Bob Cuddihy: Legendary STV presenter dies aged 78 as stars pay tribute to 'force beyond nature'

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Legendary Scottish newscaster Bob Cuddihy has died at the age of 78.

The reporter and journalist was a staple of STV in the 1970s and 1980s, coving politics and business. He was also a regular on Scotland Today, as well as political programme Ways and Means.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He left the broadcaster in 1989, when he set up his public relations and media training company Bowman Cuddihy & Sullivan. In an obituary written by STV Political Editor Bernard Ponsonby, Cuddihy, who was born in New York and travelled to the UK in 1962, was described as a “force beyond nature”.

He said: “His seventeen year tenure (1972-89) as a reporter and presenter with STV, brought him into contact with an array of political, business and cultural figures, many of whom developed a friendship with the American, seduced by his vivacious personality which was allied to a twin compulsion for mischief and over-indulgent fun.”

Describing him as a “versatile broadcaster” and a “well read man”, Ponsonby added that he wasn’t phased by interviews with big names including former Conservative Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the British Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley US President Richard Nixon and former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He was awarded a NATO fellowship after interviewing the likes of Denis Healey and Condoleeza Rice. Tributes have been paid to the accomplished journalist.

One former colleague, ninian Reid, said: “Sad indeed. And Bob never lost his distinctive, but cultured New York twang. He was an ever present figure, particularly when I knew him amidst the Edinburgh media scrum of yesteryear.”

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.