Easy tones helped on air
BROADCASTER, journalist and PR executive Gerry Davis died after collapsing at his home in Aberdeen. He was 73. He was a pharmacist and a professional actor before carving out careers with the BBC, Grampian Television and in PR.
An active NUJ member, he was long serving chairman of Grampian Branch freelance section.
For a quarter of a century he worked with BBC Radio from Aberdeen, a presenter of the nightly programme North Beat. His mellifluous tones made him a broadcasting favourite and later his weekly Grampian Television programme, The Way It Was, won more viewers in the area than EastEnders.
Gerry Davis was never flummoxed on air. On one early morning broadcast he was being patched through to a down-the-line interview when crossed lines made him an unwitting guest on Radio 2. His easy manner filled in an otherwise awkward 20-second foul-up and listeners were none the wiser. In 1985 he was voted Radio Presenter of the Year by the Scottish radio and TV authority.
Bill Harris