This is a production of WEDU PBS, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota.

♪♪ Rob Lorei served as the moderator of Florida this week for almost a quarter of a century.

Over that time, he talked to politicians, journalists, working people, and many who often didn't have a voice.

In this special edition of Florida this week, we'll look at the exceptional career of Rob Lorei, a hardworking reporter who made a difference and left Florida a better place.

Coming up next.

[music] Welcome back.

I'm Ernest Hooper, and I'm honored and humbled to be filling in today as a special host for Florida this week.

Rob Lowery became the moderator of Florida this Week in 2001, eventually hosting almost 1400 episodes.

He was an old school journalist who read and researched topics and was committed to balancing accuracy.

He cared deeply about this community.

On August 17th, Rob lost his battle with cancer and we are all feeling this huge loss.

Here is our tribute to this program's longtime host and our good friend, Rob Lorei.

Well good morning, welcome to radioactivity.

I'm Rob Lorei.

Coming up today.

We're going to get a preview.

Rob created the radio station from when he was a young man.

He created WMNF.

He helped build it, put it together.

Let's take another phone call.

(813) 239-9663 Dave in Tampa.

This talk shows were all so very insightful.

He did stuff that really.

No, no, no other broadcast medium covered.

You know, I graduated high school in 1984.

Radio.

Was it those days?

Remember, we didn't have the internet and things.

There was a voice, um, a public affairs show called radioactivity in this this deep voice.

That's someone who is speaking with authority with great curiosity.

Yeah, he kind of has the the demeanor of, like, an old time, old time movie stars.

You know, just the facts, ma'am.

Just a kind of military bearing.

Just.

Um.

You didn't.

You didn't move him off his square.

You couldn't rattle him.

Yeah, Rob was the news and public affairs director at Wmnf for so many decades.

My late husband, John Holton, was playing banjo on the sidewalk on the Bayshore Boulevard, and Rob went walking down the Bayshore and saw him playing banjo and said, hey, would you like to do a bluegrass show?

And so he came home.

We lived in Hyde Park, and he came home and, uh, and he told me about this, and he said, some guy came by and he wants me to do a bluegrass show.

And I said, well, what did you tell him?

He said, oh, I could never do that.

I'm too shy.

And I said, oh, I'll do it.

And I think Rob was pretty much a titan of journalism in the Tampa Bay area.

You know, I kind of connected with Rob as a journalist and as somebody who sought to, you know, examine problems from all the different angles and then come up with solutions that derive from a deep curiosity.

And Rob was was huge back then.

Okay.

I saw a bumper sticker on the door in the newsroom that said Rob for president.

Right.

So he had a thing going.

I'm like, okay, this is interesting.

Okay.

This guy is like a big deal already.

When I come down here, I'm not going to be able to compete with that.

I don't want to.

I mean, we did our own thing.

And he was.

He was public affairs mostly.

He did, of course.

Well good morning.

Welcome to radioactivity.

I'm Rob Lowry coming up today.

We're going to get a preview of a five day conference that begins today in Pinellas County.

It's designed to challenge the Church of Scientology.

I started in politics 40 years ago this year when I first ran for the county commission.

And, uh, so I met him probably from the very beginning when he was with Wmnf.

So it's been a very long journey, a long, wonderful history of knowing Rob.

You know, what I loved about him more than anything is, you know, we'd be on these shows and and he would always have that twinkle in his eye, and he would have that little smirk that you would know that he knew more than you did, and that he was paying attention to what you said.

But that twinkle in his eye, because I know that he found joy in all of this.

I remember when I met Fred Rogers way back in the day when I first started at WEDU.

He would speak to you if you had that opportunity in person, that you didn't have anybody else in the room but Fred Rogers.

I was the same type of person.

When you spoke to him, he was thinking about how he could help you.

Well, when Rob asked a question, uh, you know, it it came from his his sense of integrity.

His questions were always thoughtful and meaningful.

And I knew that he truly wanted to hear my answer to his question.

Most journalists now is a gotcha journalism, uh, where we try to sandbag you or we go out and do 50 interviews and find the one interview where our opponent is the silliest instead of the best.

And he didn't want to have the worst person.

He wanted to have the best.

And I think so his legacy is that we should step up, try to be competitive, try to, you know, compete with ideas in the marketplace of ideas rather than through clever little gimmicks.

And he had a format both at the radio station as well as here at WEDU that allowed for that follow up question and that third question.

So he made you think not just about the immediate response, but made you go a little bit deeper.

He wanted to make sure that everyone he interviewed had an honest chance to convey what they were thinking, their philosophy, their ideas.

Um, that was really unique.

Did you ever see his desk?

Yes, talk to me.

Mount Lorei.

His desk was Mount Lorai.

I mean, it was like, you know, three feet high of books and magazines and newspapers of all kinds.

Not just one pile.

There were many piles and of course, notepads and books that he was reading.

It looked like an organized junkyard.

Yeah, it was.

It was always fun to see how people would react to that.

Absolutely.

Just that the community has really lost a really important advocate for the rights of people that are underserved.

For people that don't have a voice, he.

Was kind of like, you know, kind of like our Walter Cronkite of public television, that you you saw him, you respect him.

And and I'm talking about Republicans, Democrats, independents.

