HOT : Political Leaders Remember Fred Honsberger

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― 
Political figures from the Pittsburgh area are voicing their sadness and well wishes to the family of famed KDKA Radio broadcaster Fred Honsberger.

Honsberger died at his home Wednesday morning at age 58.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl issued a statement praising Honsberger's body of work in his career.

"Fred Honsberger was an extremely dedicated, talented, and passionate man who will be greatly missed by the thousands of Pittsburghers who tuned in to his daily talk show. The iconic role that Fred played in engaging the public on political issues will be extremely hard to replace. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and dedicated listeners," Ravenstahl said.

U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire admired Honsberger's unique style and the passion he had for the city of Pittsburgh.

"Over the past 30 years, Fred Honsberger achieved a legendary status on Pittsburgh's airwaves. He was a hard-hitter who was never afraid to speak his mind and fight for his beliefs. I liked Fred very much. His wit, his love for Pittsburgh, and his unyielding passion will be sorely missed," Altmire said.

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato spent a good deal of time with Honsberger and developed a working relationship with him.

"This region has lost a broadcasting icon and a great independent voice for our region. I had the pleasure and honor of working with Fred my entire political career and whether you agreed or disagreed with him, he was always fair and a consummate professional. We will all miss Fred and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family," Onorato said.

State Sen. Sean Logan was a frequent guest on Honsberger's KDKA radio show on over the last few years.

"As a repeated guest on Fred's show, he treated me with respect and courtesy. While we may have disagreed at times about an issue or my position, we were never disagreeable," Logan said.

He went on to compliment Honsberger's journalistic style and professionalism. 

"Fred was a constituent, an award-winning journalist and above all a radio professional. He was a quick study, knew his subject matter well and was unafraid to ask challenging questions of public policymakers," Logan said. "My thoughts and prayers go out today to Fred's family and his many friends. Fred will be greatly missed by his listeners, colleagues and those who knew him well."

Honsberger worked at KDKA Radio for 30 years -- starting his career there as a reporter. Before moving into the role of talk show host in 1989, he worked as news director at the radio station for five years.

Honsberger is survived by his wife, Chris, and two sons, Kevin and Kyle.


Source : http://kdka.com/local/Fred.Honsberger.remembered.2.1373880.html