Bob Hite (announcer)
Encyclopedia
Bob Hite, Sr. was an American
radio
and television
announcer
, voice-over
artist, and news anchor
.
Hite began his announcing career in the 1930s at WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan
. During his years there, he was among the announcers for such old-time radio
shows as The Lone Ranger
, The Green Hornet
, "The Shadow
", and Challenge of the Yukon
.
In 1944, Hite joined the New York
announcing staff of CBS
. His radio announcing credits for the network included Let's Pretend
, Casey, Crime Photographer, and The CBS Radio Workshop. On VE Day, Bob Hite was the first of the CBS staff to announce the Victory in Europe, on airwaves coast to coast. After WWII, Hite was seen live on the fledgling medium of television as spokesman for GE appliances of all kinds, performing live commercials on the Fred Waring Show. During those early years of television, Hite was an anchor of five-minute morning news updates for the local CBS flagship station, WCBS-TV
; at one point, he was paired with fellow announcer Peter Thomas
on those newscasts. Also during that time frame he solo-anchored the local/metropolitan evening news casts as well. In the early and mid-1950s, Hite was narrator
of several short film
s for RKO Pictures
, including one of Stanley Kubrick
's early works, Flying Padre
.
Bob Hite announced the opening bumper
for CBS's color
programs starting in 1966, replacing fellow staff announcer Hal Simms who had voiced the same bumper the year before. But his most famous television credit was as announcer for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite beginning in 1971, and continuing until his retirement from the network in 1979.
Hite died at a Hospice
in West Palm Beach, Florida
at age 86.
His son, also named Bob Hite, was senior anchor at WFLA-TV
in Tampa
-St. Petersburg, Florida
from 1977 until his retirement in November 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
, voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
artist, and news anchor
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
.
Hite began his announcing career in the 1930s at WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. During his years there, he was among the announcers for such old-time radio
Old-time radio
Old-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
shows as The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
, The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
, "The Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
", and Challenge of the Yukon
Challenge of the Yukon
Challenge of the Yukon was a radio series that began on Detroit's station WXYZ , and an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on February 3, 1938...
.
In 1944, Hite joined the New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
announcing staff of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. His radio announcing credits for the network included Let's Pretend
Let's Pretend
This article is on the US radio series. For the UK TV series see Let's Pretend .Let's Pretend, created and directed by Nila Mack , was a long-run CBS radio series for children....
, Casey, Crime Photographer, and The CBS Radio Workshop. On VE Day, Bob Hite was the first of the CBS staff to announce the Victory in Europe, on airwaves coast to coast. After WWII, Hite was seen live on the fledgling medium of television as spokesman for GE appliances of all kinds, performing live commercials on the Fred Waring Show. During those early years of television, Hite was an anchor of five-minute morning news updates for the local CBS flagship station, WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
; at one point, he was paired with fellow announcer Peter Thomas
Peter Thomas (television narrator)
Peter Thomas is an American announcer narrator of television programs, including shows such as Nova and more recently Forensic Files and Medical Detectives. Thomas is known for his crystal clear voice and precise diction, and his unique narrative tone of urgency, concern, and empathy...
on those newscasts. Also during that time frame he solo-anchored the local/metropolitan evening news casts as well. In the early and mid-1950s, Hite was narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
of several short film
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
s for RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
, including one of Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's early works, Flying Padre
Flying Padre
Flying Padre is a 1951 short subject black-and-white documentary film. It is the second picture directed by Stanley Kubrick, after Day of the Fight. The film is nine minutes long.-Story:...
.
Bob Hite announced the opening bumper
Commercial bumper
In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper or break-bumper is a brief announcement, usually two to 15 seconds that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercial break, and vice versa...
for CBS's color
Color television
Color television is part of the history of television, the technology of television and practices associated with television's transmission of moving images in color video....
programs starting in 1966, replacing fellow staff announcer Hal Simms who had voiced the same bumper the year before. But his most famous television credit was as announcer for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite beginning in 1971, and continuing until his retirement from the network in 1979.
Hite died at a Hospice
Palliative care
Palliative care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients...
in West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
at age 86.
His son, also named Bob Hite, was senior anchor at WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV, virtual channel 8, is the NBC-affiliated television station in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida. The station is the flagship station of its owner and operator, Media General. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida. WFLA is the only station in the market to be...
in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
-St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
from 1977 until his retirement in November 2007.
External links
- Bob Hite radio credits
- Video clip of 1966 CBS color bumper, voiced by Bob Hite (YouTube clip)