You understand that? Boom! One former employee, who asked not to be named, speaks for many when she says, Hes the most unfeeling, cold-hearted son of a bitch I ever met., And this woman counts herself among his admirers because of his genius at making KVIL a raging success. Michael Granberry was born and grew up in Dallas. Ron Chapmans the only one that talks to her that first hour, and in that hour, 1 can mold her frame of mind. "Ron Chapman is a dazzlingly . Anyway, I was holding this animal on my shoulder, on my freshly cleaned jacket, and it got a little excited. With that warning, we move through room after room of airy, fresh pastels, past furniture that looks as if it never gets touched, with the exception of Rons well-worn leather chair. Ron actually holds up a picture that hed cut out of a JCPenney catalog. They had no bathtub, no phone, no family car. Gratefully I accepted, and drove off in his North Dallas wheels while they towed my Fort Worth bomb away. He was huge in Dallas for decades doing mornings at KVILclick link to learn more. 'A North Texas legend': Dallas radio icon Ron Chapman dies at age 85 He always has some grand scheme bubbling up to the surface, she says, and hes always looking for some way to convince the rest of us that its a good idea. Ron Chapman - My Little Story It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it serves the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas. Skip to content. Ron Chapman on the State of Radio and Why He'll Never Make a Comeback But the precise age, her birthday, and zodiac remain unknown. (Her cohort, Ron Chapman, who clocked more than 45 successful years on local radio and television [including WFAA-TV,] died in 2021.) But there is more to the message than merely commercialized feminism. The guy would give you the shirt off his back. He then did afternoon drive at KVIL-FM for several years until he was fired by Ron Chapman. Please enter valid email address to continue. Ron Chapman made Vocal Majority . But it was impossible to replicate a station that made a growing big city feel like a small town. Dallas, Texas 75201. In honor of his life, we reproduce this 1989 profile of Chapman. Chapman was known for doing the unexpected, once airing his show from a haunted house and another time while skydiving. The program, based on . They filmed it. The station would cycle through many owners, all of whom readily admittedthey were really buying Chapman-- "a warm and fuzzy tyrant," D called him in 1989, which he took as compliment. KVIL (103.7 FM, Alt 103.7) is a commercial radio station dual-licensed to Highland Park and Dallas, Texas.It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it serves the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas.The station's studios are located along North Central Expressway in Uptown Dallas. Hes now retired and owns a winery called Orangewoods near San Diego.In, Im going to say 62 or 63, Jack Kennedy, I think, did a 50-mile hike. Turn! A Passing: Ron Chapman - My Sweet Charity This is the story of how a chance encounter lead to a close friendship that would span four decades, and a revolutionary radio travel program that is in it's 46th year. @RGreggHart : A giant of Dallas-Fort Worth radio, Ron Chapman, has died at 85. And it was Chapman who ran every single nutty promo in the station's stories history, among them a scavenger hunt that involved hidden tape recorders, secret messages and, eventually, a Braniff International Airways ticket to Hawaii. According to Tony Garrett. He had this real, real long tongue, and it could get into the bottle. Not only is he 110 percent fireproof and the goose that laid the golden egg, but he is shadow management, and he must be catered to and appeased. He spent 19 years at the Los Angeles Times before returning to Dallas. He did not see the humor in it. Chapmans on-air name was Irving Harrigan. Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman dies at 85 And no decision is really final until Chapman signs off on it. Then it became Jane Fonda for a while. Nothing to embarrass a woman who is even remotely prudish. He was just a wonderful, wonderful guy., And yet, on a professional level, Chapmans reputation carried with it a darker side. Im rough to work for. And some who have shown too much personality, critics charge, get the ax. Ron Chapman Obituary - Death: Ron Chapman Obituary Kvil | Ron Chapman Cause Of Death Ron Chapman Obituary: In the loving memory of Ron Chapman, we are saddened to inform you that Ron Chapman, a. In 2000, as radio began to change once again, Chapman moved to KLUV, a Dallas oldies station where he stayed until announcing his retirement in 2005. He will later say that its almost like having an extra lobe in his brain. Rhyner, co-founder and sage of the sports-talking Ticket, spent the '70s and '80s just down the FM dial from KVIL at KZEW, where the jocks playedhard(ish) rock while Chapman and his band spun cotton candy. