WCPO's Ann Lawrence Passes Away at 82

Rose Lutzky Segerman, better known to early Cincinnati TV audiences as Ann Lawrence passed away October 27. She was 82.

A native a New Richmond, Ohio she started voice training at the Conservatory of Music at the age of 12 and later took lessons from Grace Raine, who also taught Rose Mary Clooney.
Ann got her start on “the Admiral Show” on WCPO-TV in January of 1950 as a singer. By the summer of 1950 she was the featured singer on “The Saturday Night Show with Jim Fair” on Channel 9, which was known at the time as Channel 7. Viewers would call in to the program and request songs of Miss Lawrence.

In September 1950, Ann was performing along side Big Jim Stacy on “Coffee Time with Maurice Jackson” seen Monday thru Friday, 9:30-10:30am. She was with WCPO-TV until early 1952. In May of 1952 she left Cincinnati for WBGE Radio in Atlanta where she was known as “The Lady in Blue”.

Throughout her career she was a spokesperson, local performer and made commercials on radio and television. She recorded three songs locally, one with the Herbie Layne Orchestra and then three more with the NBC Orchestra in Hollywood. All six records were recently re-mastered with the help of the Media Heritage and the Voice of America.

One evening she was asked to sing “Let It Snow” by a viewer. Later the evening Cincinnati was hit with a tremendous snow storm. The next day the only way employees could get up to the “Hill” studio location on Symmes street was by walking or with skis. The employees at the station began screening the calls so that she wouldn’t be asked to sing “Let It Snow”.

Rose’s relationship with WCPO-TV continued many years later Her daughter, Jill, worked at the station production then the news department which is where she met her future husband. Jim Timmerman was the station’s last Program Director.