Dick Nourse, Graybeard

[Old Anchorman Watch] Oh, and another thing from the State Democratic Convention this past weekend:

The Dems have picked another one of these to run in the 3rd Congressional District. The candidate, Bennion Spencer, got retired KSL anchorman Dick Nourse to nominate him. The speech came via video, with Nourse citing a family emergency for preventing his appearance. Nourse now sports a gray beard and hair that daringly brushes his collar (dress code no-nos in his working days, no doubt). That's bearded Dick above, emceeing some fine and shiny event at the state Capitol recently.

Nourse sounded positively liberal in his endorsement of college professor Spencer, citing the sucking economy, huge federal deficit and other top traits of the Bush administration as reasons for electing a Democrat to the 3rd District.

Dick managed to get off a few quips in the process, including: "All we really know of national security is that at airports we have to take off our shoes and throw away our toothpaste."

(Holly Mullen)

Dick Nourse as Shill

[Media] A little more than a month has passed since KSL-Channel 5 anchorman/god Dick Nourse retired amid weeks of ballyhoo and buildup to the final broadcast.

Retirement benefits at Bonneville International Corp. (mother ship of KSL television and radio) must not be so hot. Either that, or Dick really did realize his worst fears about joining the pasture of retired talking heads: he's bored and beside himself and has too much time on his hands.

Nourse has recently become a shill for some wacked-out, survivalist, nutritional supplement company called Lifecaps. And you can go here to hear that famous Nourse booming baritone hawking pills that he calls a "revolutionary food capsule that could save your life" in the event of a natural disaster or other sign of the coming apocalypse.

Radio ads running on--where else--KSL, feature Nourse's testimonial: "I'm Dick Nourse. For 40 years I've covered every natural disaster and scientific breakthrough know to man..." And then he launches off into description of this "survival capsule" that could save your life.

Lifecaps Web site is just this side of tin-foil hat territory, and is tough to navigate. Can't discern where the home office is, and the company founder offers a long and rambling discourse of his amazing nutritional "inventions." But--sweet!--there's a certain Utah County scam charm to the whole thing. According to Nourse, the pills are "completely caffeine free," and if you "have 15 percent of body fat or more you could live off Lifecaps and water for days, maybe even weeks."

So that takes in about 90 percent of Utah County residents, eh?

Hmm. Apparently no one ever told Dick how fiercely a local legend must protect his "brand." I must say I pictured him pitching something more along the lines of life insurance or reverse mortgages, ala Robert Wagner or Wilford Brimley. (Photo courtesy of KSL.com)

(Holly Mullen)

The Things We Carry

[Preview] The Dec. 6 issue of City Weekly, on the street and online tomorrow, boasts the longest and most in-depth cover feature we've run in years: Stephen Dark's "The Things We Carry," commemorating the 40th anniversary of the deaths of three young soldiers from Midvale in 1967 Vietnam. The online version of the story will have a link to this '67 interview with one of those men, John Martinez, conducted aboard a hospital ship by none other than KSL's Dick Nourse. Watch this now; the full story arrives tomorrow:



(Bill Frost)

Dick Nourse: Retiring One Bad Ass Mofo

[Media] Maybe it's just our cover on Ultimate Fighting in Utah this week, but when I think now of KSL's Dick Nourse retiring tonight after after 43 years on air, I can't help but lament that Utah has lost one of its most ... physically intimidating broadcasters.

Don't get me wrong, Nourse is a great broadcaster and journalist, and if you want to hear more of his praises in that regard, read any other tribute to him. I just thought I'd highlight the fact that KSL may no longer be able to claim that their evening broadcaster could most likely demolish any other local news broadcaster in a cage fight.

I mean look at the guy! I certainly wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley somewhere. Having Nourse retire is like having Rhino from the Amazing Spider-Man series retire from crime. Who can fill those shoes? Who could go on ramming down steel bank vault doors with their head or knocking over armored cars like they were Matchbox toys?

Certainly no one in Utah broadcasting anymore thats for damn sure.

In fact I challenge anyone to come up with a Utah journalist that could go toe to toe with the "force of Nourse" for three rounds and even survive, let alone emerge victorious. (Eric S. Peterson)