They always felt comfortable with Rob.

I was finishing up school for journalism, and I told Rob that I was interested in publishing a story, uh, in the newsroom.

And he said, you should.

And so I wrote a story that that opportunity to publish my first story really did.

I'm not exaggerating.

It changed my life.

Rob wasn't just a colleague, but he was a friend.

I enjoyed working with him for ten years.

You really get a close bond.

And with his passing so quickly after stepping down from the from moderating the show.

It's, you know, it's kind of left a hole not only in my life, but also, I think, in Tampa Bay.

He was a guy who left his mark here.

You know, he will always be remembered, especially now.

You know, we need truth tellers.

We need fearless truth tellers and people who illuminate rather than just create smoke.

So yeah, that's a diminishing in our world right now.

And we need it more than ever.

I'm just I'm grateful that Rob existed, and I'm grateful that Rob set a good example for a lot of people here.

I'm just grateful that Rob was a real thing.

I think a lot of the outpouring of grief is about Rob the human being who is irreplaceable.

But what he represented as a journalist in the way he conducted himself over the course of four decades.

And that's not where we are as a country today.

And I think we grieve that because I think he represented something bigger and the ideals of our country.

And that's part of this sadness.

I'm going to miss him a great deal.

I already do.

Joining me now are some longtime panelists on Florida This Week.

Patrick Manteiga is the editor and publisher of La Gaceta newspaper and a Democrat.

Dr. Susan McManus is a distinguished professor emerita at USF Tampa and an ABC Action News political analyst.

April Schiff is the Hillsborough Republican State Committee woman, and Ray Arsenault is an author, historian, and the John Hope Franklin Professor of History, emeritus at USF St. Petersburg.

Welcome, everyone.

Thank you.

So I wanted to start with you, Patrick.

And when Rob passed away, the first thing I put on Facebook was about what I like to call the after shows and how much we enjoy getting together after we record these going to for Greenfields and and really having some what I would call provocative conversations across the political spectrum.

What do you remember about those gatherings?

Well, you know, you always enjoyed that time better than the show.

Uh, and and what I found interesting about Rob was he really wouldn't quite turn off.

He would just continue to ask questions of everybody.

And you felt like you were still getting a little bit grilled, even though you were drinking at the time.

Um, you know, sometimes I couldn't get him turned off unless I turned the tables on him and started asking him questions like, how's your love life?

That that would stop the conversation then, and we'd move on or something along those lines.

Uh, but, uh, they were enjoyable.

You got to really delve into into subjects.

And, uh, Rob was knowledgeable.

He just knew a lot about what was going on and, you know, it was just fantastic.

Yeah, Susan, I felt like he was able to bridge continue bridging that partizan divide sometimes.

What did you enjoy about those those times we got together?

Well obviously in the world I'm in we like conflict and competition, but in a very, very gracious and interesting fashion.

I was blessed to be invited by him.

And he was invited by the PBS station in Boca Raton to do a panel on preceding the Republican presidential debate.

Early August, I mean, early January 2008.

And it was the kind of thing that I could take back to my class.

And he knew that a lot of the things that we talked about in the questions that I would be using those to educate my class, and it was just joyful all the way.

Yeah, and again, I think so much of this show's success was based on bringing in people with different political perspectives.

Uh, April, as a Republican, how much did you appreciate the fact that Rob continuously bridge that divide?

I appreciate it a lot.

I started on this show in 2001 when Rob did, and I've been here ever since.

And he consistently was fair to everybody on the show that no matter what your opinion was, as long as you were on point and polite, you got to express it.

And frequently he would give me the last word, which I appreciated greatly.

[laughter] It was.

It was that sincerity.

Yes, he he could get people to come in, but the fact that people kept coming back, you kept coming back.

And that was all because of Rob, because of the way he conducted it, the people he brought in and the way he kept everything very civil.

But yet we had a lot of very meaningful conversations about very important topics.

And I think that there's there's a great fan base to Florida this week.

And all those people appreciated that because they learned something from different perspectives and different views.

And rod facilitated all of that.

You know, it's great to have a historian here.

Dr. Arsenault.

And I think one of the things we appreciated about Rob was that he always took these modern day issues and framed them in historical context.

Was that part of your appreciation?

Oh for sure.

You know, he was always so well prepared.

He was a consummate professional, but not just a professional journalist, but he was a kind of historian himself.

You know, he did so much research.

He was he, uh, I think he had deep feelings about a lot of things.

And it was probably not easy for him always to be a moderator.

You know, he's always so even handed and so generous to every guest to make them feel comfortable and, uh, and, uh, but I think he was a truth teller, really.

And I think he probably wasn't easy for him to hold his tongue sometimes, but he.

But he always did it.

You know, he always was so generous to everyone.

Yeah, he really was.

He really was.

Well, as you might imagine, many friends have sent videos remembering Rob.

And here's one longtime panelist who wanted to share his thoughts.

My name is Craig Pittman.

I've written seven books about Florida, and I also write a weekly opinion column for the Florida Phoenix.

In 2017, Rob Lorei invited me to be the sole guest on an episode of Florida this Week.

Normally, the show would have several guests debating the issues of the day.

But on that particular episode, I was the sole guest and Rob quizzed me about my books about Florida history, Florida's environment.

