Robert J. Lurstema

Gala- Looks like the man died a couple of years ago:

Link to Article

Thanks for the response and the link, Phoenix. Now that I live in the Midwest I get nostalgic for quirky New England things. He was definitely quirky, and quite a force in radio.

He always insisted on editing and reading the news at the top of the hour. As a result, he would report on the most prescient stories of the day, but he would also include a story that would normally be overlooked. I remember once he reported on the rescue of a Robin that was tangled in some wire... the sort of everyday story that no one ever hears.

Because he was an "institution" Lurtsema was able to overrule the commercialism that public radio began to adhere to in the late 80s.

Some people went batty over his style, the slowness, the pauses.