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The man who saved Channel 3

WEDU's president keeps giving TV viewers their fix, whether it's in the form of Clifford, Charlie Rose or a documentary.

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published June 9, 2006

TAMPA - Dick Lobo is celebrating his fourth anniversary running WEDU-Ch. 3.

The Ybor City native is the chief executive officer and president of Florida's largest public television station. Four years - well, that's certainly a presidential term.

And even though Lobo will celebrate another big date this year - his 70th birthday - the man who came out of retirement to pull WEDU out of its plummet already is hearing the call:

Four more years! Four more years!

It could happen. At the least, he's pondering another three years at the helm.

"I'd like to stay at least through 2009," Lobo said, because that's when all U.S. television is required to completely convert to a digital signal. "I still find this a lot of fun. I think some of the staff here is amazed at my energy level."

Heck, Lance Armstrong might be amazed at his energy level. The former TV reporter and news director burned the midnight oil while pulling WEDU out of its nosedive.

Since then, he has been overseeing the station's increasing focus on local programming and its emergence into the digital and high-definition age with just as much drive.

"His level of energy is absolutely incredible, and it's just gotten more so over the time he's been here," said Monroe Berkman, chairman of WEDU's board of directors.

"This was a major challenge, and the station's moved forward with real abundance."

Before Lobo came in, Berkman said, "we were in a fail mode. We had serious financial problems, and serious personnel problems, too."

Lobo's predecessor, Stephen Rogers, resigned in summer 2001 amid a financial crisis that prompted the station to lay off nearly 30 percent of its 62-member staff and cut $2-million from its budget.

Under Lobo, Berkman said, the station that reaches 16 Central Florida counties has rebounded financially, managerially and creatively.

"He saved the station," Berkman said. "That's Dick's reputation, solving problems and really moving forward.

"We had about 70 applicants for the job, and some really strong ones. But when he walked into the room, we knew we had the right guy."

Before his retirement to Sarasota, where he and his wife, Caren, opened and managed a bookstore, Lobo had been a general manager or station manager for several large TV stations in New York, Miami, Chicago and Cleveland.

Growing up in Ybor City, he dreamed of a life delivering the news, first on radio and later on television.

A second-generation Floridian of Cuban heritage, Lobo first spoke Spanish. There's no hint of an accent to his English, the result of constant practice while he planned his broadcast news career.

He attended the University of Tampa but transferred to the University of Miami for its stronger journalism program. He worked as a TV reporter for several stations in Miami, interrupted by a stint as an officer in the Army.

But in 1996, the news director of NBC's flagship station in New York delivered some devastating news.

"He said, 'Dick, you stink on the air,' " Lobo recalled. "I was heartbroken, crestfallen."

In retrospect, Lobo realized the criticism was fair - he just wasn't good on camera. But Lobo's boss liked his news judgment and made him an editor.

Lobo's career progressed, and he later became the station's news director, then the station manager and eventually general manager.

Lobo learned not long after he arrived at WEDU that the nonprofit's financial performance had been ranked "exceptionally poor" by the independent Web site Charitynavigator.org, which tracks how efficiently public money is being spent.

Out of four stars, WEDU received, well, zero.

Lobo and his staff worked hard to improve corporate underwriting and trim expenses, and in January the site awarded WEDU its highest ranking.

It's another reason Lobo has no plans to kick back and relax, even though he'll enter his 70s in October.

"The board was mindful of my age when they hired me," Lobo said. "I promised them at least five years. But I don't know the concept of retirement."

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431. His Tampa arts and entertainment blog, the Ill Literate, is at sptimes.com/blogs/tampaarts.

*   *   *

RICHARD 'DICK' LOBO

AGE: 69

HOMES: He and wife, Caren, split their time between homes in Old Hyde Park and Sarasota, carting along their greyhound and golden retriever. They also have an apartment in Manhattan.

PROGENY: Three adult children; five grandchildren.

BRUSHES WITH GREATNESS: When he was a TV reporter, Lobo interviewed Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, the Beatles, Mickey Mantle, Malcolm X, Fidel Castro and Barbra Streisand.

BUT, SADLY: "I see myself on the air, and I'm awful," Lobo said with a laugh. "Just terrible."

[Last modified June 7, 2006, 12:46:57]