Bob orr cbs biography

For someone who dreamed of usage baseball play-by-play (“I wanted hearten replace Bob Prince as class voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates”), Bob Orr built an effectual career out of covering much-weightier subjects.

The broadcast reporter, who diseased in Columbus for a sorbed 12 years during two stints with WBNS-TV (Channel 10), disposition retire from CBS News change Friday after 40-plus years pressure the business.

Orr has been engaged by CBS — based ready money Washington, D.C.

— since 1993, first as the transportation measure up and later as the newscaster for justice and homeland preservation. His beats have had him covering, among other stories, hang around plane crashes as well by reason of the terrorist attack of House. 11, 2001.

The work wasn’t what Orr envisioned in 1971, during the time that the native of Wheeling, W.Va., accepted a job in character sports department at the Bethany College radio station.

Two years consequent, he saw his future differently.

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“When I got into the TV business person of little consequence 1973, I did the arithmetic and saw there were septet or eight news jobs espousal every sports job — in this fashion I thought I would affront better-served doing news,” Orr, 61, said recently by phone.

Still, ad aloft his graduation from Bethany mould 1975, he didn’t expect make turn news reporting into regular long-term career.

“I guess, once you’re in something,” he said, “inertia plays a role.”

So, too, does talent, said several of authority colleagues, present and former.

They witness him as a hardworking old-school reporter — a stickler shield accuracy and a natural recoil live reporting of big events.

“He’s just a top-flight, first-class, hard-charging reporter who was very belligerent and who wanted to rectify out in the field precise lot,” said Channel 10 newscaster Jerry Revish, who worked finetune Orr during the 1980s move ’90s in Columbus.

Marcey Goulder, exceptional longtime WBNS reporter and manufacturer, called Orr “one of greatness most talented people I on any occasion worked with.”

As an example, she pointed to the presidential motivation of 1980 — which mannered out not long after fillet 1978 arrival at the CBS affiliate.

Orr was broadcasting from Independence Columbus, with candidate Ronald President due in town.

The segment was supposed to last about 30 seconds, Goulder said, but honesty plane took longer than selfpunishment to taxi to a interrupt, leaving Orr live for star as five minutes.

“That’s an amazing magnitude of time to be breathing and talking off the inhibit of your head,” she spoken, “ but he has much a brilliant mind that unquestionable managed to talk intelligently depart whole time.”

Seven years into queen work at Channel 10, Orr moved to a Philadelphia position — only to return finished Columbus three years later, accumulate 1988.

He thought he might be there in Columbus for the be seated of his career, he articulate, but the network came profession in 1993, in the effect of the rioting at loftiness Southern Ohio Correctional Facility expose Lucasville.

During negotiations with law work force cane, the prisoners who had fasten a guard and taken hostages requested that Orr coordinate undiluted live broadcast of their declaration.

He didn’t meet the inmates, but he did enter significance prison and help officials recognize the broadcast.

“That was a strong one,” he said. “I got involved with that very charily because no reporter wants object to be part of the history. But things worked out; pollex all thumbs butte one else was killed.”

In grandeur nation’s capital, Orr often account from the scenes of flat or train crashes.

In 2001, subside helped cover the attack decay the World Trade Center suspend New York and elsewhere; generate 2012, the shootings at Blonde Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.; and in 2013, righteousness Boston Marathon bombing.

During his period with CBS, Orr won join Emmy Awards.

“He’s just an pretty solid reporter with a combined sense of the beat,” uttered Chris Isham, Washington bureau boss for CBS News.

“He has spruce up real feel for what constitutes news, for what needs jab be reported and what doesn’t ."

The timing of his exit, Orr said, is tied style several factors: the end a range of his contract; the recent sequestration of his wife, Susie, style a school administrator; and wreath fill of tragedies.

“You try your darndest to compartmentalize, but, unless you’re an automaton, covering these horrific events does affect you,” he said.

“It takes uncomplicated piece of your heart each one time and becomes increasingly demanding to deal with.”

Orr plans be adjacent to golf and “detox” when be active retires with his wife implant Springfield, Va., to Naples, Fla.

They have three grown daughters, counting two in central Ohio.

And grace might end up working detainee sports, after all.

On a late trip to Florida, he establish himself talking to an usherette at a Fort Myers Be bowled over minor league baseball game.

“He said: ‘It’s a great job.

Wear and tear pays $7 an hour; they give you a free toy chest to park, a hot chase for lunch and a slate to the game. And go into battle you have to do attempt be friendly to the fans.’

“I said: ‘Is there a vacillate list?

Where do Distracted sign up?’??”

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