ST. CROIX — Veteran broadcaster Doug Harris died on April 25 at his home in Georgia following an apparent heart-related medical event, according to his brother Paul Harris. He was 75.
Doug Harris spent decades on the air in the Virgin Islands and on the U.S. mainland, building a reputation as a versatile radio personality, programmer, and station manager whose career spanned multiple stations and formats. His final radio role was at WTJX, where he worked from 2017 to 2021 before retiring and relocating to Georgia to be closer to family.
“Doug was a very outgoing person,” Paul Harris said. “He always went after whatever he had in his mind to go get and usually obtained it. And he’s always very caring for the family.”
Born on August 12, 1950, in Stuttgart, Germany, Doug Harris grew up in a military family that eventually settled in Long Island, New York. Following a year at Nassau Community College and a brief period in the U.S. Marine Corps, he began his lifelong calling in radio.
“He traveled a lot and worked in a lot of different places on radio, and he pursued that all of his life,” Paul Harris, the youngest of six siblings, said.
Doug Harris spent decades building a career that took him across the territory and the country from 1972 to 1989. During that time, he worked at WVWI Radio One on St. Thomas and WSTX-AM on St. Croix. He then logged time at major-market stations in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York City, Atlanta, Cleveland, Chicago, and St. Louis.
From November 1989 to October 1999, Doug Harris returned to the territory and worked at WAVI and WVGN. He left the islands in December 1999, working subsequently in Tampa, Florida; Columbus, Mississippi; and Beaumont, Texas, where he remained until 2008.
Among those who got to know Doug Harris well during his years on St. Croix was Jonathan Cohen, owner of JKC Communications, which operates multiple radio stations in the territory that Doug Harris worked at from 2009 to 2016.
“Doug was one of the original guys that joined my station,” Cohen said. “He was a seasoned radio guy.”
Doug Harris worked at Isle 95 before joining Sunny 99.5, where Cohen said he became the creator of the station’s nightly jazz program. He helped Cohen’s wife launch Caribbean Country 93.5. He also worked at 104.9 The Mongoose and Rumba 98.3.
“He was concise in his presentation,” Cohen said. “He knew radio inside and out. He did a jazz show in the evenings, and he handpicked his music, and he knew the rights and wrongs in regards to on-air etiquette, and he had a good work ethic.”
Across the JKC group of stations, Doug Harris took on scheduling commercials, overseeing operations, and managing on-air staff.
“Doug was not only good on the air, he was good at day-to-day activities in regards to keeping the station functioning properly, with the radio commercials being produced, getting scheduled, scheduling air talent, but he also was good with his hands in regards to engineering,” Cohen said. “If there was an engineering issue in regards to, let’s say, a transmitter, I could get on the phone with him and talk him through of how to troubleshoot.”
Doug Harris left the JKC stations shortly before Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the territory in 2017 and joined WTJX.
“He was very conscientious about being on time,” Cohen said. “He used to love to get to work early and get work done, and he never dropped the ball.”
Tanya-Marie Singh, WTJX chief executive officer, said she and Doug Harris were friends for many years before he worked at WTJX-FM.
“Back in the day, broadcasters were a close-knit circle,” she said. “I recall when he first saw Lisa — who he later married — one day he called me as if it was a five-alarm fire, gushing that he had just laid eyes on the most beautiful woman and pledged that he would marry her. To my surprise, he did. Years later, he joined WTJX, bringing invaluable knowledge, experience, and instincts to our newly launched NPR radio station. His voice was flawless; I believe you can still hear his perfect pitch on our station IDs. Doug came from a time when you had to have real talent, personality, and presence to be on radio — now it’s largely a free-for-all that does not elevate or entertain. I’m saddened that he’s no longer with us.”
Over the years, Doug Harris held roles ranging from on-air personality to general manager, operations director, and news director.
“He was a jack of all trades, basically, in the radio industry, and he wasn’t afraid to tackle anything that was thrown in front of him,” Paul Harris said.
Listeners in the Virgin Islands came to know Doug Harris through his morning radio work.
Doug Harris’ connection to the territory stretched beyond radio, too. His first wife was from St. Thomas, and his three children were born in the territory.
After bringing a lifetime of experience behind the microphone and a love for radio to WTJX when he joined the Virgin Islands Public Broadcasting System in 2017, Doug Harris remained at the System as director of Radio Operations until his retirement in 2021. He then relocated to Georgia to be close to family, including his daughter, grandchildren, and another brother.
“He was really, really happy with where he wound up at down there,” Paul Harris said. “And you know, the years that he did have left down there were very good for him.”
In retirement, Doug Harris bought a house in Georgia, planted a garden, and grew Japanese willows from clippings he got from his brother. His greatest priority was his family.
“It was definitely family, most definitely family,” Paul Harris said. “And then he always poured himself into his work.”
Paul Harris described his brother as someone who could easily connect with strangers and brighten difficult moments with optimism and humor.
“If you met somewhere in an airport or whatever and struck up a conversation, you would almost feel like you know him because he was always open to speaking to anybody and getting along with anybody, and always had a gift of gab, for sure,” Paul Harris said.
Music remained central to Doug Harris’ identity throughout his life and career.
“He was always committed to bringing people music,” Paul Harris said. “The music, the music, the music — that’s what he would say.”
As a broadcaster and programmer, Paul Harris said his brother understood how radio programming could shape a listener’s mood and provide an escape from daily stress.
“He could take you on a journey and just make you forget all your cares, just by how the format flowed for the day,” he said.
Paul Harris said his brother will be remembered most for his smile and his instinct to lift people up.
“I think they’ll remember him for his ability to listen and to maybe suggest, and just really pick you up and dust you off and put you on your way in a better direction,” he said.
That optimism was something Doug Harris lived as much as he preached, according to his brother.
“One of his expressions were, ‘well, la dee da’ — you know, just let it go and just move on,” he said.
