Former Local TV Anchor Hugh Smith Dies

Former WTVT-Ch. 13 anchor Hugh Smith died Sunday at the hospice unit of the Palms of  Pasadena Hospital of complications resulting from melanoma. He was 73 years old.

Over a 27-year career at WTVT, Smith served as the lead anchor and news director of the station when it dominated local ratings so decisively, its broadcasts attracted up to 40 percent of the audience.

Together with weather forecaster Roy Leep and sports director Andy Hardy (and "Salty" Sol Fleischman before Hardy), Smith formed a trusted, highly-popular anchor team at WTVT, which was then a CBS affiliate. Photos courtesy of the Big 13 tribute Web site; Smith biography/interview accessible here.

Hired at WTVT in 1963, Smith lodged many firsts, including appearing in the local TV news' first color broadcasts and delivering the area's first live report from a helicopter.

But the advent of faster-paced, more emotional news reporting edged out his Walter Cronkite-inspired, just-the-facts approach. His TV news career ended in 1991 when he resigned after pleading guilty to soliciting sex from a 15-year-old prostitute, his second prostitution-related arrest in nine years.

Friends and former colleagues preferred to remember the consummate newsman with a caring side, who worked at the TV station from 10 a.m. to midnight in his prime. Word of Smith's illness spread through the local TV news ranks over the past few weeks, as the former anchor's adopted son Ward kept friends and family updated through emails on his father's condition.

"He was at the helm during the zenith of Ch. 13's broadcast success," said Leep, who last remembered speaking with Hugh Smith in February and remained friends with the anchor after his departure from WTVT. "He was highly professional...looked at every jot and tittle of the newscast. He was a fella who stayed on a story from beginning to end, with high standards."

According to Smith's email, his father was diagnosed with stage four melanoma in February and underwent chemotherapy treatments at Moffitt Cancer Center. He entered the hospice two weeks ago, according to Ward Smith. 

Ward Smith declined to comment in detail on his father's death, beyond suggesting that those who wish to commemorate his father make a donation to the hospice of the Florida Suncoast.

Comments

[Scott]

Sure, we all do bad things. But we as a society do not place the same weight on a shoplifter that we do a murderer. We also don't place as much weight on a man paying a prostitute as that of a man who is paying a juvenile runaway to perform sex acts.
Face it, if he were to be adjudicated under today's laws, he would be branded a s*e*x-offender. That being said, I cannot and will not euligize a s*e*x-offender as being a role model citizen. If you are so concerned about the family, maybe you should have talked Hugh out of having s*e*x with minor girls before he brought home THAT hurt to his family.
The guy was a sicko...now he's dead, and this community is better off without him and his type.

[Scott]

Sure, we all do bad things. But we as a society do not place the same weight on a shoplifter that we do a murderer. We also don't place as much weight on a man paying a prostitute as that of a man who is paying a juvenile runaway to perform sex acts.
Face it, if he were to be adjudicated under today's laws, he would be branded a sex-offender. That being said, I cannot and will not euligize a sex-offender as being a role model citizen. If you are so concerned about the family, maybe you should have talked Hugh out of having sex with minor girls before he brought home THAT hurt to his family.
The guy was a sicko...now he's dead, and this community is better off without him and his type.

[Jim]

Well I am so sorry for bringing up his bad things. Lets face it, not one of us are perfect. Yes we all make mistakes. But some of us do sick things. He was one of those sickies. Now if you had sex with a fifteen year old child, you too are sick.
I remember a man in a store looking at a St.Jude's child in her blue plaid shirt as she bent over to get some candy. He made some comments about her. He wanted her. When he looked at us staring at him he came out with you are sick. He knew he had a serious problem. He was trying to shift the sickness on us. Not him, he was normal. He did not see the child as a child but he saw her as an object of seduction. I bet he went crazy with his daughter. so goes it " a friend of"

[Anthony]

My sympathy to the Smith family. I too remember what a scandal that was all over Tampa when he got busted (believe on Nebraska Ave. as he pulled up in his car) by the undercover cop. But props to the guy for going on air and apologizing. Yeah, it happened again, but so what. Clearly gave new meaning to Pulse Big 13.
Off the wall question and I have no idea why I remember this or if I'm remembering it correctly. Does anyone remember Shock Theatre? Was Hugh involved as the voice of that? I'm probably way off base and it was Ernie Lee or someone else.

[A Friend of Mr. Hugh Smith and family]

May God have mercy on these people who are posting such negative things in such a hard time on a family. Why does anyone feel the need to bring up his past? That is totally irrelevant to his death. When these other people have nothing in their past to hide, then and only then should they speak. If Hugh was not such a public figure, not one person would have cared about his past.

Hugh, you were a man whom we have loved and who had brought us years of news reporting. We will greatly miss you and know that now you are resting in peace. I know that I will again meet you, in Heaven.

To his family, may God bless you and know that you are in the hearts and prayers of all of us who loved this man, despite any mistakes he has made. None of us are perfect, but there seems to be people who forget about that.

[Warren Elly]

Hugh Smith had a strong impact on my life. I remember trying to decide whether to take a job in Baltimore, or here in Tampa. Then I met Hugh Smith. That was 25 years ago, and I will always be grateful that I was able to give Hugh my thanks personally before he passed away.
He was a newsman's newsman, and he set very high standards for truth and fairness. Those demands made all of us better, and the television station's dominance during his tenure was proof of that.
Good bye Boss, thanks so much for believing in me and giving me the chance that changed my life.

