Councilman Bill Peduto lamenting that "Pittsburgh lost its voice."
Honsberger's radio show often focused on politics. As news of his death spread, people on Grant Street were remembering what "the Honzman" brought to the political scene.
"When I first heard the news," City Councilman Patrick Dowd said, "the first thing I thought of was being on his radio show and the number of times that I've been there and the opportunity that I've had to debate with him. And I think that's something that we really need in this city, this opportunity to go back and forth on issues and make sure that we have a good robust debate on things."
"Whether you agreed with him or disagreed with him on issues," Peduto added, "you couldn't argue that he really cared about the city."
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl issued a statement praising Honsberger's body of work in his career.
"Fred Honsberger was an extremely dedicated, talented, and passionate man who will be greatly missed by the thousands of Pittsburghers who tuned in to his daily talk show. The iconic role that Fred played in engaging the public on political issues will be extremely hard to replace. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and dedicated listeners," Ravenstahl said.
U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire admired Honsberger's unique style and the passion he had for the city of Pittsburgh.
"Over the past 30 years, Fred Honsberger achieved a legendary status on Pittsburgh's airwaves. He was a hard-hitter who was never afraid to speak his mind and fight for his beliefs. I liked Fred very much. His wit, his love for Pittsburgh, and his unyielding passion will be sorely missed," Altmire said.
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato spent a good deal of time with Honsberger and developed a working relationship with him.
"This region has lost a broadcasting icon and a great independent voice for our region. I had the pleasure and honor of working with Fred my entire political career and whether you agreed or disagreed with him, he was always fair and a consummate professional. We will all miss Fred and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family," Onorato said.
Allegheny County Council President Rich Fitzgerald also released a statement on Honsberger's death.
"Today is a sad day for Pittsburgh and a huge loss for our region. Fred was the consummate professional, and as a public official, anytime I was on his show I knew I had to be prepared. We may have differed sometimes on issues, but his heart was always working towards improving our region and bettering Pittsburgh. We offer our thoughts and prayers to Fred's loved ones during this difficult period," said Fitzgerald.
State Sen. Sean Logan was a frequent guest on Honsberger's KDKA radio show on over the last few years.
"As a repeated guest on Fred's show, he treated me with respect and courtesy. While we may have disagreed at times about an issue or my position, we were never disagreeable," Logan said.
He went on to compliment Honsberger's journalistic style and professionalism.
"Fred was a constituent, an award-winning journalist and above all a radio professional. He was a quick study, knew his subject matter well and was unafraid to ask challenging questions of public policymakers," Logan said. "My thoughts and prayers go out today to Fred's family and his many friends. Fred will be greatly missed by his listeners, colleagues and those who knew him well."
Honsberger worked at KDKA Radio for 30 years -- starting his career there as a reporter. Before moving into the role of talk show host in 1989, he worked as news director at the radio station for five years.
Honsberger is survived by his wife, Chris, and two sons, Kevin and Kyle.
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