Bob Ross

     Robert Alan (Bob) Ross was born in Baltimore. You can tell his daddy was a deejay because the Rosses moved to Butler, Pa.; Norfolk, Va., Akron, Oh. and back to Baltimore before coming to Florida when Bob was in second grade.

    A born critic, he used to watch TV with the family and tell everyone if the shows were any good.

    His writing career took off in 1966, when he was a senior at Ocala High School and won the Florida Civitan essay contest that paid for his first year at Florida Presbyterian College (now Eckerd College ) in St. Petersburg.

    A Tampa Bay area resident since then, Bob wrote opinion columns for his college paper and a local shopper before landing a gig as a freelance rock critic for the St. Pete Times in the early '70s. He learned journalism working as a proofreader in St. Pete and as a hard news reporter for the Times' bureau (now defunct) in Bradenton.

    After a stint writing features and reviews back in St. Pete, Bob joined his dad, mom and sister Martha in running Tampa's first video rental shop, Tampa Video Station on West Kennedy Blvd. The store opened in late 1979 and lasted seven years before the giant chains took their toll.

    In July, 1985, Bob became The Tampa Tribune's film critic, a job he proudly (and miraculously) still holds. He reviews more than 200 films a year, which is why nobody agrees with him all the time. He also writes two weekly video columns and assorted interviews, features and news stories.

    If you do not get the Tampa Tribune (for shame!) you can see his stuff on-line at www.tbo.com.

    Bob also speaks with Tedd, Jack and Sharon on NewsRadio 970 WFLA Thursday mornings about 8:40 a.m.  On Friday mornings he's on WFLA-TV, Ch. 8 , at 6:40 and 11:30 a.m. You can see this video on the TBO web site as well.

    He is always ready to render an opinion or dig for trivia on request. His advice is free and well worth it.

E-Mail: rross@tampatrib.com - or - bross1@tampabay.rr.com