The radio industry took to social media to reflect on Chapman's life and career. When New York-based Infinity Broadcasting bought KVIL a couple of years ago, they paid more than $80 million, the highest amount ever paid for a stand-alone radio station in the U.S. This time, the gala planners were prepared; the system had been checked and rechecked by technicians. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. Im rough to work for. Thats power. And we stayed in touch over the years. 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. Ron Chapman passed away earlier this week at the age of 85. His talent rose above us all. Thanks a lot, everybody! They were pissed off, and they loved it. Ron Chapmans the only one that talks to her that first hour, and in that hour, 1 can mold her frame of mind. He likes certain things in certain places. And Ill tell you who finds it difficult to work for me. Do you understand this? Chapman is an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, Selden says. The other bold stroke by the founders of KVIL was its attitude toward Dallass sister city, Fort Worth. Go ahead and ask me whatever you want. He will later say that its almost like having an extra lobe in his brain. Jody Dean was Chapmans producer at KVIL from 1987 to 1994. But Chapmans vaunted ego and his famed temper have only enhanced his hold on the Dallas radio market. 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. January 20, 2023 by Jacob Pococontons. Ron Chapman's radio career began in 1953the day he graduated from high schoolwhen he became a disc jockey at station WHAV/Haverhill, MA. I'm saddened to tell you that legendary Dallas DJ Ron Chapman has passed away at 85. Before SumpN Else finished its run, Fairchild had already scored her first movie credit, appearing as Faye Dunaways double in the Oscar-winning film, Bonnie and Clyde. The magic is about to happen, the same magic thats been running nonstop for twenty years. Knowing Ron over the years has been an adventure. In 1959, as "Irving Harrigan" he joined the staff KLIF/Dallas, where he teamed up with Jack Woods (a.k.a. It wont work for you.. HE IS AN EAST TEXAN: Judge Ron Chapman is a native Texan, an experienced public servant and a dedicated member of his community. Im sitting there, and Im cracking up. The Emperor is in his tower . EYE descending now, deeper into the warmth and coziness; the voice says Yes, my dearest, you are almost home, safe and warm here with me, with us, ELLLLLLLLLvery low and smoky-warm, like embers in the fireplace and sleeping babies in rooms with duckies on the wall, like hearth and home and cows dozing in the barn, and maybe a comforter over your legs on a winter evening, Not too long ago, Ron Chapman received a postcard. Though nobodyrepeat, nobodywants to take on Ron Chapman in public (even his roast at the Dallas Press Club last year was a three-hour valentine), friends and foes alike admit to a powerful fear of the man. There is no excuse for making a mistake. And no decision is really final until Chapman signs off on it. Says Chapman, Electronically, we dont do much, but we are very conscious of highs. pic.twitter.com/XuaDWmWvEm. "How sad that all of those KVIL things are now part of history. The country was going to get in shape. Ron was a longtime morning host at our sister station KVIL 103.7, where he worked with KRLD's Mitch Carr. He was so popular in Dallas in the 70s, 80s and 90s that his station, KVIL, sold for more than the Dallas Cowboys. He is a walking contradiction, a Type A masquerading as a Type B. 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. 2023 Audacy, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Chapman, who was inducted to the Radio Hall of Fame three times, started his career in 1953the day he graduated from high school, according to his bio on the organization's website. Catch up on the day's news you need to know. There will be NO service, but a public gathering of friends and colleagues is being planned.". Ron Chapman set out to claim it. There was some serious speculation for a while in Haverhill about the Ghost Tuba Player. I have the same type of personality, just not as much discipline. No sexism, period. My wife made me admit it publicly: yeah. In honor of his life, we reproduce this 1989 profile of Chapman. A year later, he suffered a stroke. [2] Paul: Okay, so let's go back to Bud's career. When we first went to KVIL to do the Cowboys games, Ron brings Brad Sham and me into his office and starts giving us this big speech on how we should broadcast a football game. So Charlie and Harrigan came on and said, Were going to do our hike. Selden, now an aide at a substance abuse clinic in Tyler, believes that Chapman has accomplished what it took him much longer to do: harness a runaway ego and put it to good use. But I got my bucketful of him a long time ago. I can walk faster than most people can run, Chapman once told The Dallas Morning News. Michael Granberry, Arts Writer. I hear it., I said, Yes. By now, everyone knows the story about how, in 1988, Chapman asked his KVIL listeners to send in $20 each, without ever saying why, and took in $240,000. According to Littauer, Chapmans massive energy manifested itself during his youth in a series of class-clown pranks. Said a Dallas radio newsman with nearly twenty years in the market, When I left KVIL, my blood pressure dropped by forty points. (The money was later distributed to local charities.) Within three days listeners had sent in