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. And I do have a good memory. Paul: Okay, so let's go back to Bud's career. I tell them, you cant do that. Ron Chapman Obituary KVIL - Death : DFW Radio Legend Died: Funeral - KVIL and DFW Radio legend, Ron Chapman died aged 85, on April, 26th, 2021, with. Many of us grew up listening to him on #KVIL. RIP to a #NTX legend," wrote Dallas County judge Clay Jenkins, in a tweet on April 26. On the stairwell is a wall full of pictures: Ron in the midst of a million one-dollar bills. Ron Chapman Death - Obituary, - InsideEko.com News Media | Facebook @theoldgreywolf once told me, "Chapman was the pioneer, the seer." "I was always on the quest of doing something new and dramatic and different and surprising," Ron said in 2010. . But she was the problem., Chapman, who says he agonizes over every firing and tries to help the departed financially, told Haley to find another gig by the end of the year, while challenging her to do better: I told her. . Dick Clark is an old friend of Chapmans. Chapman was a giant in radio in Texas, and was inducted as a member of the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. I dont believe that any one person can be in that much control and yet allow for the station to be the living, breathing organization it has to be in order to survive. RIP Ron pic.twitter.com . Ron Chapman - Press Club of Dallas Chapman said. Ron Chapman began his radio career the DAY he graduated high school, hitting the airwaves in his hometown of Haverhill, Massachusetts. When Ron Chapman, Morning Host of KVIL in Dallas, Texas, asked his listeners back in 1998 to send $20 to the station, they did to the tune of $240,000. TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Longtime radio personality Ron Chapman has died at the age of 85. It was Chapman who gave KVIL its sound in 1969: music foryoung adults who'd grown up listening to him on KLIF. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Jun 16, 2005. And every morning he was there for us, standing at his mic, drinking Dr Pepper, talking to the city. To the multitudes who wake up with him every weekday, hes Mr. There was dead air for, like, 10 seconds. And guess what? In 1969, Chapman joined the staff of KVIL-FM/Dallas-Fort . Be sure to wear a hat. But, quite frankly, we werent real excited about learning it at the time.. We are very grateful for the care and compassion he. He was so popular in Dallas in the 70s, 80s and 90s that his station, KVIL, sold for more than the Dallas Cowboys. But hes been trying to play Creative Tension to the point that it became creative chaos. Jack Woods partnered with Chapman in the early 60s on Gordon McLendons KLIF. But Ive wondered ever since., Herb Kelleher has known Chapman for years. Fifteen years later, this newspaper called it "the800-pound gorilla of Dallas radio," describing Chapman as "not only one of the top DJs in Dallas, but one of the most respected and feared in the country.". Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. We became great friends, Fairchild said. "Well, they had to do something," the National Radio Hall of Famer said. One infamous incident occurred during last years gala for the National Craniofacial Foundation. We were in the groove together. Chapman had already carved out a legend as one-half of Charlie & Harrigan on KLIF. After 45 years in radio, Ron Chapman retired from his morning show on June 24, 2005. The people who dont understand the program., A recent case in point, says Chapman, was the popular evening jock Lynn Haley, who was dismissed in early August. Chapmans cohorts speak of having to walk a very fine line; remaining clever and at least half-witty without ever being more clever than Ron. He was No. Ive had two scoops of everything, Chapman likes to say. "Three time radio Hall of Famer and Dallas radio ICON Ron Chapman has passed," the organization said. One of his greatest talents is picking people, knowing where they fit, where they go.They gave me a little yellow van, and I drove it myself. The guiding light in my life, my operational phrase, was: Ill show em. It wasnt angry. KVIL wasso named for its original HQ in the Highland Park Village, after Charles Meeks acquired a broadcast license from the feds to open up shop in 1958. Everywhere 1 go, the broadcasters are asking me how to do that. FACE FOR RADIO: Chapman hosted a popular TV show. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In a 1985 issue ofBillboard, the music industry's trade publication, a radio consultant called it "dominant" -- "the best-run radio station in Dallas" among a pile of worthy contenders, including K104. I can walk faster than most people can run, Chapman once told The Dallas Morning News. So when we cut away to commercial, we would turn off the lights so the studio would get cool. Im talking to a thirty-year-old female. We had several meetings in which we hoped to gain her attention about things we didnt feel were happening correctly on the nighttime show. The country was going to get in shape. Dallas, Texas 75201. Chapman says he and Nancy were in excellent health at that point but age was a factor for him wanting to retire. