tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29697102.post-45991603648986795462008-02-28T00:46:00.000-08:002008-02-28T01:06:45.595-08:00This website is full of tributes, memories and moments -- all about the late Myron Cope. There's no doubt that just reading the viewer e-mails and seeing the video tributes that Myron was more than a broadcaster to the people of Pittsburgh. He was the Steelers. He created the image, the trademarks and the traditions that have become part of Pittsburgh's football identity.<br /><div></div><br /><div>So I wondered, how could I pay homage to Myron. Sure I knew him professionally and spent personal time with him, but those stories are better told by the likes of Sally Wiggin and Bill Hillgrove. I could tell you about his life, but after yesterday's coverage I doubt there is anyone in the city who could not recite his achievements.</div><br /><div></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://html.thepittsburghchannel.com/sh/blogger/uploaded_images/cope-obit-749603.jpg" border="0" /> <div>So let me share with you a question I asked Myron -- and his telling answer. I visited Myron at home one day and was working on another story where I just needed a quote from him. While we were waiting for the photographer to get set up, I looked at the walls of his den. The walls were covered with various magazingc covers and newspapers with his image on the front. </div><div></div><br /><div>While gazing at his collection, I asked him a personal question. I wondered if he thought his unique personality and style would work today -- if he was just starting out. Myron did not hesistate. He said no. He said why would anybody hired a short strange looking man with a voice like his?</div><div></div><div> </div><div>His response was telling .. and quite true. In a world where there is somewhat of a uniform look and a sense of homogenization, Myron's style would probably not get him a job on the airwaves today. He never had the polish, wore a suit and tie with somewhat of a disdain and was never much for makeup. He could write, but his unique use of the English language would frighten general managers and English teachers alike.</div><div></div><br /><div>No, Myron is the last of his generation: a character with character. A broadcaster who told it like it was and won over an entire city in the process. A creative mind that saw his role in a way that was very different from traditional broadcasters. No, there will never be another Myron Cope. Maybe, in a small way, that is a good thing. It allows us to truly realize how luck we were to have this one-of-a-kind talent in our hometown. </div>Andrew Stockeynoreply@blogger.com