Dave Diles dies - Michael Collins interview

**detlump** · December-27-09, 10:46 PM

Saw on the news that Dave Diles passed away. Certainly a long-time sports reporter, and a memorable voice. On Youtube, saw an interview by Michael Collins on Channel 2. What ever happened to that guy? He also had a good voice.

**detlump** · December-27-09, 10:51 PM

Oops. Collins in on WWJ 950 now.

**reddog289** · December-28-09, 02:55 AM

Hadn't heard that name in awhile, As a young sports fan I would half ass pay attention to the rest of the news But WHEN Dave Diles came on with the sports I was in front of the TV.Sad to hear of his passing.

**softailrider** · December-28-09, 04:12 AM

Originally Posted by reddog289

Hadn't heard that name in awhile, As a young sports fan I would half ass pay attention to the rest of the news But WHEN Dave Diles came on with the sports I was in front of the TV.Sad to hear of his passing.

I haven't heard his name in a long time either, he was with channel 7 for years though, during the Al Ackerman years. I went to school with his son in middle or high school back in the 70's.

**kenp** · December-28-09, 09:43 AM

Dave had a great career outside of Detroit as well, he was a major player in ABC Sports. He was lucky enough to wear those light colored yellow jackets.
I recall some good chemistry with Bonds as well.
RIP

**jiminnm** · December-28-09, 11:44 AM

detlump, I think Collins had the morning gig on WRIF before JJ & The Morning Crew.

**smogboy** · December-28-09, 03:14 PM

I'll always remember Dave Diles as being one of the classiest voices in all of sports. He was from a pre-ESPN era when the people who sat behind that sports desk did more than just give out scores and outlandish highlights. As a kid growing up, I still remember when the sports broke immediately after the headlines before the weather forecasts. Sports had some importance back then. Guys like Dave Diles and Al Ackerman actually had opinions and were actually given time to have >gasp< commentaries on what they saw in the sports world.

Sure, I guess when it comes right down to it- it's entertainment, but guys like Dave Diles cared and he will be sorely missed. He brought an air of classiness was the epitome of professionalism.

**Vitalis** · December-29-09, 12:43 AM

SO Diles got about 15 seconds on the Channel 7 news segment that I caught tonight. The young, sports anchor, who [[I'm guessing) had to be filled-in as to who Diles was, before he read his teleprompter "tribute" showed proper - if remotely solemn - respect, but the only footage the station could come up with was of an aged, long retired from broadcasting, Diles, with a plastic cup in his hand, and many years of hard living on his weary face. Which brings me around to a pet peeve about how the local stations have discarded much of their film and video history, and I'm wondering whether a true archive of local Detroit television even exists? Wouldn't it be great if you could go to any of the websites for the local stations and do a a keyword search on, say, Coleman Young's legacy or Al Kaline's last at bat or the obit for Mother Waddles or the Ford Rotunda fire or Henry Ford II announcing the RenCen or [insert your search here]. It's really a shame our regions filmed history literally was used as the next day's fish wrap for all of these past 50+ years.

**Ed Golick** · December-29-09, 09:04 AM

Vitalis,
Only Bonds and Sonny Eliot will get more than 15 seconds of airtime when they pass. Soupy was the third in what I call the Detroit TV trifecta. I was pleasantly surprised at the coverage that he received on all three local news programs.
There is no no archive of local Detroit television. At best, the stations have a handful of photographs, and a bit of archival video.

**RealityCheck** · December-29-09, 10:26 AM

Good thing we have DetroitYES! and other social media information sources to keep up current.

Crain's Detroit Business this morning posted "news" [Ex-ABC sportscast Dave Diles dead at 78] that detlump shared here Sunday night -- a day and a half earlier.

If you read DetroitYES!, you know.

**Mikeg** · December-29-09, 11:08 AM

There is no archive of local Detroit television. At best, the stations have a handful of photographs, and a bit of archival video.

Prior to his death in August 2007, DY forum member "psip" had a contract with one of the local Detroit TV stations [[WJBK, if I remember correctly) to digitize their entire news archives. At the time he passed, he was working on their early 1980s stuff. He sent me some screen caps from news reports and b-rolls of some pretty obscure news items from the suburbs, which suggested to me that their physical archives were still pretty much intact and that they were digitizing them so they could get rid of all their old film and tape news archives.

**Hornist9** · December-29-09, 10:34 PM

Mikeg, my son, his friend and I went and helped Hornwrecker to get the things Hornwrecker wanted from Psip's condo. He had one hell of a set-up in his basement where he was working digitizing film. Hornwrecker said something about Psip's business partner was going to get WJBK or whomever's film was being worked on at the time to collect it and return it to the station. Hornwrecker said something to the effect that there aren't very many people around that have either the equipment of knowledge to convert the material [[that is, if memory serves me correct, if not I know Hornwrecker will correct me).to digital. Those of us who have been around Detroit Yes a while and have downloaded or seen some of the wonderful old video that Psip used to post got to see some examples of his work. If one is interested, I suggest checking the archives.

I remember some of the old beer commercials that Psip posted links to, especially the ones with Van Patrick and the classic 60's Stroh's commercials.