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. We edited it out. Weve become Kleenex. The obituary was featured in Dallas Morning News on May 16, 2021. Ron Chapman - IMDb At the end of this, the sergeant looked at Ron and said, What is your job. In 2007, he returned to broadcasting part-time as a substitute for radio legend Paul Harvey. Theyre gone. Said a Dallas radio newsman with nearly twenty years in the market, When I left KVIL, my blood pressure dropped by forty points. The Left Hand of God is Fort Worth. I can tell you that little secret and know the competition will pick up on it, and theyll work on it. Ive done this in many ways in my sportscast. We decided we would keep Fort Worth, and treat her like the lady that she is. CBS Radio has rebranded 103.7 on Your FM Dial as the Amp, a moniker also bestowed upon energy drinksand vitamins that promise "alean, ripped physique." For full obituary please visit. HE IS AN EAST TEXAN: Judge Ron Chapman is a native Texan, an experienced public servant and a dedicated member of his community. This time, the gala planners were prepared; the system had been checked and rechecked by technicians. Chapman realized that if he won Fort Worth, he could almost double the stations numbers. He was 85. Chapman hired fellow broadcasting legend Jody Dean to work a late-night shift at KVIL in 1982. Ron Chapman set out to claim it. In one infamous stunt, notes his Hall of Fame bio, Chapman told his listeners to each send $20 to the station; within three days, the station had received $200,000. Some estimates put the final amount even higher. He was born in Pittsburg, in East Texas and was raised in East Dallas -- in the area that is now District 5 -- where he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School. The money was donated to charity. Info. That was the power of Ron Chapman. Then ten to midnight. That was, perhaps, the last Most Meaningful Moment on local radio. Michael Selden airchecks | RadioDiscussions Chapman targeted that audience for several reasons, and he lists them the way he says almost everything, with unflappable confidence: a) they are the purse strings; b) there are a lot of them; c) they tend to be very faithful and build an allegiance; and d) they were underserved in this market, and nobody was paying them any respect. So Charlie and Harrigan came on and said, Were going to do our hike. Walton and Johnson. It gives him this ability to do separate things simultaneouslyto be charming and light and breezy and set up the next little joke-and yet never lose clear, cold-blooded sight of the target audience. There are no excuses in Ron Chapmans world except You screwed up. During his 31 years at KVIL, Chapman became famous for his upbeat humor and his participation in outrageous stunts and giveaways. But you could hear this blow-dryer. Yes, my dear, the world is still a warm and safe and funny place to be, and you are on top of it with us, you know everything we do, which is a lot, and life keeps getting better. So we all lined up, and we said, Okay, hoooo! And we started to walk. He likes certain things in certain places. You tend to say things like the mayor when you mean Dallas and the mayor of Fort Worth when youre talking about them. He is a walking contradiction, a Type A masquerading as a Type B. "In so many ways around here, Chapman was the pioneer, the seer," Rhyner said. His family is asking for time right now to process the loss and thanks the community for their "kindness, understanding and prayers.". KVIL was always my mom's station, hogging up most of the pre-sets in the '76 Cordoba and later the '79 LeBaron station wagon; it was either Ron Chapman or a Helen Reddy 8-track. 1 forever. Menu. The station is branded as "Alt 103.7" and airs an alternative rock radio format. This is a secret, but we take a lot of the staff to the big derrick at Six Flags and put them on top. Knowing Ron over the years has been an adventure. Its what youd get if God had money, Nance says. But the youngsters came to understand their poverty., I liked applause early on, said Chapman, who took on Ron as his radio first name in 1965. After working for two years with the Voice of the United Nations Command in Korea , Chapman moved to Connecticut and station WHNC/New Haven. I dodged flying reels of tape more than once., Later, Dean said, Im sure Ron regretted a great deal of it. You had left "Sump'n Else" and you're still at WFAA directing the church remotes. "His family asks for time to . Nance likens her life with Ron to living with P.T. RON CHAPMAN ANDERSON - Ronald Ray Chapman, 67, of Anderson, died Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at Rainey Hospice House. "But a well-respected punchline," Rhyner said. WATCH: Steve Eberhart reminisces about late radio legend Ron Chapman - KLTV The Radio Hall of Famer died at the age of 85 by leading an exemplary life being the pioneer of radio hosting in the country. If Chapman knows just what to say on the air, he also knows what not to blurt out: no jokes that have females as the butt. I'm saddened to tell you that legendary Dallas DJ Ron Chapman has passed away at 85. And this is, like, in the 80s. I now think about retiring. Chapman moved to KVIL a decade later, after the station briefly flirted with Top 40 in an attempt to topple the mighty KLIF. Ron Chapman Radio Hall Of Fame When Ron met Nance twenty years ago at a charity telethon, he was immediately struck by her good looks, he says, recalling that he trotted out a bunch