After an audio career that began at KOGO Radio and TV in San Diego, Calif., Ron Estes, the audio engineer for NBC’s The Tonight Show from 1980 to 1991, passed away on July 13 in Studio City, Calif. During his tenure at NBC, Estes was instrumental in the July 26, 1984, broadcast of The Tonight Show in stereo, beating ABC, which planned to broadcast the 1984 Olympics in stereo the next day. The Academy honored him in 2004 for this achievement; he later earned three National Emmys. In total, Estes garnered 12 Local Emmys and a TEC Award in 1986 for Outstanding Creative Achievement by a Broadcast Sound Engineer.
The family requests that donations in Estes’ name be made to Actors for Animals.
