Doug White, a veteran TV journalist and the main anchor on NBC 10 News for 28 years, died Tuesday in his Warwick home after battling cancer for the last year. He was 61.
A Boston native and graduate of Bates College, White had led the station’s 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts since 1978, and the 5 p.m. newscast since 2001. Previously, he had spent six years as an anchor at WPRI-TV in Providence, Channel 12. He had also worked at WSMW-TV in Worcester and WLBZ in Bangor, Maine, and completed a fellowship at WGBH-TV in Boston.
As one of New England’s best-known journalists, White was a member of the Silver Circle of the New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which recognizes men and women who have had a significant and long-term influence upon the broadcast industry. He also received numerous awards for his work on-air and behind the scenes, including an Emmy in 1980.
“All of us at NBC 10 are saddened by the news of Doug’s death,” said WJAR Vice President and General Manager Lisa G. Churchville. “We are losing a generous friend and esteemed colleague who has touched each of our lives. His leadership was marked by his commitment to the highest standards of journalism and his genuine affection for his co-workers and his audience. We will all miss him very much.”
Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, who said he and his wife, Sue, were “loyal viewers” of White’s, issued a statement calling White “the face of news in Southern New England” for more than 20 years.
“During that period, Doug brought to NBC 10 a sense of dignity and gravitas that garnered the trust of all Rhode Islanders,” Carcieri said. “Besides his work on television, Doug was an important member of our community. He was truly a Rhode Island institution.”
U.S. Senator Lincoln C. Chafee called White a “legendary newsman,” and a “fair and responsible journalist who conducted himself with the utmost professionalism.”
U.S. Senator Jack Reed issued a statement saying Rhode Island had lost “an outstanding journalist and a respected member of our community.”
White served on the board of trustees at Kent Hospital, on the Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, and on the board of the Rhode Island Academic Decathlon. He was named “Man of the Year” in 1984 by Volunteers in Warwick Schools.
White is survived by his wife, Barbara, two sons, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.
