Calvin Douglas Banks, Jr. (June 9, 1958 – April 11, 2016), better known as Doug Banks, was an American radio personality and host of The Doug Banks Radio Show. The Philadelphia-born, Detroit-raised Banks began his radio career broadcasting on his high school's radio station. Local station WDRQ took notice of his talent and offered him a spot as a temporary late-night weekend disc jockey for a country station. After high school, he successfully turned his temporary trial into a permanent multi-year gig at KDAY in Los Angeles, California.Banks then moved on to the LA station KFI, which helped to pave the way to a morning show slot in Las Vegas at KLAV-AM. Doug's next two stops were KDIA in Oakland, California and WBMX (now WVAZ) in Chicago, Illinois. From 1986 to 1995, Banks did nights, a morning show and then, did afternoons for WGCI-FM. Next, the ABC Radio Network offered Banks the opportunity to do a nationally syndicated show. Originally, Banks started with an afternoon show from the same studio as the "Tom Joyner Morning Show." In 1997, Banks wanted to move to a morning show instead and the studio across the hall from Joyner's was made ready.
The new show, hosted by Banks along with new sidekick DeDe McGuire, rose to become one of the top-rated syndicated urban programs in America. In January 2008, the show was cancelled, but Banks relaunched the show, this time in the afternoon drive under the new name, The Ride with Doug and DeDe. Unlike his previous show where Mainstream Urban/Hip Hop/R&B music was played, Banks's current program is aimed at the Urban Contemporary audience, similar to what is played on Joyner's and Steve Harvey's shows. In July 2010, Banks moved his show to American Urban Radio Networks and renamed it The Doug Banks Show.
Banks also hosted some editions of NASCAR Now on ESPN2. He also made a guest appearance on the sitcom My Wife and Kids as Tom Miller, a friend of Michael Kyle who is tragically killed after being hit by a taxi (offscreen). The death of Tom makes Michael paranoid and overly sensitive about his own life. Banks died from complications of diabetes on April 11, 2016. Banks is survived by a wife and two daughters.
