By Casey Carr. Read our daily updates at 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., and our complete obituaries in The Herald-Dispatch on Wednesday and He spent more than three decades at KVIL, toiling as a morning deejay, music director and program director, transforming the adult contemporary format into a major success on the FM band. Longtime North Texas disc jockey Ron Chapman, who spent more than four decades on the air in Dallas-Fort Worth, died Monday. Im rough to work for. He directed his in more positive directions, into the station and into work.. He was always very warm and sweet with me and very welcoming, as he was to all the kids. Chapman said. There will be NO service, but a public gathering of friends and colleagues is being planned.". The following obituaries have been provided by local funeral homes. We had this little kinkajou honey bear. But Im serious when I tell you that I learned a great deal from it. Michael Granberry was born and grew up in Dallas. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. Chapman had already carved out a legend as one-half of Charlie & Harrigan on KLIF. And this is, like, in the 80s. In honor of his life, we reproduce this 1989 profile of Chapman. *To hear some classic clips of Chapman from the old KLIF days, go to www.reelradio.com/se and www.historyofklif.com. 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. I would hope it would be as someone who elevated the art.. A 1989 profile in D magazine described him as The Emperor in his tower, whose duality is a big part of Ron Chapmans magic. He is, the writer opined, an amalgamation of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.. He moved to Dallas in 1959 a year before the Dallas Cowboys became a team and was known for a decade as Irving Harrigan, who shared a microphone with Charlie Brown. His co-hosts real name was Jack Woods, and together the two became a radio juggernaut at KLIF, known then as The Mighty 1190. Their rise coincided with the Top 40 dynamism of the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones. He graduated from Samuell High School in Pleasant Grove in 1970 and from Southern Methodist University in 1974. He spent 19 years at the Los Angeles Times before returning to Dallas. Hes like the man who juggles chain saws while singing Verdi. The kids had to wear coats and ties on the show. Often, he would ask me to help out with his charities. Weve become Kleenex. We had to beg them to stop sending checks. He is best known as the morning drive anchor of radio station KVIL, on the 103.7 frequency. While Ron was 85 years old at the time of his death, Nance Chapman's age remains a mystery. We edited it out. Trusted friend and colleague Jody Dean does not disagree, comparing Chapman to 1960s coaching legend Vince Lombardi, who led the Green Bay Packers to multiple championships as an unyielding taskmaster. 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 is a dazzlingly . In 1968, Chapman joined a team that purchased KVIL-FM, a station known for pioneering the Adult Contemporary (AC) format. Because of my vast admiration and liking for this protean man, I was shocked beyond dismay when he publicly stated that inviting me to roast him was the worst mistake hed ever made. Though Chapman is generally regarded, on the civic circuit, as something of a First Citizen, he has not been above exporting that inflammatory temper outside the station walls. Former Dallas Morning News columnist Robert Wilonsky contributed to this report. But stories of Chapmans sentimentality and generosity are almost as abundant as the tales of his colossal ego. The other bold stroke by the founders of KVIL was its attitude toward Dallass sister city, Fort Worth. So youre that egotistical S.O.B., They became fast, but platonic, friends. Ron didnt say a word. The winning name was Chief Rain in the Pants.. But Ive wondered ever since., Herb Kelleher has known Chapman for years. Ron was a longtime morning host at our sister station KVIL 103.7, where he worked with KRLD's Mitch Carr. It would be rude not to let Ron Chapman give it a proper send-off. Ron Chapman passed away earlier this week at the age of 85. He is single-minded, living and breathing and eating KVIL to the detriment of everything else in his life. Posted Mon, Apr 26, 2021 at 8:33 pm CT. Dallasites are grieving the death today of deejay Ron Chapman, a man whose voice was a constant companion throughout the Metroplex for more than five . 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.". And now. Ronald Edward Chapman. The money was donated to charity. He was huge in Dallas for decades doing mornings at KVILclick link to learn more. It was your classic, stereotypical young yuppie couple from Highland Park. Its a small industry. It was also an opportunity, and that night Rons car found itself parked outside every cool bar and nightclub on Greenville Avenue. Hes now a news anchor for CBS Channel 11 and will replace Chapman on KLUVs morning show. Chapman began his career in Dallas radio in 1959 at KLIF as a member of the "Charlie and Harrigan" team. Be sure to wear a hat. To this day I still get the shakes whenever I hear Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now," Gerry Rafferty's "Right Down the Line"and anything by Anne Murray or Barry Manilow. 