It was a great time and a wonderful gift for an author.

And although he never made fun of my shirts.

I'll miss him.

That was a great tribute by Craig.

And, uh, you know, Rob did care about the environment.

This was a public affairs program, not just a political show.

Patrick, talk a little bit about Rob's care of the environment and Rob's care for this state.

Yeah, you know, he was you know, I know he moved here, but he was a Floridian at heart.

He loved this place.

And, uh, and, you know, I was lucky that I shared a lot of the same views Rob did and on his radio show.

And here he wanted to highlight things regarding, uh, challenges to the Florida environment, our our growth issues that have plagued so much of our state under and put under concrete.

And so, um, you know, he wanted to express these things.

He brought light to some stories that major media has missed.

And, um, and so, you know, it was always nice that he included the environment and that he, uh, like I said, would bring in smaller communities and talk about some of their challenges.

And so, you know, uh, you know, Rob was a Democrat liberal, but you never would know it.

And I don't even know if he was registered that way.

But, but but, you know, in his heart, he was.

He was there.

Yeah.

And he also cared about Florida.

There were a lot of issues.

Uh, I think when this show started, it was Tampa Bay this week.

And Rob was part of the change to make it Florida this week.

And you had to be prepared.

April, you had to come in and know about these state issues and know really what was happening.

Talk a little bit about how Rob's preparation made all of us ensure that we were prepared.

Yeah, because Rob would hold you to task on everything that you said because he was he didn't miss anything in his background research for the things that he was going to talk about and his questions that he was going to ask you.

So being prepared was essentially very important.

And I think those who showed up and tried to spin things a little bit didn't get away with it very long, because Rob was a stickler for the truth and the honesty, and that was part of the beauty of his shows, is that he was truthful.

He didn't spin it to the left or to the right.

In spite of whatever he might have felt himself and and I think that everybody that came here on a regular basis knew they had to be prepared for the questions that were coming from.

Absolutely.

I was taught that lesson on air once, but we stayed friends.

Uh, Dr. Arsenault, um, what about your appearances on here?

Are there certain things that come to mind in terms of your appearances?

What I remember most was the early years of Wmnf.

I knew Rob for 40 years and often appeared on Wmnf, particularly when we'd have visiting lecturers come in, and often very controversial ones.

And he always made room for them.

You know, he always kind of gave voice to the voiceless and, uh, I just he never seemed to miss, you know, I really I really felt that he was so consistent of it and so intellectually curious.

That's what I was always struck by him.

He was such a good listener.

And, uh, He made everyone around him better.

That's how I always thought about Rob.

He was an extraordinary human being.

Really?

Yeah, I think all of us came here to give to Rob, to honor Rob because of the way he treated us on the show.

But doctor McManus, we gained as much from appearing on this show as we gave.

Right?

Absolutely, yes.

You know, people don't realize that the mission of a urban university is citizen and civic engagement.

And this show introduced me to so many people that I could bring into my class to educate my students.

And he was always wonderfully generous with his time and even a question that we might think, well, where did that come from?

He would just act as if it's the greatest question ever.

But honestly, as a professor, he helped me immensely, introduced me that I could bring others to my class and USF greatly benefited in the Florida politics class.

Yeah, absolutely.

And I and I know as a longtime columnist at the Tampa Bay times, uh, he elevated my career.

He he connected me to people on both sides of the spectrum.

And I was able to call people on the phone, and, you know, they would take that call.

April.

Uh, because they had met me on the show or because we had gone to for Greenfields afterwards.

And they came to discover, like, well, you know, that Ernest Hooper, he's okay.

Yeah.

What's going on?

And that's.

And that's all due to.

All due to Rob.

So.

All right.

Here is another longtime panelist with her thoughts about Rob.

Hi, my name is Janelle Irwin Taylor.

I'm the publisher for southeast politics and the senior political editor for Florida Politics.

To me, Rob Lorei wasn't just a Wmnf founder.

He wasn't just a reliable source for news and information in the Tampa Bay area and beyond.

And he wasn't just a killer radio voice.

He was a mentor and an example setting icon.

My very first job in journalism was at Wmnf.

I sat adjacent to Rob's desk, though it was hard to see him behind the mound of books, all of which I'm convinced he read.

There were so many days during that chapter of my life as a baby reporter, hoping to grow into someone who commands the type of respect Rob did that he took the time to encourage and critique.

He would ask questions that truly made me think and the answers I found all in my own, because that was his design.

With each of those conversations, I grew more and more.

We have all lost a legend, and though I have lost a mentor, his many lessons will live on not just in my work, but through the work of those whom I now mentor.

Thank you for that legacy, Rob, and may you rest in power.

Great tribute from Janelle.

And and let me ask each of you, um, how should this community remember Rob?

How should they honor him?

Uh, now that he's passed?

Well, you know, Rob was a trusted voice.

Um, the people who listened to him, watched him.

They got to know him.

They, they they really felt that, that he was being honest with him.

Um, and he raised the level of journalism in this community.

Um, you know, so many journalists are in and out of the business nowadays.

Rob would still be doing both of these shows.

You know, if you wield them in here, you'd still be doing it.

This is what his love was.

And so, you know, I would hope that the community remember that, you know, there's a lot of up and coming journalists who want to be like Rob, who want to be professional, who who want to be those trusted voices, and that they should give them a chance.

