Radio fans lost a major voice in urban radio today as Doug Banks passed away due to complications from diabetes.
He was 57.
The longtime radio personality was born in Philadelphia and raised in Detroit. Starting his radio career at his high school’s radio station, Doug quickly made a name for himself, earning a temporary late-night weekend spot as a DJ on local station WDRQ. Despite being so young, Banks’ talents led him to becoming a full time personality at the station. He then moved to LA and secured a multi-year deal with KDAY and then KFI, which helping him land his first morning show slot in Las Vegas at KLAV-AM. These were followed by positions in San Francisco and Chicago, where he dominated the ratings at WBMX (now WVAZ), giving him a shot at a nationally syndicated show, “The Doug Banks Morning Show.”
With DeDe McGuire, the show became one of the biggest syndicated urban programs in the country. The show was relaunched in 2008 as “The Ride with Doug and Dede”, moving to American Urban Radio Networks in 2010 and changing back to “The Doug Banks Show.”
Banks was a success both on and off the air, developing community focused programs such as the Doug Banks Literacy & Scholarship Initiative.
