Bob Krieger Leaves A Legacy In News, Teaching, The Stage Times Picayune 08-14-1996 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Bob Krieger, who parlayed his lifelong love of the English language into careers as a college professor, television reporter and actor, died Tuesday at Charity Hospital of a heart attack. He was 62. A native New Orleanian with degrees in English and linguistics from Louisiana State University, Mr. Krieger probably was best known for the 23 years he spent as a TV reporter, anchorman and sportscaster at WVUE, WWL and WDSU. He covered everything from hurricanes and political conventions to Christmas Eve bonfires in the River Parishes. His report on the fires began, "O little town of Destrehan." "He was one of the best ever in writing for television," said Jerry Romig, a former WDSU executive. "He understood the mind of the viewer, and he related that understanding in his copy. He didn't overwrite. He didn't get you lost in verbiage, yet at the same time, he was delighting you with his ability." His TV career began by accident, however. In 1967, while he was teaching at Louisiana State University in New Orleans (now the University of New Orleans), a colleague who thought he belonged in front of a TV camera scheduled an interview for him with Alec Gifford, WVUE's news director. "So why do you want to be a TV newsman?" Gifford asked. "I don't," Mr. Krieger said. Nevertheless, Gifford said, he saw a spark, even though the man sitting in front of him had no broadcast experience. "Bob was a brilliant man," Gifford said Tuesday. "The reason I hired him was his mind. He was a good writer, and he loved to tell stories. . . . Bob was the kind of reporter you could send off on any assignment and not worry how he was going to do." Mr. Krieger managed to keep a healthy perspective about his work. He once told Times-Picayune columnist Angus Lind, "If you think about it, newspapers, TV stations and asylums are the only institutions that feed on disorder." He had outspoken views about the news consultants that many stations hire to help boost ratings. In a 1990 interview, he deplored the consultants and station managers who listen to them. He said one general manager once stunned him by saying, "The problem with this station is that it has too many people who are from New Orleans." Mr. Krieger was a television fixture until May 1990, when he rejected a pay cut at WDSU and quit the business. He did some free-lance TV work, dabbled in public relations and plunged seriously into acting, which he had first done years earlier while teaching English at a Missouri university. His second spurt of acting began in 1984, when he played the villain, Jud, in "Oklahoma!" at Minacapelli's Dinner Theater in Slidell. "I didn't fool myself why they wanted me for the role - they thought I could help sell the show - but I wanted to see if I could do it," he said. He became a Minacapelli's regular and eventually began acting at many local theaters. His roles were varied, including Pa Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath" at Tulane University, a father in "The Taming of the Shrew" at Le Petit Theatre, an avaricious Southerner in "The Little Foxes" at Southern Repertory Theatre and the fussy Felix in "The Odd Couple" at the Rose Dinner Theatre. His final performances were at this year's Tulane Summer Shakespeare Festival. Nick Faust, who directed "The Merry Wives of Windsor," said, "He was very inventive. His part was basically nonsense, and when he asked me what to do with it, I said, 'Just make it up. Do it like a Robin Williams riff.' And it was the best damn thing in the play." Mr. Krieger also had a featured role in "Macbeth," and he performed at the final performance Saturday, director Aimee Michel said. Faust recalled one of his final conversations with Mr. Krieger. "He said, 'I'm 62, and I still think I'm 20.' He was having fun to the last minute." Mr. Krieger was an Army veteran and a member of Actors Equity. Survivors include his wife, Carolyn Goody Krieger; four sons, Bob Jr., Randy, Kenny and Kyle Krieger; a daughter, Madelyn K. Laborde; two sisters, Joan Theriot and Marilyn Neville; and seven grandchildren. A Mass will be said Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Chapel of the North American Martyrs at Jesuit High School, Palmyra and South Solomon streets. Visitation will be today from 6 to 10 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Burial will be in All Saints Mausoleum.