I also wanted to add that, you know, what I always found interesting about the show was he ran it as a democracy.

He'd give you a chance to make a decision over, you know, we all got to vote on what subjects we wanted to do or what subjects we wanted to handle.

And I don't know too many people who run these shows as democracies.

Uh, it was kind of an interesting angle that he he did here.

Yeah.

He did not operate with much of an agenda.

That's a really good point.

Another good point, Patrick, is that I think Rob had the talent to go into commercial TV to maybe he could have landed at an NPR, or he could have gone and been an anchor.

I talked to him about, you know, perhaps going into professional and working for corporate.

Never wanted to do that.

Didn't want to work for a corporation at all.

He wanted to be a journalist, and it was all he wanted to do.

And nowadays, that's kind of hard to find.

You know, he came from the world where where journalism wanted to change the world.

They wanted to make it better.

You know, nowadays a lot of people just use it as a way to to get some talent and write a book.

Uh, but, you know, he just.

This was his thing.

He wanted to change the world.

Yeah, April, how do you think the community should remember?

Rob.

I think we should remember him as a treasure that's been lost because he was so valuable to this community.

And his demeanor and the the value that he brought here, both at Wmnf and here at PBS, WEDU, I think was tremendous.

And I think that, um, he will be deeply missed.

Hopefully there will be more that will follow in his footsteps, that will be equally as fair and judicious as he has been, and can bring the information and the the light to the topics that he did.

He was very, very gracious about all of that.

Yeah.

An excellent point.

And Doctor Arsenault, you know, from history, we we need those voices to keep us connected, to keep bridging those divides.

We probably need them now.

We probably need them more now than than we ever have.

Yeah, I think it's sad to me that Rob died during this whole crisis for public television and public radio, that he was a great voice and a great model for what public television and public radio can can do.

And, uh, I'd like to think that his legacy will somehow help us.

I'm not sure if he's replaceable.

Really?

I never met anybody quite quite like him.

And I sort of think of the last one of the last shows I did with him, I had me on the show, like Craig from my recent book on John Lewis, and we talked about John Lewis and the loss and how we could somehow use his legacy to restore American democracy.

And I think, Rob, think of Rob in the same, same terms that he yeah, he was just a prince of a man and a great figure, really, in the community.

Boy, Dr. McManus, we probably could have had USF create a course.

Rob Lorei 101, right.

And studied his life and his commitment to this community.

Absolutely, and that's what I'm hopeful is that we all I know agree about this, that this be the model for how we have public programs in this community, whether it be schools or civic clubs or whatever else.

The idea of people having different viewpoints but discussing critical topics, that is the best of educational dimensions that you can achieve the same thing.

I think in terms of treating other people, we have a lot to do in repairing civic education.

And at the top of the list, I thank Rob Lorei for putting at the very top of his list civility.

Absolutely.

That was excellent.

Are there other people in the community who you think could could keep this going and maybe restore some of that civility that we need?

Well, I would add that, you know, not only this show, but he was also on radio for such a long time.

And I think that Wmnf is coming up with some younger voices that are trying to do that.

Um, but, you know, it's hard.

We live in a world that's just less civil, you know, and therefore the guests are less civil and the topics are less civil.

And so it is tough.

Uh, we're living in a world where, you know, to get attention, you scream and yell and you throw a temper tantrum.

And so it's it's very tough nowadays.

You know, journalism is a little bit different than what it used to be, especially on the on talk shows, when you know you're not just doing straight news when you're offering a little editorial.

Yeah, I think one of the beliefs Rob held, though, was that, uh, people from both sides of the spectrum cared about the community, cared about others.

They just had different ideas on how to create solutions.

Would you agree with that?

Absolutely, absolutely.

And I think that he was one of the best at allowing those ideas to be presented in your own way, from both sides of the spectrum.

Um, and but all were important topics to this country and to the state and to locally as well.

He addressed things across the board and allowed people to express their opinions on how to achieve certain things or what should happen to get there.

But he always did it with respect, and he always respected that.

Each person had a different opinion.

Yeah, when you tune in on Friday nights, you knew you were going to see a competition of ideas.

And that's the.

That's the playing field.

I wish we could get back to.

In some ways.

I always thought that he didn't really move very far from his roots.

You know, he was an undergraduate at Antioch College in Ohio, a very unusual college, a liberal arts, uh, really into kind of dialog and the importance of ideas.

And I don't think he ever lost any of that.

You know, I think that the more we can get people going into journalism who have that background, who are really broadly trained, broadly educated, voracious readers, like, like Rob, that there's a great hope there that I also thought that part of his magic was that he had a great sense of humor, a sense of whimsy.

You know, as someone mentioned earlier, that twinkle in his eye, you could sort of see and particularly after the show was over, we'd sit around and then he would really kind of loosen up a bit.

And he was very funny.

And I think that's disarming, really, in a wonderful way.

I think that we can, in this age of incivility, we can use a lot more of that.

Yeah, all right.

We're going to go to our package now and hear Rob and Lissette Campos talk.

Lisa has taken over as the new moderator.

Um, but before Rob left, he passed on one of his longtime secrets of the program, the after show discussions.

We did.