more that $240,000. I love doing the morning show but my bones are beginning to tell me that hitting the ground running at 4:10 every morning is not going to be supported forever by whatever frame that I carry around with me and happy to have served me around for a lot of years but it looks as tho I really need to be taking care of it instead of it taking care of me. I swear to you. No one would do that.. Didnt think about it until after I handed the keys back to him. Chapman had done the Charley and Harrigan show on KLIF during the Sixties (Chapman went by Irving Harrigan then) and had hosted Sumpn Else, a low-budget local version of American Bandstand on Channel 8. I figure we have her ears, and were the only ones shell let talk to her for the first hour of the day. But Ive wondered ever since., Herb Kelleher has known Chapman for years. Steve Eberhart was a deejay at KVIL. Here and there, she reveals a snippet about her husband. According to Tony Garrett. During his 31 years at KVIL, Chapman became famous for his upbeat humor and his participation in outrageous stunts and giveaways. The organization said no service will be held for Chapman, but a public gathering of friends and colleagues is planned. Weve become Coke. Longtime North Texas disc jockey Ron Chapman, who spent more than four decades on the air in Dallas-Fort Worth, died Monday. We decided we would keep Fort Worth, and treat her like the lady that she is. A ratings war is brewing between two oldies stations, and a controversial gadget might decide who wins. It was a woman who had a pink sweater wrapped around her neck. Chapman returned to the states in 1959, took a radio job in New Haven, Connecticut, and then, when a co-worker landed a job with KLIF in Dallas, Chapman went alongat $175 a week, more than double his Connecticut salary. RALPH CHAPMAN OBITUARY. He was an actor, known for Dallas Cowboys . Selden was the Afternoon Drive DJ at 1190 KLIF at the time when 75% of the teenagers in Dallas were listening. And Ron says, When youre doing your broadcast, I want you to think that these people here are your audience. By Emily Jimenez, NewsRadio 1080 KRLD. 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. Chapman is a perfectionist in every way, Nance says. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it serves the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas. 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. I now think about retiring. In those days KVIL was so big the Postal . But what me and Tom Murphy did was put together a morning show for teens, Murphy and Harrigan. The rest, as they say, is history. It was Chapman who convinced owners to ditch their paltry AM signal and go with its powerful 100,000-watt signal. Chapman was involved at the time with a woman in New York, an aspiring actress. This is a secret, but we take a lot of the staff to the big derrick at Six Flags and put them on top. He said, Well, its something. But theyll never work hard enough.. 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. Michael Granberry was born and grew up in Dallas. I tell them, you cant do that. A lot of people on this board are so young that they have never heard of Michael Selden. Then ten to midnight. 10/11/1929 - 05/23/2020 . - Click to. And now, it is no longer.". It was just ambition. Each year, I am more and more aware of the power we have in that room, Chapman confides. . The piece coincided with Chapman's 20th anniversary at KVIL, where, The News noted, "His hyper, happy-talk 'Ron Chapman and the Morning Group' has been the almost-constant No. RON CHAPMAN ANDERSON - Ronald Ray Chapman, 67, of Anderson, died Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at Rainey Hospice House. We were in the groove together. . We had a contest to name the honey bear. But her memories of her tenure at the station are not pleasant. 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. The kids had to wear coats and ties on the show. 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. Menu. Last year, that power was demonstrated when Chapman asked listeners to trust him and send in $20 each for no specified purpose. Suzie Humphreys was Chapmans on-air sidekick on KVIL from 1975 to 1995. "Well, they had to do something," the National Radio Hall of Famer said. RIP Ron Chapman. The station is branded as "Alt 103.7" and airs an alternative rock radio format. On the mike, butter wouldnt melt in his mouth. For two weeks, while everyone else painted and scraped, he sat in a deck chair and interviewed people to see what their talent was., After Chapman had been in Korea for about a month, he got a parchment scroll commending him for lifting the morale of the troops. You understand that? Boom! 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 . You had left "Sump'n Else" and you're still at WFAA directing the church remotes. He spent 19 years at the Los Angeles Times before returning to Dallas. I wouldnt even park near one. 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. 