Roy Rowan; Radio and TV Announcer for Lucille Ball Shows

Roy Rowan, 78, a radio and television announcer who introduced all of the Lucille Ball shows. Born in Paw Paw, Mich., Rowan attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and began his announcing career at radio station WKZO there, working with Ralph Story, Paul Harvey and Harry Carry. Rowan moved on to radio stations in Schenectady and Buffalo, N.Y., and Chicago before moving to Los Angeles to work for CBS Radio and later CBS Television. For 23 years, he was the announcer and pre-show warmup man for the Lucy shows--”I Love Lucy,” “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” Rowan also became part owner of radio stations in Las Vegas, Stockton and San Jose, which led him into brokering sales of radio and television stations. The first he sold were his own. He worked for Blackburn & Co., heading its Beverly Hills office for 22 years, and later had his own Rowan Media Brokers based in Encino. Among other shows he announced were “People Are Funny” with Art Linkletter and “Gunsmoke” on radio, and “I Married Joan,” “Rawhide,” “Simon and Simon,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “The Lonesome Dove” miniseries and “Dallas” on television. On Sunday in Encino.