R.I.P.: Ed Dague, Longtime Albany NY Radio-TV Anchor

Former WNYT NewsChannel 13 Albany, NY anchor and managing editor Ed Dague has died after a long illness.

Ed Dague

He was 76 years old, according to NewsChnnel 13.

Dague began his work in broadcasting in the 1960s. He spent the last 19 years of his career at WNYT. Ankylosing spondylitis -- a crippling and progressive form of arthritis -- forced him into retirement in 2003.

During his time at WNYT, NewsChannel 13 became the top-rated news station in the Capital Region.

 Dague was born in Buffalo and studied electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He started broadcasting on the school’s radio station, WRPI, as a freshman. He was hired in his senior year to run the school’s AM station WHAZ.

He joined the technical staff at WTEN in 1966 while also working as a disc jockey at WOKO and later WPTR. He returned to WOKO in 1968 as news director.

Dague became the main daytime news anchor at WGY in 1969.

He became WRGB’s assignment editor in 1970 and also produced the station’s 6 p.m. newscast. Dague became WRGB’s weekend anchor and political reporter in 1973. He continued reporting after becoming the station’s weekday 6 and 11 p.m. anchor in 1976.

Dague left WRGB for WNYT in 1984.

For 11 years, Dague co-anchored with Chris Jansing, then known as Chris Kapostasy.

“Ed Dague was, quite simply, one of the great journalists of our time," Jansing said Sunday. "That’s why so many people trusted him: his intellect, his commitment to truth and his devotion to his community. And it’s why all these years after he left the anchor chair, he’s still beloved by all who watched him, who admired him, who learned from him. The breadth of his curiosity and knowledge knew no limits, and he selflessly shared it with me as a mentor and friend for the eleven years I was privileged to sit next to him at WNYT."