Pittsburgh Weatherman Joe DeNardo has died at age 87.
- Thread starter fairgambit
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I watched Joe about a million times back in the day. Paul Long & Don Cannon on news, Bill Hillgrove on sports and Joe DeNardo on weather. Those were the days.
Grew up watching him on WTAE and Bill Burns and Jon Sanders on KDKA.
But I thought Don Cannon was also on KDKA?
I used to love watching Bill Hillgrove do the sports after a Penn State win over pitt. LOL.
It was especially fun after the '77 game and the '81 game.
Don Cannon. He was at WTAE most of his career then left and went to Philly for a few years. Then he returned to Pgh after that and was at KDKA for a short time I do believe
I think Don Cannon was on KDKA after he was on WTAE. I read once that he had depression and alcohol issues and that led to him leaving WTAE but he eventually came back at KDKA.
I remember the WDVE morning show, Jimmy Roach and Steven Hanson I think it was, doing the "I sit and watch / Patti Burns" to the tune of "As Tears Go By" by The Rolling Stones. Yeah, Bill Burns was an institution too.
Thanks I didn't remember that.
Its a shame what KDKA has turned into.
I tried to watch it a few years ago when I went home for Christmas and I swear to God the sports part of the show was some dillweed taking phone calls about how much they hate Penn State. Pathetic.
Canon got more than one DUI and missed some hearings and got tossed in jail. I don't know the details and lost touch with it but, you are correct, he's had some challenges.
Wasn't Dinardo that said "there is a nip in the air" on a teaser after the anchor threw it to him stating that a Japanese leader was flying to the US to meet with the president?
Joe Denardo was the last real weatherman on Pittsburgh TV. He earned a BS in Math and Physics and then an MS in Meteorology. He knew what he was talking about. Now the weather reporters are air heads who have trouble reading the teleprompter.
RIP Joe DiNardo.
Speaking of Bill Currie - a whole lot of years ago, my father and I went to a UNC vs. sPitt basketball game at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. At the time, UNC had Denny Wuycik (Ambridge), George Karl (Penn Hills) and Steve Previs (not sure where he grew up, but is SW PA, maybe Bethel Park) starting/playing and my dad, who grew up in Ambridge thought Wuycik walked on proverbial basketball water.
After the game, won by the TarHeels, somehow we get to go the the local UNC alumni reception at Chatham Center where we get to mingle and meet the nice, victorious folks from UNC.
Bill Currie walks in the door - remember that his stay in Pittsburgh was preceded by some time in North Carolina - with a babe on each arm. He walks over to the bar and gets some refreshment and proceeds to hold court for about 45 minutes. Finishes his 3rd toddy, grabs his feminine entourage and walks out the door laughing the whole time. Never paid for a thing.
Speaking of Bill Currie - a whole lot of years ago, my father and I went to a UNC vs. sPitt basketball game at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. At the time, UNC had Denny Wuycik (Ambridge), George Karl (Penn Hills) and Steve Previs (not sure where he grew up, but is SW PA, maybe Bethel Park) starting/playing and my dad, who grew up in Ambridge thought Wuycik walked on proverbial basketball water.
After the game, won by the TarHeels, somehow we get to go the the local UNC alumni reception at Chatham Center where we get to mingle and meet the nice, victorious folks from UNC.
Bill Currie walks in the door - remember that his stay in Pittsburgh was preceded by some time in North Carolina - with a babe on each arm. He walks over to the bar and gets some refreshment and proceeds to hold court for about 45 minutes. Finishes his 3rd toddy, grabs his feminine entourage and walks out the door laughing the whole time. Never paid for a thing.
A story I told elsewhere today...
I worked at WTAE Radio for a couple of years in the mid-90's. One of the highlights of working the late shift was recording Joe DeNardo's overnight weather forecasts. He'd dial into the studio and we'd set up an old Ampex reel-to-reel and off we'd go.
He took a lot of pride in being one-take Joe. When he DID screw up, the string of epithets would be lengthy and epic. (Not aimed at us, mind you, but at himself.) Somewhere out there, the running compilation reel of Joe's cursings still exists. I hope. It was glorious.
He was salty as ****. And also really, really fun and a genuinely nice guy. RIP Joe.
I worked at WTAE Radio for a couple of years in the mid-90's. One of the highlights of working the late shift was recording Joe DeNardo's overnight weather forecasts. He'd dial into the studio and we'd set up an old Ampex reel-to-reel and off we'd go.
He took a lot of pride in being one-take Joe. When he DID screw up, the string of epithets would be lengthy and epic. (Not aimed at us, mind you, but at himself.) Somewhere out there, the running compilation reel of Joe's cursings still exists. I hope. It was glorious.
He was salty as ****. And also really, really fun and a genuinely nice guy. RIP Joe.
He was, and the name was both ironic in one sense and fitting in another.
Excellent find "toasty". When my family had Steeler season tickets back in the 70's Don Cannon had seats in the row directly in front of us. He was there for most games, but I never once spoke to him. My Dad felt we should "give him his space" and let him enjoy the game. I know he had alcohol issues, but I cannot recall a single time when he appeared to be anything other than sober and he always acted as a gentleman. I understand he is still alive, and in his late 70's, but I know little more than that. I wish him well.
LOL...I remember that. My favorite part is when Paul Long's coffee goes flying through the air and Don Cannon catches it all in his cup.
My apologies for the post about Bill Currie - didn't mean to take the thread away from Joe Dinardo.
Have a young friend who graduated from PSU with a meteorology degree who interned at WTAE in the early 2000s. He related what a great mentor Joe was for him. Learned a lot.
Kind of reminds me of another famous Italian named Joe.
Have a young friend who graduated from PSU with a meteorology degree who interned at WTAE in the early 2000s. He related what a great mentor Joe was for him. Learned a lot.
Kind of reminds me of another famous Italian named Joe.
I was the caddy master at Montour Heights Country Club in 1971. I remember caddying for Joe but can't place the year. It was a thrill to be on the bag of a celebrity. Seemed like a genuinely nice guy. The thing that stands out in my memory was in hearing the words "... and now the DeNardo Weather" on the TV broadcast, as if the weather belonged to the forecaster.
I am pretty certain that the “There’s a Nip in the Air” quip was made by Bob Kudzma of KDKA. It was unintentional but Emperor Hirohito was arriving in DC that evening for talks with Jimmy Carter. They teased the national story and then went to Kudzma to tease the weather forecast before a commercial and he came up with his unfortunate sound bite.
Rest In Peace Joe D. You were my “Meterologist” for decades.
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