[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 12739-12740]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING AND REMEMBERING LES SARNOFF

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. This is an era where new media and communication 
devices are seemingly created overnight. Was it only 3 years ago that 
YouTube bounced on the scene? It seems like it was last week that we 
first heard about Twitter.
  Well, the first and most influential of the ``new media'' still plays 
a large role in our lives. Radio captures that magic in part because of 
the radio personalities who captivated us with their distinctive voices 
and wit, made larger than life by how much was left to our imagination 
in terms of the production and even what they looked like. William 
Conrad was the radio voice of Gunsmoke's marshal, Matt Dillon, who was 
played on TV by actor James Arness, 6 foot 6, tall and rangy with 
craggy good looks. William Conrad, the radio voice, sounded that way, 
but he was short and rotund. And while he looked distinctive, few would 
confuse him with a matinee idol. From Fred Alan, Jack Benny and Edward 
R. Murrow to Scott Simon, Garrison Keillor today, these people play an 
important role not just in a communication and entertainment medium, 
but in the lives of Americans.
  In much of the commercial radio wasteland today, where content is 
centralized and digitized, while costs are cut, local personalities, 
who played such a profound role in virtually every community, are more 
and more a distant memory.
  In my hometown of Portland, Oregon, we are still blessed with a few 
distinctive local voices. But sadly last month, we lost one who can 
only be described as an icon. For decades Les Sarnoff was the most 
distinctive personality in what started as an idiosyncratic, offbeat 
and obscure FM station. He helped it grow into a major commercial 
success and a Portland fixture. The characteristics that made him such 
a well respected professional and beloved local figure helped him rise 
above and survive the turmoil in the industry, the often destructive 
changes, to brighten the mornings of tens of thousands of my neighbors 
every day for the better part of three decades.
  Les was a dedicated and disciplined professional, arising shortly 
after midnight every weekday to spend hours in preparation before his 
morning shift. He was a step ahead of legitimate trends in music, but 
with a profound respect for both music and artists that was timeless. 
He had a rapport and a chemistry with not only his audience, but the 
outstanding people that were part of his morning team over the years. 
Despite a demanding schedule and brutal hours, Les always made time to 
be part of public events and public affairs.

[[Page 12740]]

  Now, media and people in politics need for, professional and ethical 
reasons, to maintain a certain distance. That is far more important to 
a media personality like Les, than for a politician like me. And 
observe that distance he did, but always with a sense that I was a 
friend, with a sense of interest and awareness whenever I would visit 
him in the station or more often do a telephone interview from our 
Nation's Capitol or an occasional lunch or interaction at a civic 
event. But it was not Les Sarnoff letting his guard down. It was Les 
revealing that at core he liked, understood and respected everyone. He 
was curious, funny and caring. Even in his passing, Les brought our 
community together as thousands gathered last Sunday to honor his 
memory in Portland's Pioneer Square, our City's front yard. By 
reflecting on his life, we reflect on ours.
  To his wife Rita, Les' many friends and colleagues, because of his 
love for and work with you, we have all been touched. We will never be 
the same without Les, but also, we will never be the same because of 
Les Sarnoff.

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