[Kevin]

Oh how I appreciate the "just the facts" approach to news reporting from even just 10-15 years ago. I am sick and tired of anchors (especially Fox News and CNN) having to sneak in their clueless opinions and snide remarks about every story. I could care less what Carol Costello or Robin Meade or some other talking head thinks about anything. Just give the facts of the story and move on.

[Kevin]

Oh how I appreciate the "just the facts" approach to news reporting from even just 10-15 years ago. I am sick and tired of anchors (especially Fox News and CNN) having to sneak in their clueless opinions and snide remarks about every story. I could care less what Carol Costello or Robin Meade or some other talking head thinks about anything. Just give the facts of the story and move on.

[Eric Deggans]

for accuracy's sake: his first arrest was for soliciting an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute. the second arrest was for involvement with an underage runaway...

[Suzie Siegel]

There's a disconnect here: He was a man of ethics and integrity ... except that he paid to have sex with underage girls. Why do we love and respect men who do horrible things in private? If a female journalist was picking up teen boys on Nebraska, do you think we would still remember her as a paragon of journalism?

[Scott]

Good people do bad things, yes....but when they do them twice, I guess they're not such good people.

He got popped....twice....with under-aged prostitutes. WOuld you want him living next door to you?

[Chris]

Very sad...I think we must remember that good people sometimes do bad things.

[Scott Shuster]

Before he fired me in '76...Hugh Smith hired me in '72 to serve as morning, Pulse Plus, and weekend anchorman. I was only 22. That hiring (by Hugh, Ray Dantzler, and Joe Loughlin) was crucial to my future career at NPR, ABC News and McGraw-Hill. So, like others posting here today, I have a lot of gratitude welling up for Hugh Smith. He set a remarkable standard and also a personal example of dedication and excellence that has been like a beacon for all the newsies who worked with him through the years. This was a serious and dedicated individual, the likes of which we rarely see in broadcast news these days.
Hugh and I healed everything between us in a.very pleasant coffee we had together at a news directors' convention in Vegas in 1984. It's at moments like this one in 2007 when one is very much relieved to know that there had been a healing of a difficult relationship before it was too late. Rest in Peace, Hugh...
-Scott Shuster, New York

[Tony]

pedophile?? pervert?? but a nice guy otherwise. why the attacks on bob hite, I would drink if i have too sit next to gayle all these yrs

[John Paul Jones]

The news of Hugh's death comes as a shock to me. He was mentor and a key figure in my professional life.

Hugh was the best copy editor ethical news manager I worked under. On the downside he was a workaholic and that made family life difficult for those in the newsroom. How could we complain about workload when he was news director, anchor, and continued to work the Hillsborough County education beat. He would go to the office 7 days a week. Tampa Bay TV news viewers were better informed because of his efforts.

I was disappointed when Hugh didn't make it to the WTVT 50th Anniversary employee reunion a few years ago. We were told he felt his presence would detract from the celebration because his most recent arrest and resignation. Apparently he did not know how much we all cared about him and respected his professional life. We wanted him to be there to share in the celebration of his accomplishments as much as the station's.

I didn't know he was ill and it saddens me, and I will always regret, that I never got to visit him after he left WTVT.

My thoughts of comfort go to Hugh's family in this time of sorrow.

May he rest in peace.

John Paul Jones
former WTVT reporter

[scott]

I agree. This guy got busted for trying to have sex with a 15-year-old. I really could care less what he might think of today's news product, and I'm astounded that the St. Pete Times and FOX 13 are wasting any space on their web pages eulogizing him.

[Jim]

Hugh Smith. Yes I remember him. He got arrested for picking up prositute. Then got on TV and said he was sorry and had received God. Then he picked up another and got caught again. He resigned. Yea he went to St. Pauls. Winter's cheating on his wife. Bob Hite DUI and casting out his son for 17 year. Oh yes, we really need to look up to these guys.

[George]

Hugh Smith, Roy Leep, Andy Hardy - a trio that will never be duplicated.

Rest in peace, Hugh....

[Cindy]

I grew up in the 60's and remember Hugh Smith as the gold standard of TV news in the Tampa/St. Pete area. Another piece of my youth has passed.

[Cindy]

I grew up in the 60's and remember Hugh Smith as the gold standard of TV news in the Tampa/St. Pete area. Another piece of my youth has passed.

[TampahasseeTexas]

Typically, kids with single-digit ages don't watch the news. I loyally watched Hugh, Roy, and the rest of the Pulse/Eyewitness News team growing up in the '80s and early '90s. He is surely a Tampa Bay legend and icon. R.I.P. Hugh. Thanks for being part of the inspiration in my current-day news career.

[nvicino]

Hugh...I will always miss you. You were my mentor. The person I learned integrity and true journalism from. No one can ever take that away.
On a broader note, your were a dependable, night in and night out "anchor" for the Tampa Bay area.
Wether it was the indictment of the Pinellas County Comisssion, or the indictment of former State Attorney E.J. Salcines or the contoversy surrounding the Scientologists in Clearwater you were there to report the facts as we knew them.
You will be missed by this reporter and hundreds of thousands of other people who call this beautiful place home.
My prayers go out to your loved ones and close friends.

Most Sincerely, Neil Vilcino

[justme]

My deepest sympathies to the Smith family. He was an excellent newscaster and has been missed over the years.

[Jim]

Very sad year for local television news. The death of John Winter, Bob Hite's DUI and retirement, and now the death of Hugh Smith.

I begin to wonder what Hugh Smith would think of the quality of the newscasts on today's Channel 13? He would probably be disgusted by what passes for news on every outlet. Hugh Smith was in a class by himself and was a real journalist, unlike the so called up-and-comers in today's news business.