of glib compliments before saying, By the way, Im Ron Chapman. Her reply: Oh. (The money was later distributed to local charities.) How would he like to be remembered? Weve become Coke. Among the passengers on a March 4 flight out of Hanoi 45 years ago Sunday at the end of the Vietnam War were three Air Force officers who would eventually settle in Northwest Florida. He said, Well, its something. Jun 03, 2004 07:18pm. Between his junior and senior years, he interned at The Washington Post during "the Watergate summer" of 1973. While many have attempted to imitate his formula, nobodyat least locallyis likely to remotely approach his mastery of it. Back then, Chapman says, wed latch on to anything. Warm and fuzzy was the game plan from the very beginning. Baby, it's cold outside. Ron Chapman was born on 25 January 1936 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. Ronald V. Chapman, age 80, passed away Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at Mount Carmel East Hospital in Columbus. And yet, he would never ask me to be one of the [featured] dancers. Ron Chapman back in Radio After I left, there were several attempts to be 'the new KVIL,' but KVIL left such an impressive mark on Dallas that they were neverable to shake this old image of its old people there, me being among them.". Says Littauer, Only Ron could spend two weeks on a ship, do nothing, and then get a commendation for it.. The individuality, the uniqueness. Find Ron Chapman obituaries and memorials at Legacy.com But his desire was for you to get the best out of yourself. "Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman dies at 85. Its a small industry. The Morning Guys on Y-95. Dallas Radio Icon Ron Chapman Dies at 85 | KLIF-AM The Emperor is in his tower, conjuring, working on the exact wording and inflection of the incantation that will once again secure his seemingly unending supremacy. The following obituaries have been provided by local funeral homes. PART OF AUDACY NEWS. April 26, 2021 - TOP INFO GUIDE And Id walk a mile for an impression., Part of the magic of KVIL is that it is positive and upbeat, even when its poking fun at the news, the politicians, or the Cowboys. Charlie Brown), playing records and providing character voices as stars of the popular Charlie and Harrigan Show. Theyll still be talking about that twenty years from now. Former Dallas Morning News columnist Robert Wilonsky contributed to this report. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. Jason Kidd hopes Mavs star stays patient in preseason play, Spring training cuts are incoming, but these Rangers prospects have impressed in camp. A year later, he suffered a stroke. Shes now a motivational speaker and lives in Fredericksburg, Texas.From the first moment we ever opened our mouths, we clicked. Ron was a legend already in the 60s in Dallas, Fairchild said Monday from her home in Los Angeles. The next step from there would have been the street. More than one KVILite also remarked that they wouldnt have had jobs at all if Chapman hadnt heard that they were down on their luck and called to offer them gigs. They thought we were going 50 miles. Im paying you to write! Ron, how come my offer to buy KVIL never worked out? "KVIL was so big, so all-encompassing that you never thought it would go away.". I just never mellowed out. Chapman admits. . He was huge in Dallas for decades doing mornings at KVILclick link to learn more. 1 radio show in Dallas for a dozen years. Born October 11, 1942 in Ashland, KY, he was the son of the late Otis Guy and . It was also an opportunity, and that night Rons car found itself parked outside every cool bar and nightclub on Greenville Avenue. It was, after all, the city's top radio station for years, throughout the 1970s and '80s and even into the '90s, when it was finally capsized by country radio. Turn! I never brought it up with him, either. Ron Chapman: Final Sign-Off and Song on 98.7 KLUV - YouTube 2023 Audacy, Inc. All rights reserved. Three Time Texas Radio Hall Of Famer, Ron Chapman Has Died Name another program director or air person of any type anywhere in the country who would come in at 11 oclock and cut a promo thats going to run overnight. Dallas most important news stories of the week, delivered to your inbox each Sunday. In 1968, Chapman joined a team that purchased KVIL-FM, a station known for pioneering the Adult Contemporary (AC) format. . KVIL - Wikiwand This system is awful. This duality is a big part of Ron Chapmans magic. From 1965 to 1968, he became Dallas rarefied answer to Dick Clark and American Bandstand, as host of the wildly popular Sumpn Else, a teen dance show carried live from NorthPark Center on WFAA-TV (Channel 8). We tell them, Heres the concept. He loved kids and teenagers and music and all that was happening in the 60s, which was a lot. Remembering Ron Chapman Vocal Majority - Pure Harmony Ralph Frederick "Ron" Chapman (1936-2021) - Find a Grave Catch up on the day's news you need to know. RIP Ron Chapman. After a brief, hoarse "Oh my God," he shrugged off the news with all the oh-well of an 80-year-old man who bowed on Dallas teenybop radio juggernaut KLIF-AM when the Beatles were still known as TheQuarrymen.