CBS News Reporter Harold Dow, Gone Too Soon
So I just looked at google trends and saw that Harold Dow from CBS News passed away at 62 years of age. I guess this could be a story about a guy who left us too young. 62, my God. 62 years old. But this story is more.
At least for me.
And as an old school CBS guy back in the 80′s brothas like Harold Dow are the kind of broadcasters African American newcomers in the business wanted to be. I was one of those newcomers. Besides Ed Bradley over at ’60 Minutes,’ there weren’t a lot of black faces on CBS News and even news in general.
He was the first African American television reporter at KETV in Omaha way back when. When will we ever stop saying thing like being the first when it comes to minorities and women? It is so effing condescending. Some day we hopefully will see that day. Maybe not this generation. Let’s hope we can crush that barrier of writing things like that ever again.
I feel today like I felt the day we lost Mr. Bradley.
Besides his reporting on the evening news, Dow was guy who interviewed O.J. Simpson after the murders of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman. This was on the news magazine ’48 Hours’ on CBS. And he was a contributing correspondent on critically acclaimed ’48 Hours on Crack Street,’ a documentary that aired in 1986.
He won five Emmy Awards for his work on the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie and for his coverage of the 1996 American troop entrance in to Bosnia.
This guy was a pro. A true pro. Sad to read about his passing. Sad to have to write this story. But as a black guy in radio all my life, he was a mentor. Never met the guy as I believe you have to have multiple mentors just to give you a diverse look at your life and your career.
Harold Dow was one of those mentors.
No reason for his passing. No reason to write anymore about Harold Dow.
Enough said.
Rick Thomas
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