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. Legendary radio host Ron Chapman has passed away. And I do have a good memory. He is best known as the morning drive anchor of radio station KVIL, on the 103.7 frequency. Suite 2100 It almost looked like a squirrel. Garrett remembers eavesdropping with Chapman on conversations at the local coffee shop or the grocery store, trying to get a feel for what people were talking about. I was driving an older beat-up Nissan, and my alternator went out one night while on the way to work. Consultants studied and copied KVIL, launching dozens of lite-rock imitations across the country. Ron Chapmans the only one that talks to her that first hour, and in that hour, 1 can mold her frame of mind. His family is asking for time right now to process the loss and thanks the community for their "kindness, understanding and prayers.". But I got my bucketful of him a long time ago. 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. Chapman was a giant in radio in Texas, and was inducted as a member of the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. Chapmans radio station has been number one in Dallas. Chapman was involved at the time with a woman in New York, an aspiring actress. Ive done this in many ways in my sportscast. Ive got a speech at the Board of Realtors this morning, and Im getting my hair done., And I said, Hes giving me a real nice blow job., Oh, Lord. Shes now a motivational speaker and lives in Fredericksburg, Texas.From the first moment we ever opened our mouths, we clicked. Ron Chapman Was a Warm and Fuzzy Tyrant. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. FOX 4. Dallas, Texas 75201. I now think about retiring. Wednesday's announcement just made it official, finally. Or we could go KVIL.. Youd be walking down the hall, and nothing would stop him from putting you down in a very loud voice in front of anybody. Many years later, both of their first marriages ended (Chapman divorced in 1982) and Ron and Nance began seeing each other, but again, just as friends. He was huge in Dallas for decades doing mornings at KVILclick link to learn more. No sexism, period. Chapman, fifty-three, fell over laughing. And no decision is really final until Chapman signs off on it. "And when he left, that was it.". So I went by my hairdressers, who lived in Oak Cliff. He died Monday at age 85. Six years later, he moved to Texas to begin what eventually became a Radio Hall of Fame career in DFW. Long before the KLUV World Tour, our travel program began as the KVIL World Tour, pioneered by my parents and Dallas Radio legend Ron Chapman. Ron preparing to parachute out of an airplane and broadcast all the way to the ground. @RGreggHart : A giant of Dallas-Fort Worth radio, Ron Chapman, has died at 85. Honestly, I thought everyone knew that hed started out in radio with a program called Tips for Teenagers.. This is a secret, but we take a lot of the staff to the big derrick at Six Flags and put them on top. Nance likens her life with Ron to living with P.T. Paul: Okay, so let's go back to Bud's career. Even Ron Chapman was not at all shocked to hear of its demise when I called him Wednesday afternoon to tell him his beloved KVIL was now, um, the Amp. For all time, at the moment, 2023 year, Ron Chapman earned $73 Million. Wowwwwww, Chapman warmly asserts, and Okaaaaaaay and Alllllllright and Well suuure. But the most telling aspect of Ron Chapmans house may be his shower. Bring walking sticks. I would carpool my son to school, pick up kids. First it was six to nine. A year later, he suffered a stroke. Ron Chapman joined KVIL-FM/Dallas-Fort Worth in 1969 as morning disc jockey, music director, and program director, and stayed there for 31 years. Exact sum is $73000000. He then did afternoon drive at KVIL-FM for several years until he was fired by Ron Chapman. Theres a Stevie Wonder song where right in the middle of the song he does this loud, high-pitched scream. 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. The late Ron Chapman, who died April 26, 2021 at the age of 85, as seen in 2014. Ron Chapman, a Dallas - Fort Worth radio legend, has died at the age of 85, according to CBS 11 KTVT in DFW. Ron Chapman's radio career began in 1953the day he graduated from high schoolwhen he became a disc jockey at station WHAV/Haverhill, MA. Go ahead and ask me whatever you want. Maybe for forty-eight hours, max. He is a walking contradiction, a Type A masquerading as a Type B. And even then they didnt get it. Other than that, Im real comfortable.. Like the time when, in charge of locking away the band instruments in a wire cage, Ralph kept the mouthpiece of the tuba in his pocket. But if anyone were to remember me, I would hope it would be as someone who took radio disc jockeying and maybe gave it a little respect. