Robert D. Raiford obit

Charlotte radio curmudgeon Robert Raiford dies at 89

He was not on the list.


Robert D. Raiford was an American radio broadcaster and actor, best known for his political/social commentaries delivered during The John Boy and Billy Big Show, a morning radio program heard on stations throughout the American South. He was from Concord, North Carolina and majored in communication at the University of South Carolina. Raiford got his start in broadcasting in 1944 by calling play by play at baseball games. His first real radio job was at WEGO (AM) in Concord, North Carolina. Raiford has appeared in 28 movies, often portraying judge characters. He frequently closed his commentaries with the line "Who says that? I say that!", which also served as the title of a book containing excerpts from these segments. Early in his career, Raiford worked for WTOP radio and WTOP-TV, both CBS News affiliates in Washington, D.C.. His best-known work was a live radio broadcast on WTOP, a CBS Radio affiliate, covering the state funeral of President John F. Kennedy.[1] He also worked at Charlotte radio station WBT. Raiford also hosted a show on WIST, which aired Charlotte's first telephone talk radio format. He later taught Communications at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. From 1978 to 1986, Raiford was a news anchor and talk show host for Charlotte's NBC television affiliate. It was known as WRET-TV and then WPCQ-TV during his tenure there; it is now WCNC-TV.[2] On the June 9, 2016, episode of The John Boy and Billy Big Show, John Isley ("John Boy") announced that Raiford had retired from the show, due to suffering a stroke the previous August that greatly affected his speech and mobility. Raiford had not delivered any commentaries during the intervening months, choosing to focus on his recovery instead.

Filmography

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1990      The Handmaid's Tale      Dick      

1991      Billy Bathgate     Judge   

1992      In the Line of Duty: Street War   Judge    TV movie

1993      Super Mario Bros.            TV Announcer  

1993      The Program      Chancellor Wilson           

1993-1995          Matlock                Judge Michael Stern / Warden / Mr. McEvoy        5 episodes

1994      Radioland Murders          Ben Butter         

1994      A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story Harlee Branch    TV movie

1994      Bionic Ever After?            Minister               TV movie

1995      Death in Small Doses      Dr. Butler             TV movie

1997      Paradise Falls     Rich Man on Train           

1999      The Rage: Carrie 2            Senior D.A.         

2005      A Tale About Bootlegging              Judge Bob Landis              (final film role)