For Robert Mangino, Perry Marshall was an inspiration.
When Mangino was just 13, he called the "Marshall's Office" radio show on KDKA. He wanted to talk about education, and the show host chatted with him for several minutes, just as he talked to any adult caller who wanted to have a say.
Perry Marshall, known as the radio station's overnight voice through the 1970s and 1980s, died Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, in UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland about two weeks after having a heart attack, according to KDKA. He was 86.
"I guess the reason why he had such an impact on me was because he took the call, and treated me -- a kid -- as though I had something important to say," said Mangino, now an evening host at the station. "Overnight radio is a bit of a different animal: It's more conversational, more engaging.
"He did overnight radio to a standard that everyone else at this point gets judged by."
"Marshall's Office" lasted for about 25 years until Mr. Marshall retired in 1988, said Marshall Adams, the station's program director. Mr. Marshall spent time at several other local stations, including WWSW, WTAE, WJAS, WEEP and KQV.
He had a special talent for the overnight work, though, Adams and Mangino said. It can be a long shift with few callers and no co-host. Hosts need enough personality and stamina to work solo and find interesting topics, Adams said.
Mr. Marshall had special ability to seem inviting and engaging for audiences, rather than the type of confrontational personality that is more common during the day, Mangino said.
When he was growing up, Adams' grandmother -- like many Pittsburgh insomniacs -- would listen Marshall as she went to sleep, Adams said.
"He was certainly a broadcast institution in Pittsburgh," Adams added. His show "provided a window on Pittsburgh for the overnight hours."
Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
