# Donald Rickles

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This article is about the radio and  television announcer. For the comedian, see [Don Rickles](/source/Don_Rickles).

**Donald Newton Rickles** (October 7, 1927 – February 19, 1985) was an American radio and television announcer, news anchor, and actor.

## Early life

He was born Donald Newton Rickles in [Portland, Oregon](/source/Portland,_Oregon) on October 7, 1927.

## Career

Rickles began his announcing career at the age of 11 at [KBPS (AM)](/source/KBPS_(AM)) in Portland. Later, he was chief announcer for [KUSC-FM](/source/KUSC) in [Los Angeles, California](/source/Los_Angeles,_California). Other stations where he worked early in his career included [KGW](/source/KPOJ) and [KEX](/source/KEX_(AM)) in Portland and [KVAN](/source/KMTT) in [Vancouver, Washington](/source/Vancouver,_Washington).

In 1949, he became an announcer at [KIEV](/source/KIEV_(870_AM)) in Los Angeles, and a year later, joined the announcing staff of [NBC](/source/NBC) in [Hollywood](/source/Hollywood,_Los_Angeles,_California). He was part of a core group of West Coast announcers for the network who, in his early years, included [Don Stanley](/source/Don_Stanley_(announcer)), [Arch Presby](/source/Arch_Presby), [Eddy King](/source/Eddy_King_(announcer)), and [Frank Barton](/source/Frank_Barton_(announcer)); by the 1970s, the main core announcing lineup had become Rickles, Stanley, [Victor Bozeman](/source/Victor_Bozeman), and [Peggy Taylor](/source/Peggy_Taylor).

Rickles's radio announcing credits included *[The Whisperer](/source/The_Whisperer_(radio_program))*, *[The Great Gildersleeve](/source/The_Great_Gildersleeve)*, *[Night Beat](/source/Night_Beat_(radio_program))*, and *[NBC University Theater](/source/NBC_University_Theatre)*. On television, over the next three decades, he handled announcing duties for such programs as *[Coke Time with Eddie Fisher](/source/Coke_Time_with_Eddie_Fisher)*, *[The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show](/source/Tennessee_Ernie_Ford)*, *[The Dean Martin Show](/source/The_Dean_Martin_Show)*, *[The Flip Wilson Show](/source/The_Flip_Wilson_Show)*, *[Sanford and Son](/source/Sanford_and_Son)*, *[NBC Saturday Night at the Movies](/source/NBC_Saturday_Night_at_the_Movies)*, *[NBC Monday Night at the Movies](/source/The_NBC_Monday_Movie)*, and [Bob Hope](/source/Bob_Hope) specials. He appeared in [sketches](/source/Sketch_comedy) on, and frequently did [voice-over](/source/Voice-over) work for, *[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson](/source/The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson)*, and in a memorable 1978 episode of *[The Tomorrow Show](/source/The_Tomorrow_Show)*, host [Tom Snyder](/source/Tom_Snyder) and he spent 10 minutes playing the [Milton Bradley](/source/Milton_Bradley_Company) [electronic game](/source/Electronic_game) *[Simon](/source/Simon_(game))*. He also handled live booth-announcing duties for the network's Los Angeles [owned-and-operated station](/source/Owned-and-operated_station) [KNBC](/source/KNBC).

He had also worked as a newscaster, at one point, anchoring KNBC's 11 pm newscast. In later years, after [John Schubeck](/source/John_Schubeck) became anchor, Rickles was one of the rotating announcers for the station's *NewsCenter 4*, and was thanked on the air by Schubeck at the start of each newscast. As part of his continuity duties, Rickles also anchored out-of-vision for sign-on and sign-off editions of *NewsCenter4*.

## Death

On February 19, 1985, Rickles died in [Glendale, California](/source/Glendale,_California) of a [heart attack](/source/Heart_attack) at age 57.

## References

- Obituary in *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*, February 27, 1985.

## External links

- [Donald Rickles radio credits](https://radiogoldin.library.umkc.edu/Home/RadioGoldin_Records?searchString=Rickles,%20Don&type=Artists) (with some credits actually applicable to comedian Don Rickles)
- [Web page with video clip of September 27, 1981 sign-off of KNBC by Donald Rickles](https://web.archive.org/web/20071217140935/http://www.tv-signoffs.com/KNBC_1981.htm)

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