R.I.P.: Radio Personality Doug Banks

Doug Banks

The industry and radio fans are shocked to hear that longtime radio personality Doug Bank died Monday.

He was 57-years-of-age and died from complications of diabetes.

Banks was based at iHeartMedia UrbanAC WVAZ 102.7 FM V103 in Chicago, and his syndicated “The Doug Banks Radio Show” was heard on roughly 22 stations.

The Philadelphia-born, Detroit-raised Doug Banks began his radio career as an on-air personality for his high school’s radio station. Local station WDRQ took note of his talent and hired him for a temporary late-night weekend disc jockey spot. Even though he was the youngest DJ, he quickly earned a permanent position. After high school, Doug turned a six-week trial into a multi-year position at KDAY in Los Angeles.

His next LA stop was KFI, which was the stepping-stone to his first Morning show slot in Las Vegas at KLAV-AM. Next was KDIA-AM in San Francisco, followed by Chicago at WBMX (now WVAZ), where he took the Morning show from a 1.8 share to a healthy 5.6, beating rival WGCI.

After much success in the mornings, Doug was offered the opportunity to do a nationally syndicated show. The Doug Banks Morning Show, hosted by Banks along with DeDe McGuire, rose to become one of the top-rated syndicated urban programs in America. Each week, millions of listeners tuned in to hear some of the most creative and innovative programming on the airwaves.


In 2008, Banks re-launched his nationally syndicated morning show in afternoon drive under the new name ‘The Ride with Doug and DeDe.’ In 2010, Doug’s show again found a new home with American Urban Radio Networks, changing it’s name back to ‘The Doug Banks Show.’ The show’s flagship station is WVAZ in Chicago and airs in many markets across the county.

Over the years, Doug has received numerous radio awards, including being honored at the 12th Annual Living Legends Foundation Gala in New York City for his outstanding achievements and contributions as a trailblazer in the radio entertainment community. With his strong track record of assisting various grassroots organizations, Doug has also been successful in reaching out to and mobilizing the Urban community.

In January 2006, in collaboration with Disney and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, he launched The Doug Banks Literacy & Scholarship Initiative. The program supports the development of a fully literate American population by raising awareness about illiteracy and getting the private sector actively involved in supporting literacy across the country.