R.I.P.: NOLA Radio/TV Personality Frank Davis

Frank Davis

Frank Davis, a New Orleans television personality known for his outdoors acumen, culinary skills, love of Carnival, characteristic Crescent City accent and affable demeanor, died Monday night.

He was 71, according to nola.com, and died from a rare autoimmune disease known as CIDP, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.

Mr. Davis was a WWL radio and TV star for almost four decades; from 1974, when he began hosting an outdoors-oriented radio talk show, until his health-related retirement in 2011. He probably will be best remembered for his jovial tag line “Naturally N’ Awlins” that concluded his interviews.

In 1974, a WWL radio producer got wind of Mr. Davis’ outdoorsman expertise and offered him weekend work at the station, hosting live sportsman’s talk shows. According to his daughter, his broadcasts could be marathons, lasting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the afternoon on Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. He loved it.

Sandy Breland, general manager of Raycom's WAFB-WBXH station in Baton Rouge, was a young WWL producer during Mr. Davis’ days on radio. His jocular, energetic on-air personality was absolutely genuine, she said.

“He was always the same,” she said. “He loved to make people smile, loved to make people laugh, he was fun to be around. He always celebrated the things that were unique in New Orleans. He felt we had a special and unique culture. Frank always found an entertaining way to remind us what it was like to be, well, 'Naturally N’Awlins'.”

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The following video aired on WWL-TV in May 2013.