Today in Wheeling History: April 18—"Mark Davis" (Joe Tarantini), legendary WTRF-TV7 news director and anchor, dies (2011).
The man Ohio Valley television viewers knew as "Mark Davis" was born Joseph Tarantini on January 19, 1931, in Pittsburgh, the son of Rocco and Blanche Bisegna Tarantini. Proud of his Italian heritage, he began his broadcasting career at WHJB in Greensburg, where a station manager deemed "Tarantini" too ethnic and ordered a name change. Tarantini briefly adopted the stage name "Joe Terri" — insisting on the Italian spelling — before eventually settling on "Mark Davis." He joined WOMP in 1961 and WWVA radio in 1962 before arriving at WTRF-TV7 in 1965, where he would spend the remainder of his career as reporter, anchor, and news director.
Davis never graduated from high school or college, but he learned his craft on his feet and built an unmatched reputation across the Upper Ohio Valley. He received numerous honors, including the Presidents Award for Outstanding Achievement in 1981, the Distinguished West Virginian Award in 1977, and a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for 1996–97. He mentored on-air talents who went on to distinguished careers, including Brenda Danehart, Frank O'Brien, and Faith Daniels, who became a national NBC anchor. Davis also served as a U.S. Air Force veteran during the Korean War.
He passed away on April 18, 2011, at Wheeling Hospital at age 80. Funeral liturgy was celebrated at St. Joseph Cathedral, and he was interred at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. His daughter wished his epitaph to read: "An Honest American." He was inducted into the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2012.
To learn more: Lede News (https://tinyurl.com/v84rahky), Radio+Television Business Report (https://tinyurl.com/36uk2a3c), Altmeyer Funeral Homes (https://tinyurl.com/2ef7xnb2), Facebook - History of the Ohio Valley (https://tinyurl.com/rjjk23pj), surfdogmedia.com (https://tinyurl.com/y892uafu), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/3wk292n5), West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame (https://tinyurl.com/5n99udzx), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/uwdu84nu)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Facebook--History of the Ohio Valley, Weelunk, Altmeyer Funeral Homes, Find a Grave
The man Ohio Valley television viewers knew as "Mark Davis" was born Joseph Tarantini on January 19, 1931, in Pittsburgh, the son of Rocco and Blanche Bisegna Tarantini. Proud of his Italian heritage, he began his broadcasting career at WHJB in Greensburg, where a station manager deemed "Tarantini" too ethnic and ordered a name change. Tarantini briefly adopted the stage name "Joe Terri" — insisting on the Italian spelling — before eventually settling on "Mark Davis." He joined WOMP in 1961 and WWVA radio in 1962 before arriving at WTRF-TV7 in 1965, where he would spend the remainder of his career as reporter, anchor, and news director.
Davis never graduated from high school or college, but he learned his craft on his feet and built an unmatched reputation across the Upper Ohio Valley. He received numerous honors, including the Presidents Award for Outstanding Achievement in 1981, the Distinguished West Virginian Award in 1977, and a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for 1996–97. He mentored on-air talents who went on to distinguished careers, including Brenda Danehart, Frank O'Brien, and Faith Daniels, who became a national NBC anchor. Davis also served as a U.S. Air Force veteran during the Korean War.
He passed away on April 18, 2011, at Wheeling Hospital at age 80. Funeral liturgy was celebrated at St. Joseph Cathedral, and he was interred at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. His daughter wished his epitaph to read: "An Honest American." He was inducted into the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2012.
To learn more: Lede News (https://tinyurl.com/v84rahky), Radio+Television Business Report (https://tinyurl.com/36uk2a3c), Altmeyer Funeral Homes (https://tinyurl.com/2ef7xnb2), Facebook - History of the Ohio Valley (https://tinyurl.com/rjjk23pj), surfdogmedia.com (https://tinyurl.com/y892uafu), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/3wk292n5), West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame (https://tinyurl.com/5n99udzx), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/uwdu84nu)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Facebook--History of the Ohio Valley, Weelunk, Altmeyer Funeral Homes, Find a Grave
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