Post by John Quincy on Jan 15, 2010 16:42:07 GMT -5
From WHAS.com today:
Host of Popular "Francene Show" Dies
Francene passes away at 43
Friday, January 15, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - 84WHAS has lost a member of the family. Following a brief illness, Francene Cucinello passed away on Friday. She fell ill early Monday morning and was taken to Norton Audubon Hospital, and later transferred to Norton Hospital in downtown Louisville, where she died.
Cucinello, host of the popular "Francene Show" on 84WHAS since October of 2003, was born in New Jersey in 1966. She was 43 years old and is survived by her mother. A public memorial is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, January 18 at Southeast Christian Church.
During her more than six years at 84WHAS, Cucinello, or simply Francene to her audience, was known as a tough, but fair, interviewer of politicians and other newsmakers. It was not uncommon for her to challenge the views of people ranging from the mayor to the governor to a United States Senator.
Often accused of intentionally fanning the flames of controversy, Cucinello told Leo Weekly in a 2008 interview, "I truly don’t try to stir things up. I don’t have to. There are things that make people mad. All I have to do is mention them. I am a news junkie. I like an open discourse, and I really have very little patience or tolerance for stupidity or deception or inefficiency in government. And that’s when this gets fun, because I get to talk about it."
But Cucinello also had a soft spot. She shared her Louisville home with Monty, a mixed breed dog she found wandering outside the St. Matthews apartment she lived in shortly after moving to Louisville.
Host of Popular "Francene Show" Dies
Francene passes away at 43
Friday, January 15, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - 84WHAS has lost a member of the family. Following a brief illness, Francene Cucinello passed away on Friday. She fell ill early Monday morning and was taken to Norton Audubon Hospital, and later transferred to Norton Hospital in downtown Louisville, where she died.
Cucinello, host of the popular "Francene Show" on 84WHAS since October of 2003, was born in New Jersey in 1966. She was 43 years old and is survived by her mother. A public memorial is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, January 18 at Southeast Christian Church.
During her more than six years at 84WHAS, Cucinello, or simply Francene to her audience, was known as a tough, but fair, interviewer of politicians and other newsmakers. It was not uncommon for her to challenge the views of people ranging from the mayor to the governor to a United States Senator.
Often accused of intentionally fanning the flames of controversy, Cucinello told Leo Weekly in a 2008 interview, "I truly don’t try to stir things up. I don’t have to. There are things that make people mad. All I have to do is mention them. I am a news junkie. I like an open discourse, and I really have very little patience or tolerance for stupidity or deception or inefficiency in government. And that’s when this gets fun, because I get to talk about it."
But Cucinello also had a soft spot. She shared her Louisville home with Monty, a mixed breed dog she found wandering outside the St. Matthews apartment she lived in shortly after moving to Louisville.