This is a long tradition on Florida This Week is that we went to a local bar in Hyde Park called Four Green Fields.

So all four of the panelists went out with me and Spencer, my producer, and we sat there and over a beer.

I think we solved all the problems and all the disagreements that we ever had.

That's the beauty of having a show like this, a public affairs show where everyone knows that they have a seat at the table, and that we can discuss difficult topics in a way that's respectful and the viewers can decide for themselves exactly which position they want to take.

And I almost never cut people off.

And I never, uh, you know, I might ask them a tough follow up question, but I never I never cut them off so that they can't get their ideas out because I want to hear the whole I want to hear the whole paragraph.

I want to hear the whole idea.

Well, did you get the rest of the story when you were taking the guest to to the to the restaurant afterwards?

Yeah, I think I think on TV sometimes people have their guard up and are ready for combat.

And I think once you take them out to the restaurant or the bar and you talk to them, their guard comes down and they're able to find that common humanity.

You know, I don't think anybody's ever left the table here angry, and nobody's ever shouted at anybody.

Nobody's stormed off the set.

Some people will shake their heads at what some of the other guests say, but there's never been really a personal attack, I think, on the show, which is great.

Well, I left angry, but out of respect for Rob, I never said anything.

I saw two people leave angry too.

I think he's being.

Kind at that moment.

All right, as we wrap up this first half of this special tribute, uh, I'd like to get closing thoughts from each of you.

We'll start with you, Dr. McManus.

One of the things we haven't talked about that's been a godsend is the focus on local.

And we see now the tremendous loss of trust in other levels of government.

But it's very strong still at local government level.

And he was a key part of that.

Absolutely,Dr.

Arsenault.

Yeah.

Along that line, I think Rob was, in a sense an institution, you know, and there's a lot of attack on institutions now.

And, uh, I think maybe thinking about what we've lost in Rob is going to help all of us to maybe do a better job of protecting what's valuable and and being more civil and just more concerned and engaged in what our society is all about.

Yeah, that's that's such a good point.

Uh, we need to lift up our institutions.

There's a lot of young journalists out there today.

We can talk about.

It's not like it used to be, but they're in.

They're still giving and we need to lend support.

April closing.

Thought I would just say, you know, speaking of the after conversations, there were times when we would actually sit around this table and not get up after this show and just continue our conversations and delve deeper into our subjects.

And then Rob would participate a lot more in that than he does during the show, because during the show he was allowing his guests to speak.

And I think that that had a tremendous amount of value in a lot of ways, but not only getting ideas from other people on the other side, but also getting to know people better.

And I just think there was value to that.

But Rob brought so much value to this whole community that we should always remember that.

Patrick closes out.

I love this curiosity.

I loved his professionalism.

Um, watching him made me a better, uh, made me better at the job.

I love the fact that he mentored, mentored people and, uh, and, uh, you know, taught younger journalists how to do it, right.

Uh, you know, Rob really was a hero to me, and I'm so glad that I knew him.

And, uh, and I'm a better person for it.

All right, thank you, all four of you, for being here to remember Rob.

Joining me now as we continue to remember Rob Lorei is Stanley Gray, the former president of the Hillsborough County Urban League, a businessman and someone who is currently not affiliated with a political party.

Travis Horn is the founder and CEO of Bullhorn Communications and a Republican.

Terry Newsum is an attorney and a political science professor, and Andy Oliver is the pastor of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg and a Democrat.

Stanley, I wanted to start this segment by asking you about Rob's Hobbs appreciation for people who could be outspoken because you are one of those people who can be outspoken.

I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not, but I do have some very strong feelings on things, and I think a lot of them are really driven by the fact that I believe in equity equality, and I believe in the principles that are stated in the Constitution of the United States of America.

And when I see that those are being violated or even being close to be violated, I think that I should speak.

And one of the reasons why I think I do and my family, we have six Purple hearts.

And I think that that gives me a right to be concerned.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And was that right?

Appreciated were on this show.

I think it was very much so.

One of the things that I admire about Rob is he does something that I don't do very well, and that is, is that he's very patient in getting to the shade of gray.

Most of us are real easy, and we get coming by it very quickly.

What's the white and the black of an issue?

Rob is very deliberate and very patient about getting to the gray of the issue.

Yeah, and, Tara, I think one of the things that helped Rob get to the gray of issues is that he didn't just come into this studio once a week.

He got out in the community.

And you saw him at some different rallies, right?

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

He had that intellectual curiosity, but he had personal curiosity, and that led him into the community.

And I remember taking my kids to all these different rallies to kind of show them what, you know, uh, exercising your right to protest, etc.. And there was a Second Amendment rally and there's Rob Lorei I go again to another Women's March.

There's Rob Lorei.

Um, he was intellectually curious.

He was personally curious, but he was an amazing listener.

And he was a student and a teacher at the same time.

I learned how to listen much better because of my time on the show with him.

And he really that created this pluralism, this competition of ideas.

And as long as you came with evidence to support what you had to say, he gave you space for it.

Yeah, and Travis, on the flip side, you saw him at Trump rallies.

I've seen him at Trump rallies.

You know, this guy was really the gentleman journalist.

He's what I think everyone should strive to be.

I never even though I'm certain that we didn't agree on everything and I would I honestly, I would crave his side.

