Veteran radio broadcaster Mike Osterhout, who was COO of the Morris Communications radio division, died of cancer on Saturday, June 26th. He was 61.
Osterhout began his radio career at WDAE-AM Tampa, the city where the Chicago native spent most of his life. He became General Manager of WRBQ-FM “Q105” and helmed the station through its glory days under Harte-Hanks and then as President and COO of Edens Broadcasting.
At the time of his death Osterhout was a director of both Country Radio Broadcasters and the Radio Advertising Bureau.
“Mike Osterhout was a terrific person,” said Tampa-based broker Glenn Serafin of Serafin Bros. Inc. “No one ever had more enthusiasm for the radio business than Mike. Never shy, he shared his passion with others. At the drop of a hat he would argue against some of the effects of consolidation … loudly … with conviction … and a scowl … and then a smile. Disagree and he’d bend your ear, poke your chest and tell you that you were wrong, dead wrong, and then he’d buy you a steak,” Serafin said of his friend.
“We had dinner date every Saturday night before the NAB in Las Vegas. Just the two of us. He was my oracle, a terrific predictor of the future and how it would affect our business. I will miss Mike. A lot,” Serafin told RBR-TVBR.
A memorial service is set for Thursday, July 1, at Blount & Curry Funeral Home in Tampa. Memorial donations may be made to The Humane Society or The American Cancer Society.
