Former Valley news radio producer dead at 50
A former 16-year producer of News Radio 570 WKBN, a Valley news radio station, has died at the age of 50.
John Scheckelhoff Jr. was a Mineral Ridge resident, graduating from Mineral Ridge High School in 1992. He worked for the radio station as a producer running the master control from 2000 until 2016.
One of his coworkers in master control was Fred Woak, also known as Fast Freddie.
"John always had something interesting to add to the show. He was a fan of sports and pop culture," said Woak in a Facebook post. "He had a great sense of humor. Sheck was a big guy with an even bigger heart."
Another coworker of Scheckelhoff, Jim Allgren worked with the producer in master control for 10 years. Allegren shared his thoughts on Scheckeloff with 21 News
"John was a big man with a bigger heart. He was the lynchpin of 570. We tried to be as good as him, but we never made it," said Allgren. "He was the keystone of master control. He was a hell of a great man. John's legacy is going to live forever because his spirit will live on with us."
News Radio 570 WKBN host Ron Verb worked with Scheckelhoff for 16 years and made sure to sing his praises when he could.
"John was a big-hearted man. The first word that comes to mind when I think of John is 'kindness.' He always did an outstanding job and had so much respect for others. Just a wonderful human being," said Verb.