I, I crave I crave the Smurf that Bob Buckhorn talks about earlier in the show.

And, you know, I think all of these I'm going to call them alumni of Florida this week really are a testament to his willingness to engage people and have this civil discourse.

Sometimes we withdraw from people we disagree with.

And that was not Rob Lowry.

He would he would engage you.

He was sometimes even provocative and ask you those, those tough questions.

But he was always a gentleman about it.

And you knew.

You knew you were going to get a fair hearing with Rob.

You were going to get your shot.

Yes.

And, you know, he he did.

I tell you I had a coughing episode like none other that I have had on a live recorded television show.

Not that not that terribly long ago.

I tell people I teach media training, so I show it to all my students now what not to do.

I pushed myself, I knew I was sick, I should have stayed home, I pushed myself, I came in and had this huge coughing episode.

I hoped I forgive Rob now for for not cutting, cutting, cutting that episode and let's restart it.

But I tell you, he was a great guy and, um, really enjoyed that back and forth I did one time.

You know, I've never left like we talked about.

Never left the show mad.

I think I might have made someone mad.

Maybe the guy from the Lincoln Project that time when I told him he should send a Trump a thank you card.

That one, that one.

But but again, Rob always took it in stride and and enjoyed I think that give and take.

Right.

So you know, Reverend Oliver, we, uh, the three of us, the other guests know Rob through the lens of this show, but you knew him more personally and who he was as a man.

Tell us a little bit about Rob Lorei the man first.

You know, Rob's curiosity made him seek me out because I'm not a typical pastor.

And so when I would say things from the pulpit or out in the community, um, he, he kind of wanted to find out why a lot of people would tell me to stay in my lane.

But but I think Rob knew that Jesus was political and the politics of love and compassion, and Rob did it in such a way with a genuine curiosity.

Um, and so we got to spend a lot of times, uh, eating Cuban food, uh, over here in Tampa, especially after his diagnosis, where he said, you know, I don't have a lot of people to talk to about death, um, and about these things.

And so we had a lot of sacred conversations.

But also in the midst of that, even as he was wrestling with his own upcoming death, he wanted so badly to impart and to leave a legacy not just of words, but a way where he taught us how to live and breathed the air of compassion and honesty in the way that we lived our lives.

And I'll always take that with me.

Have you ever thought about being a minister?

That was so poignant.

That was beautiful.

All right.

Here is another poignant remembrance from a long time panelist.

I'm Rosemary Goodrow O'Hara, former editorial page editor of the Tampa Tribune and later the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

What I remember most about Rob is how he made doing what he did appear so effortless, and yet interviewing newsmakers five days a week on the radio and moderating a political roundtable show on TV once a week.

You've got to know a lot about a lot.

But Rob was a newshound who, with that twinkle in his eye, could get you to spill everything you knew.

It's how he made Florida this week a primary news source on local and state issues.

To the end, Rob was a shoe leather reporter.

His post retirement videos from the No Kings rallies helped the protesters feel heard.

And you never saw Rob in those videos, and yet they captured him to a T because it was never about Rob.

It was about helping people see and perhaps consider.

I've said it before and I'll say it again Rob deserves a star on Tampa's Hall of Fame sidewalk if there is such a thing.

For he made a lasting difference in our community.

So, um, I wanted to ask each of you she mentioned, uh, uh, having some kind of star on the Walk of Fame.

We do honor famous Tampa citizens on the Tampa Riverwalk.

Stanley, do you think that would be a good way to to to commemorate what Rob has given to this community?

I think that that would be an excellent idea.

And I would give the first dollar.

Okay.

I got the second dollar.

There are some other ways you think we could honor Rob.

You know, I'm sitting here thinking about what he really left with me, and that was this desire to listen to one another and to trust and to share compassion about ideas.

Sometimes that we don't agree with the other person.

I think the legacy of having a physical, demonstrable way of honoring him is important, but I hope that we can honor him through what we do and what we continue to do at the table together outside of this room.

And that's really to listen and to consider what other people are saying, what they have to offer, and perhaps making it meet where we're at.

I think that's the best way to honor him, because what he really showed on the show was that we can learn from one another, even if we're so far away and find a common ground.

Yeah, there is that common ground.

And you know, Andy, as you say you are, you're a different kind of minister.

But from your perspective, do you think we can find that common ground among these different perspectives in the community.

Yeah, Rob was a different kind of journalist.

He was a he was a prophetic journalist and led with compassion and curiosity in a way, um, that still arrived at truth, even though people brought different truths to this table.

Uh, you know, we left with a different truth together because of the way that he facilitated that conversation and his, his his passion about, um, people being their best selves.

Yeah.

Well, the show will continue.

Travis, I think you'll continue to be a guest on the show, but are there other things we could do to to create?

Yeah, and without having been asked to say this, I think that Rob would be would be honored if people supported this station.

And, you know, I always I used to joke with him, hey, I love Rick Steves, you know, and I'm a member of a party that hasn't been, you know, exceptionally supportive of of PBS of late especially, but that I do appreciate that continued conversation that we don't see at the big corporate stations all too often.

So I think it would be.

He would be honored and pleased if folks, you know donated, supported the station, and this.

Might be the only time I 100% agree with Travis Horn.

See support PBS.

He's a uniter.

