R.I.P.: Ohio Radio Pioneer Bette Rogge Morse

Bette Rogge Morse

The 'Grande Dame' of Dayton Broadcasting, Bette Rogge Morse, has died.

Rogge Morse died of natural causes at her Kettering home on Tuesday.

The Dayton native, who was born in the 1920s, was inducted into the Dayton Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame (DABHOF) in 2003 after spending decades on radio and television stations that included WING ,WHIO, GTV-19 and DGTV/DATV, according to her hall of fame and University of Dayton bios.

“Bette was the ‘Grande Dame’ of Dayton area broadcasting,” said Jason Michaels, DABHOF board member and Cox Media Group radio news anchor and announcer. “She started on local radio, then made the transition to television hosting on Channel 7. I had the pleasure of interviewing her at the last Dayton Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame reception, where she was happy to reminisce and was as witty as she ever was.”

Rogge Morse became the first woman in the area to host a local TV variety show, which aired during the 1960s and 1970s. She later had an interview show on local cable TV during the 1990s and early 2000s.