Obituary
Ron Daugherty, 60, Alaska manager
Ron Daugherty, 60, general manager of KYUK-AM/FM/TV in Bethel, Alaska, died June 23 in the emergency room of Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital in Bethel. Cause of death was complications from a severe allergic reaction.
He started in public broadcasting in 1980 at KAWE in Bemidji, Minn., as a part-time board operator and rose to general manager. From 1992 to ’98 he was director of television programming and production at WQLN in Erie, Pa. In 1999 he moved to Alaska as g.m. at KYUK. According to a statement from the station, “he often said that Erie was great but Bethel was better.”
KYUK was the first Native-American-controlled station in public broadcasting system. It was incorporated in March 1970, began radio broadcasts in May 1971, and added TV in September 1972.
In a November 2008 interview with Current, Daugherty talked about living in the rough yet beautiful Alaska. “Right now there’s four inches of snow, it’s a clear blue sky with an ambient temperature of 16 below,” he said. “It’s a very delicate environment.”
Bethel, on the state’s western coast, 400 miles from Anchorage is located beyond the highway system, so nonperishables come in by barge each June, he noted. Daugherty and his wife of 41 years, Jonna, were living in an apartment atop the station.
Daugherty was proud that KYUK served Native Alaskans in dozens of tiny subsistence villages on the roadless tundra, where people catch, smoke and dry salmon and where the radio plays constantly in many general stores. “We’re a source of vital information in a region never considered commercially viable,” he said.
Last year KYUK’s licensee, Bethel Broadcasting, received seven construction permits for new stations, among numerous other Native American groups, as the FCC finally acted on long-delayed applications. The station is using its CPs for new FM repeaters, one for a new FM service in Bethel and one to replace an existing translator. Mike Martz, a video producer who is now KYUK’s interim g.m., said the station is moving forward with the FM service. The studio equipment is installed, music is being loaded into the automation system, and a draft program schedule is being developed.
Martz said his boss was “unflappable.”
“He never blew his stack, he always seemed to keep calm no matter what the situation or circumstance,” he said.
That steadiness came in especially handy at the time Daugherty was hired.
“He had an accounting degree, which is unusual for a broadcasting manager,” Martz noted. “Someone with a strong financial background was exactly what KYUK needed in 1999 when he became manager. I can say that he quite literally saved the station from complete financial collapse. KYUK wouldn’t be on the air now without his efforts to restore its financial health.”
“He left a very well-organized and well-documented administrative and financial structure, something I’m thankful for in my new role,” Martz said.
Paul Stankavich, g.m. of KPLU-FM in Tacoma, Wash., recalled Daugherty as “a consummate professional and a very special friend.” He added that Daugherty “is missed deeply by those of us who had the privilege of knowing him.”
He was born Ron Luther Daugherty in Freeborn, Ky., on May 10, 1949, to Luther and Ruth (Serene) Daugherty. He graduated in 1967 from Bertha-Hewitt High School in Bertha, Minn. He married Jonna Oling July 23, 1968.
After graduation he served nine years in U.S. Army, including a stint at the Armed Forces Radio Network in Bremerhaven, Germany. He received two Army Commendation medals. After leaving the service he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and management from Bemidji State University in Minnesota.
Daugherty is survived by his wife; their sons Shem, of Remer, Minn., and Shaun of Honolulu, Hawaii; daughters-in-law Mary and Charlene; and grandchildren Hannah, Lucas, Rebecca and Sarah. He was preceded in death by his parents and one grandson.
A memorial service was held June 28 at the Cease Family Funeral Home in Bemidji, Minn. The American Legion Post No. 16 of Bemidji provided military honors.
Condolences may be sent to Jonna Daugherty in care of Shem and Mary Daugherty, 6827 State Highway 6 N.E., Remer, MN 56672.
Web page posted Aug. 3, 2009
Copyright 2009 by Current LLC