He was a uniter, not a divider.

It can happen.

It can happen.

But he was an extraordinary, extraordinary guy and really going to miss him.

Um, goodness, I really loved the after show.

Of course, again, I hate it for the viewers that they can't.

They really can't see or hear everything that was said and discussed to these after conversations here at the table or for green fields.

But I can tell you they were they were certainly enlightening.

And he again, he could have sat on his haunches and just let the news come to him.

He had that kind of network and alumni base here, if you will.

But he didn't.

He still went out there, did the hard work, made it to the meetings, made it to the rallies, watched the protests, and gathered the news himself.

Yeah.

And that's something you just don't.

He had a respect for the viewers, he, That's something that we haven't really talked about.

One of the reasons that I think he was beloved and really missed by us at the table and the viewers is he had a real respect for them and what they thought.

And he took their feedback when they wrote to him, and he really took it to heart.

And he shared it sometimes.

And sometimes you could see how he would really be thinking of a way to make sure that he was the most fair.

And I think that was really an important legacy that he that he gave to us, that we have a station here, that people are really listening and responsive and took it back.

And he was a great example of that.

Yeah, Stanley, what do you think?

I think that we have a different vantage point of Rob than the general public that's watching the show.

I think that while Rob was very instrumental, I don't think they focused in on him.

I think that the average viewer focused in on the issues and the different vantage points that were that were presented.

And as a result, because the conversations were very engaging, they were mind provoking.

I think he was overlooked by many of the audience.

Yeah, I really, Believe just how hard you can tell in earnest just how hard it is to keep the conversation going, to elicit the kind of responses that are, that are thoughtful and and make people want to tune in.

And when you spend that 30 minutes on Friday night or Sunday watching this, you came away more informed.

And doesn't it all start there?

Reverend, is is helping people better understand both sides?

Yeah, and I think Rob was able to do that because he was confident in his own belovedness as a person.

When I was writing a tribute on our church sign about what we would say, I ended with beloved truth teller, beloved period truth teller, because Rob was beloved even in his own self, and was confident in the shoes that he was walking in and out of.

That confidence, was able to bring so many different people together in ways that I think changed the the nature of political discussions here in Tampa.

Yeah, that's a word that we haven't heard, but it's it's spot on.

confident.

He was a confident guy, and I think that confidence allowed him to bring different voices to this table, to bring different voices to his show.

He wasn't all he wasn't because we've met confident people before, right?

Sometimes you might call those people cocky.

He never he had this.

He would ask you a question and he admit he'd be the first to admit he didn't know everything.

He didn't know everything.

Now he did as some have said.

He did know more than he let on a lot of the time.

But he did know everything.

And he wasn't afraid to admit that, either.

All right, let's go to another panelist who wanted to share her thoughts about being on the program with Rob.

My name is Jennifer Griffith, and I'm the immediate past chair of the Pinellas County Democratic Party and also principal of JG collaborations.

I was fortunate enough to be on Rob Lowry's Florida this week, many times with him over the last couple of years, and we just got to know each other over the last couple of years.

But little did Rob know that I've been listening to him and hearing his thoughts and his delivery on important issues since 1998, and he brought to me in my car the case of Microsoft and its antitrust lawsuit that they were going through back then.

Uh, I started listening to him almost daily at that point, and he taught me so much, the stories that he would bring to us, the stories that he brings to Tampa Bay, the stories that he brings to so many of us and our lives, and how it impacts our thinking and our attitudes about the world around us.

He changed me.

I think he changed a lot of us in our area, and we're so fortunate that he landed here in 1979, and that we had him for as long as we did.

I'm forever grateful to Rob.

Lori and I will miss him immensely.

Stanley, do you think he changed you?

Well, I know he did.

Uh, one of the things is, is, you know, I'm such a beloved person that people just like to be around me.

Absolutely.

But, but what I really do is because I realize that life's not guaranteed.

And so I try not to waste time.

So I try to be around people who can add to my life, or I can add to theirs.

I can honestly tell you that Rob made me a better citizen of of Hillsborough County, because to prepare for these, these sessions, I actually did the work.

I actually tried to see both sides of the issue.

You know, the things that were centered in our county.

So I'm very appreciative of Rob, and I got more from him than I gave to him.

Yeah.

Tara did.

Did Jennifer say he changed her?

Did he change you?

You know what?

I delighted in coming out of the show with him because I did my homework.

You know, I'm a professor.

I always am prepared, so I always was.

I'd spend time really looking.

And it was so fun to come and talk with him because he challenged you.

You could challenge him.

Yes.

He made me better.

Um, I see him as a robust advocate of free press, as a great example of what reporting should be.

But he was also an advocate of democracy and as a constitutionalist, I love that about him.

And I felt a kindredness with him.

And I'm going to miss that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You know, in my current role at United Way Suncoast, we are striving to talk to both sides of the spectrum and to connect with policy makers because, you know, we're nonpartisan.

We're just trying to strengthen the community.

Um, how important was that aspect of Robb and his ability to change people, do you think, Reverend Oliver?

Uh, he changed me.

The the ways that he poured himself into me every time we had a private conversation.

Um, I just felt that he was was trying to instill in me, um, values that he had.

He wants to see, you know, this, this community embrace.

