GOODBYE, BOB.

WPTF has lost a loyal and dedicated friend. Bob Royal, an employee of the station for some 60+ years has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 84.

For those of us who knew Bob, we were treated to wonderful stories about WPTF's history. And Bob knew the history well. Starting his career at WPTF in 1943, Bob was forced to take a couple of years off as he was drafted into service for World War II.

After the war, Bob returned to WPTF to finish out his career. I'm sure neither he nor any of his colleagues could have ever imagined just how long he would stick around. Working gave Bob purpose. It was a sincere reason for him to get up in the morning and carry on with life's daily grind.

As a News Anchor and Reporter, I learned to accept Bob's crusty ways. In a strange way, you sort of adored this genial fellow. And, oh yes, Bob could get mad. I guess age doesn't diminsh that with time. Bob would often come visit me and talk during my year-long stint as Curtis Media's Human Resources Director. It was during this time that Bob's battle with cancer resumed.

Bob never waivered. He fought every step of the way. Staying out of work just wasn't in Bob's nature.

What's lost beside Bob's loyalty is a sincere anchor to WPTF's storied past. You could feel the connection when you talked to Bob. You knew in some way you were speaking with someone who had deep roots into the history and legacy of the station.

Sadly, what WPTF was has faded away. The business has changed dramatically since Bob's arrival in the early '40s. Greed and running on the cheap have replaced a drive for quality programming and respectability. Even the famed WPTF Newsroom is currently in shambles.

Bob was that rare jewel -- that rare glimpse into what radio used to be. It's what those of us who grew up listening to those far away AM stations dreamed and romanticized it should be.

Bob Royal was a lot of things to WPTF. I promise you there are a lot of programs which would never have made it to air if it hadn't been for him.

Maybe in the final years, the technology and the business had passed him by. He hadn't passed WPTF, however. He was the grandfather clock -- the anchor to our past -- and a beacon of our longing for radio to be the warm, comforting and informative medium it once was -- again.