R.I.P. Fred Cook

Fred Cook has died. I spent many a sunny summer afternoon listening to The Zero Hour on the radio when I was a teenager. What fond memories!

obits:
Memphis Daily News:

Memphis broadcasting legend Fred Cook died this morning of heart failure. He was 83. Cook was best known for a 50-year career in Memphis radio

Mediaverse

12/9/2008:
Left Wing Cracker marked the sad occasion:

For those of us of a certain age, his is a deep loss, and a sign that radio as we once knew it is gone forever.

The Commercial Appeal has a quote from John Powell:

"He thought of radio as an art form," said John Powell, the long-time co-host with Mr. Cook of the popular WREC shows "Zero Hour" and "The Cook and Powell Show," which helped inform and entertain audiences with everything from news to music to scripted comedy skits to urbane banter.

Joe Larkins:

Some might say he was a bit of a curmudgeon. Maybe it’s a trait of all former newspeople. Anyway, Mr. Cook left his mark on the news business in Memphis

12/10/2008:
Commercial Appeal editorial:

Fred Cook had the voice for radio and the believability for television. But more than anything else, he had the humor, the style and the sheer likability that made him an authentic Memphis media legend.