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it serves the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas. In honor of his life, we reproduce this 1989 profile of Chapman. Gratefully I accepted, and drove off in his North Dallas wheels while they towed my Fort Worth bomb away. He became widely known, according to his bio page on the Radio Hall of Fame website, for his humor, outrageous stunts and giveaways. And for his astronomically high ratings. We could go New Age. Were keeping you on the payroll through October. If shed said, I f-ed up, Im on the team, shed be here still. Between his junior and senior years, he interned at The Washington Post during "the Watergate summer" of 1973. Im absolutely realistic in believing that nobody remembers you, Chapman says. A D Magazine feature on Chapman from December 1989, reproduced this week in honour of his life, stated that he had a wife called Nance (pronounced Nancy) Murray, for three years at that point. His talent rose above us all. We were in the groove together. In 1969, he teamed up with local radio men Hugh Lampman and Jack Shell at the newly born KVIL. In the service, Chapman was the Fifties equivalent of Robin Williams, doing a sort of Good Morning, Korea. On the troop ship the first night out, his sister recalls, it came time for the sergeant to hand out assignments. Done in slick, black marble, it is an oversized rectangle, big enough for Ron to pace in. To pace in. Chapman thought that was funny. I wouldnt even park near one. "Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman dies at 85. I havent done it all alone, but in this company, Ive been the thread that has taken the spirit of it through twenty years, and I think Ive done it rather well. Its what youd get if God had money, Nance says. He is proceeded in death by his father, Fay Chapman. While many have attempted to imitate his formula, nobodyat least locallyis likely to remotely approach his mastery of it. Even in a social setting, conversation revolves around radio and the show and the things that are, for other people, rather peripheral., Chapman says he has always had to be aggressive because back in the early days, the ratings were so low that they didnt even show up on Arbitron. From 1965 to 1968, Chapman hosted a television dance show for teens called "Sump'N Else." In 1969, he moved to KVIL, where he spent 32 years. His wife says the best way to get him frantic is to put him in a car without a phone. CBS Radio's local market manager Brian Purdy, in announcing the format change, made just a brief nod to the station's past by insisting 103.7 is "not your mother's radio station any more," which hit a little close to home. No spam, ever. They were buying Ron Chapmanat something like a half million dollars a pound. Chapman joined the staff of KVIL-FM/Dallas-Fort Worth as morning . List Of Coronavirus Testing Sites In Texas, Legendary radio host Ron Chapman has passed away, Featured Image Photo Credit: Courtesy Mitch Carr, Bankman-Fried might use flip phone under stricter bail plan, Woman accused of killing ill husband released from jail, Alaska's arduous Iditarod kicks off with ceremonial start, Snow blankets Northeast as cleanup begins from deadly storm, Civilians flee embattled town as Ukrainian pullout looms. Born October 11, 1942 in Ashland, KY, he was the son of the late Otis Guy and . 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. I can make her feel good about the day, or I can make her feel crappy about the day, and of course, the choice is to make her feel good. . So why should you go on the air and tell people who love living here that the town is a piece of crap? 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. And so, Ive always wanted to be YA-HA! Give me a spotlight and let me go., On Monday, the Texas Radio Hall of Fame paid tribute to Chapman by noting on Facebook: Three time radio Hall of Famer and Dallas radio ICON Ron Chapman has passed. "It's a shame it's gone, but KVIL had a great history," he said. Ron Chapman and Mitch Carr Photo credit Courtesy Mitch Carr. According to industry analysts, fellow media, and KVIL employees, former and current, Chapman is a man of planned spontaneity, of freeze-dried warmth. Dick Clark is an old friend of Chapmans. Catch up on the day's news you need to know. We decided we would keep Fort Worth, and treat her like the lady that she is. Weve become Coke. Charlie Brown), playing records and providing character voices as stars of the popular Charlie and Harrigan Show. The man who sat at the top of the hill, a legend in broadcasting. (The money was later distributed to local charities.) And I did everything. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. The individuality, the uniqueness. 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. But later, using his real surname, Chapman became an even bigger personality. Put on your walking shoes. And one morning, I was going to go do a speech for the Dallas Board of Realtors at 9 oclock. Woods was Charlie Brown. Michael Selden, a DJ at KVIL from 1974 to 1979, has gone full circle with Chapman emotionally, from admiration to loathing and back again. Chapman rounded out the 1960s by joining the staff of KVIL-FM in 1969, when AM radio was yielding the spotlight to the purer sound of FM stations. I hear it., I said, Yes. In order for us to match the standard, the three of us guys on the floor crew went out and bought blazers.

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