And some people that embrace civility, I think, do so in a way that that weaponizes civility maybe to tone police.

Rob was never that way.

The ways that he encouraged civility to happen always still pointed toward the truth.

And I think that that was really important in a way that he invested in me and and changed all of Tampa Bay.

Yeah, yeah.

Travis.

Old school, but still forward thinking about him.

He was that child of the 60s kind of thing.

And he, you know, he valued, like you said, the give and take.

But he had the great poker face, you know, and but again, you just never felt like he was being a bad guy.

And we've all had conversations.

We've walked away from people who said, damn, I don't really want to.

I'm not sure I really want to talk to that person again.

You probably even have those.

But, you know, he just he made you feel good.

He really made you feel good.

And as Stanley said, I think he made us all better.

And certainly I totally, 100%, 100% agree.

I think the panel agrees that he made us better.

Yeah, the community better.

I mentioned earlier about how he, uh, you know, helped me be a better columnist and, uh, in so many ways, he deepened, uh, my connection to the community.

And I think he deepened the connection throughout the community.

This community was more found, more often found that common ground that we needed.

And I just hope each of us can, can pledge to continue to try to create, uh, those moments where we can come together and maybe not always agree, but but be civil and and discuss.

Maybe maybe we need to have, uh, uh, Rob.

Lorei alumni, yeah.

Well, like like a conference, or, Or a, show.

I'm confident.

Though, that his legacy will transcend his lifetime, that he.

We will see, you know, as the show continues on here, uh, you know, and under new moderation.

They'll always look back to to him for leadership and regard.

What he did to was that he believed in each of us and everyone at the table, and all the panelists that are sharing.

He believed in the people that he brought to the table, and he believed they had something to offer.

And that is a seed that's planted in the community and will carry forward.

And that's part of his legacy, the good work that we all do, furthering what we believe in.

Yeah, and he really did care about the community.

Um, so as we wrap up, uh, let me give each of you a chance just to give your closing thoughts.

Stanley.

Again, I think that that for all of us to to be better citizens, that we need to take the time to learn both sides of both of all issues that are presented to us.

Tara, you know, professionally that he believed in me and personally, he delighted in Eastern European food and all my madness with my kids.

He'd always remember to ask me about it all, but that I've lost a friend and someone that taught me a lot.

And I'll miss.

Him, yeah.

Travis, you know, we go through things in our lives, tough times personally.

And and he was always genuinely concerned and asked about family and, and troubles and travails that we go through.

And, you know, his voice just had this, this way of when he was off, off camera.

It was it was it was a little different even, you know, but, um, made you feel better.

You know, you left, you left the studio here feeling a little better and like, someone actually really, truly cared what you had to say.

And as you know, in journalism, that's not always.

That's not always the case or the feeling that you're left with when you walk away from conversations, either in journalism or in politics, for sure.

Yeah, Reverend Oliver, I'll give you the final word, and then we'll go to a special clip.

Yeah, I'd say that what struck me about Rob is that, um, even beyond politics, when he was reflecting on his personal life, uh, he was courageous and told the truth.

And many of us are great at telling the truth or doing that work in our public life, but in our personal life.

He showed that integrity as well.

And that was a lesson I'll never forget.

Yeah, well, we're going to see a little bit more about that.

And first of all, let me say thanks to all of you for joining me to honor Rob and what he's meant to you and the community.

We wanted to give Rob the last word in May.

He spoke at a service at Reverend Oliver's Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg.

He was asked if his illness had changed his perspective on life and what he felt was important.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Ernest Hooper.

You know, death is part of life.

It's it's something.

It's the great equalizer.

It's something that we're all going to have to go through.

And I've seen enough death in my family and my my friends, unfortunately, that I know I'm going to have to go through it.

And Uh, my mom says to me, well, you've got a, you know, you've got to go back to the Catholic Church and you've got to take the sacraments.

And, you know, because you're not going to get to heaven.

And I say, I say, mom, do you think that that God is merciful?

And she says, yes.

Do you think God loves us?

And she says, yes.

And I said, I think I'm okay.

[laughter] I think whatever, whatever happens at the end, I'm kind of I got to say, I'm kind of excited.

I don't want to sound too giddy about this, but I'm kind of excited to see what happens next.

Uh, and, uh, you know, I mean, it could be like the scientists say that nothing happens.

Or it could be that we entered this whole new realm that we have no idea because we're stuck in these, these four dimensions here.

Um, we can't see.

So I'm kind of excited about what happens next.

And I'm, you know, nobody gets out alive.

Like Jim, Jim Morrison said.

So, um, I'm.

I'm okay with it.

President Carter, welcome to WEDU.

It's good to be with you.

Thank you.

Florida was ground zero for several coronavirus stories.

Are we a purple state?

Are we a red state?

Are we a blue state?

We're a purple state.

Am I how quickly people forget.

The only reason that we we hold elections is to see how accurate the public opinion polls are.

And they were quite accurate.>> The most devastating.

Hurricane to hit the mainland in almost 50 years.

Michael made a direct hit.

I'm honored that you would come on to this show when we ask you, and it's a real thrill to see you every time you're on.

So thank you so much, and my thanks to you for watching Florida This Week and putting your trust in us to have a serious discussion about the most important issues in this wonderful state that we all love.