Robert Bassett
Columbia Maryland
August 26, 1994
Dear Ira,
As macabre as it might seem, the most concise profile of my career is from the enclosed obituary that I wrote several weeks ago.
To elaborate a bit on what my wife and you discussed this afternoon: I was officially diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig's disease in November of '88, although I feel the onset of the illness began 2 years pervious when I was experiencing weakness in my legs and voice. The best description of this disease in layman's terms would be likened to "living in a glass coffin" or "having a ringside seat at your own demise" in as much as the mind and senses are never affected.
The "Bobby Bicycle" bit grew out of a series of Channel 6 giveaways over the years which were simply an attempt to boost rating during critical times of the television seasons. I don't honestly know why I was selected to do these because I was already hosting a daily morning talk show and 2 nightly sportscasts. But I never do anything halfway, so when they assigned me the giveaway slots, (which usually occurred during afternoon movies and evening newscasts), I turned them into mini-productions! Before long, they became a station highlight. I gave away everything from 6 inch TV's to bicycles. The response was overwhelming and thousands of pieces of mail arrived daily from post cards to huge envelopes! The viewer was able to send in as many entries as they wished which led to some interesting vignettes: we began to receive complaints from irate viewers who had reason to believe that their utility bills, mortgage payments, etc. were mixed in with their contest entries and sure enough, we found several! The viewer had 10 minutes to call the station to claim the prize. I'll never forget one week in particular - a Barrington family had aired, won 2 bikes and on Friday I pulled out their name from among the thousands once again! About 15 minutes passed when the father called in to claim the third bicycle. The receptionist told him he was too late; he went ballistic and demanded to speak to me! He proceeded to curse me, the station and the contest. "But you've already won 2 bikes this week, Mister (whatever his name was) and besides, you're 5 minutes late in calling" I stated. "Bullshit. I have 3 kids and I want that bike" he roared. He never got it. The nickname I gave myself. After realizing the immense popularity of the contest in little over a week's time, I, one day, simply began by saying "Here's your ol' friend, Bobby Bicycle" and the name stuck.
The first commercial I ever did for the station was for Marshmallow Fluff and peanut butter - I was immediately dubbed "The Fluffernutter Man". To the public it remains a mystery.
Proudest hours during my time at Channel 6:
- The 18 hour non-stop telethon in 1970 that rasied $150,000 (a princely sum in those days) to combat drug abuse in the area, and which I hosted continuously.
- The documentary I co-produced and narrated for my friend, Rocky Marciano, titled "More Than A Champion" in 1979.
- I held the first area interview with a returning Viet Nam soldier. I cannot recall his name, but he came from Tiverton. Most people didn't even know the scope of that conflict at that time.
- I satirized Bill O'Brien's weather forecast when Bill was out sick one day and the phones went crazy - "Do that again, at least once a week", they requested with glee. The next day Bill was livid with anger.
I've been deeply saddened over the past 2 years with the passing of so many good friends from broadcasting: Sherm Strickhouser, Paul Pappas, Chuck Stevens, Hank Bouchard and Mike Sands. Fortunately, we still have the outstanding talents of Charlie Jefferds, George Allen and Jim Mendes.
My contemporaries at Channel 6 were Truman Taylor, Maryanne Kane, Mike Lyons, George Allen, Bill O'Brien, Andy MacMillan, Dave Sweet, Athena Parker, Frank Graham, Thom Aldert, John Greenwood and many others, who were on camera.
Ira, I deeply appreciate what you're doing for Joan and myself.
Sincerely,
Bob
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