Honoree Rod Doss NCM Speech

Rod Doss understood early in his sales career that it is important to learn about clients, and to this day he much prefers talking with people about their stories than talking about himself. But Doss, of Ben Avon Heights, the editor and publisher of the New Pittsburgh Courier, does have a remarkable life story of his own. He grew up in East Liberty as one of eight children born to Eli Doss, a steelworker who died when Doss was just 13, and Earline Doss, a stay-at-home mom who made sure her children saw life as a rich experience. “We were very fortunate that we had a mother who exposed us to a lot of things in life certainly, good music and reading,” Doss says. “She was a great cook and very social, so she had friends come in all the time. And, of course, she was focused on making sure we kids went to church on Sunday, without fail. All those things came together to make us, ultimately, who we became.” Doss attended Friendship Grade School and Peabody High School, and at age 19 went to work at Freedman’s Men’s Wear in Uptown, across from the famous Bubbles and Sherman restaurant. It was the 1960s, the era of civil rights protests and the Vietnam War, and Doss broke the color barrier to become the store’s first Black salesman which ultimately led to his long career with the Courier. But first, Uncle Sam drafted him into the U.S. Army, sending him to France for a two-year tour. Given civilian status, he lived off-base in a hotel and worked for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), handling security matters. When he returned to Pittsburgh, his job at Freedman’s was waiting. “Then somebody got in touch with me about a job they thought I was good for and they wanted me to apply for it. They told me, ‘You’re right for the job,’ but they didn’t tell me what it was,” he recalls. It turned out to be an advertising sales job with the Courier, which hired Doss on the spot in 1967. He rose through the ranks at the newspaper, but says, “I don’t think you ever stop doing advertising. It’s part of the bulwark of the business. In my current position I’m always talking about advertising as well.” He credits his mentors at the Courier among them, columnist and editor-in-chief Hazel Garland and the late publisher John Sengstacke with teaching him about the business and further expanding his worldview. “I like to think I went to the University of the New Pittsburgh Courier,” Doss says. “They took you by the hand and showed you things, and you learned if you were willing to learn. There were a number of people who judiciously gave their time.” In his 54 years with the Courier, he’s thankful to be able to work with great people and to meet people throughout the community, whether influential or everyday folk. Once one of America’s largest and most influential Black newspapers, with a nationwide circulation of more than Nabhi Christian Ministries NCM Awards 2021. The Courier is published weekly now, owned by Real Times Media LLC, but Doss is proud that it remains in business and is still the voice for Black Pittsburghers.“ Some businesses don’t last that long, especially this industry. Look at all the newspapers that have gone by the wayside,” he says. “We are still here and we continue to fight the good fight and it is a good fight. “I’m most proud of the sense of privilege this job has afforded me, working with great people and learning from some of my predecessors and also people in the community that I’ve been privileged to meet. Privilege isn’t often a word that’s used with Black people, but it is one of the hallmarks that I possess.” Under Doss’s leadership, the Courier began its popular events to honor Men of Excellence, Women of Excellence and the Fab 40. “You get a chance to celebrate people in the community and lift them up and showcase them,” he says. “I’m often surprised by the number of people doing positive things, and they probably otherwise would not get that recognition. They’re nominated by people in the community and some nominees are so astounding that you say to yourself, ‘Who knew?’” Doss also instituted a controversial series, “Under Attack. By Us,” which tallied the number of Black homicide victims each month in Allegheny County, often at the hands of Black shooters. The series later was renamed to “Stop the Genocide.” Initially the paper took criticism for the series.“ People didn’t want us exposing what they call ‘dirty linen,’” Doss says. “We persisted until people understood, this is something going on and the numbers speak for themselves. Then people began to embrace it. I think they got what we were trying to do if you’re going to talk about Black lives matter, they matter in all aspects. I’m very concerned when we lose people. You take everything they possibly could have, and you deny the community overall. It’s regrettable that it happens with young people, who never get a chance. #18ricco #Roddoss #nabhi