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. Chapman joined KVIL in 1969 where he would remain a fixture for 32 years. In the meantime, you play every night like it was opening night, kick ass, and prove me wrong. The individuality, the uniqueness. When the drawer becomes filled with bills and change, he bundles it up and sends it to the man. This system is awful. In 1969, Chapman joined the staff of KVIL-FM/Dallas-Fort Worth as morning disc jockey, music director, and program director, bringing the "adult contemporary" format to FM radio. The longtime host of KVIL died in April 2021 at the age of 85. / CBS Texas. Nobodys going to build monuments or hold big memorial services. Warmth, a man who seems to genuinely feel that his biggest contribution to the world is sending his listeners off to work happy and chipper, so that each in her own little way can help make a kinder, gentler Dallas. Catch up on the day's news you need to know. Jan 3, 2017. We play some stuff that cooks pretty good, but there are a lot of songs we wont play at all. But its going to be hard to groom someone to replace him when he hogs the limelight and wants all the glory for himself.. I dodged flying reels of tape more than once., Later, Dean said, Im sure Ron regretted a great deal of it. I just never mellowed out. Chapman admits. We are very grateful for the care and compassion he. Turns out that a few years back, during a race around the world for a promotion, Chapman arrived late at the airportno ticket, no cash, no passport. "This has something to do with age. And I want you to know that Leonard jerked the plug out from the wall. Yeah, he would. And yet, he would never ask me to be one of the [featured] dancers. Ron was a longtime morning host at our sister station KVIL 103.7, where he worked with KRLD's Mitch Carr. Photos: Chapman Today: Dan Sellers; Chapman on TV: Courtesy of ABC Radio Networks. But KVIL saw a huge, underserved demographic: women listeners between the ages of twenty-five and forty-four account for some 22 percent of the Dallas/Fort Worth radio market. KVIL TIDBITS: Ron Chapman's radio show was simulcast live with video on KXAS-TV as a 30-minute daily program (mid-1970s.). 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. Talk about a cush gig. Next to the picture, the new kid on the block had penned, Dont buy a house here. Ron has never been much for physical labor, says Littauer, so he stood there nodding and saying, Mm-hmmm and very good, very good, while the sergeant gave jobs to the rest of the men. He was one of the greatest radio people to ever sit behind the mic. They were buying Ron Chapmanat something like a half million dollars a pound. 1 radio show . We just hit. But it doesnt mean that I wont stick my heel in your throat. April 26, 2021. Info. 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. Its what youd get if God had money, Nance says. In 1969, he teamed up with local radio men Hugh Lampman and Jack Shell at the newly born KVIL. He claims more listeners than any DJ in Texas. Because shes gonna move up. It would dance on kids shoulders. Brings new meaning to the phrase Sunday Funday. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ralph Chapman passed away on May 4, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. His older sister, Florence Littauer, now a motivational speaker, used her seniority to motivate Ralph, teaching him tongue twisters and then persuading him to repeat them for amazed visitors at the store-for a small fee. 1 forever. 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. An announcement in this newspaper heralded his arrival, along with the promise that KVIL would play music that was "always in good taste, but contemporary in all ways" -- a rather unwieldy slogan. And every morning he was there for us, standing at his mic, drinking Dr Pepper, talking to the city. 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. But you could hear this blow-dryer. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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.". Nance prayed for her. So I went by my hairdressers, who lived in Oak Cliff. They had no bathtub, no phone, no family car. Net Worth Inspector Menu. Its on the far back burner, but I think about it. The Right Hand of God is Dallas. 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 Chapmanor a Helen Reddy 8-track. Chapmans on-air name was Irving Harrigan. RIP to a #NTX legend," wrote Dallas County judge Clay Jenkins, in a tweet on April 26. Michael Selden, a DJ at KVIL from 1974 to 1979, has gone full circle with Chapman emotionally, from admiration to loathing and back again. Like a handful of other stations in town, at least until they all change formats again. Suite 2100 Hes right. He is proceeded in death by his father, Fay Chapman. The program, based on "American Bandstand . The things that attracted Marilyn to me in the first place were the things that drove her crazythe drive, the ambition, the living in the eye of the tiger eventually drove her crazy. Ron.. And I was going to run faster, work harder, get street-smarter. CHAPMAN, Ralph Frederick (Ron) Born January 25, 1936, in Newton, MA, Chapman has been heard on the airwaves in the Dallas/Fort Worth area since the 1950s. But off-mike, in what employees call his little Come to Jesus talks, that mouth can get hot enough to melt pig iron. The Amp is now playing a handful of pop-radio hits, by the likes of Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift and DJ Snake, over and over and over, ad infinitum. Hes the sports anchor on ABC Channel 8. There are no excuses in Ron Chapmans world except You screwed up. After 45 years in radio, Ron Chapman retired from his morning show on June 24, 2005. The guiding light in my life, my operational phrase, was: Ill show em. It wasnt angry. I prayed for her to have a lot of success, and I prayed that she get a wonderful starring part-and stay in New York forever.. Be sure to wear a hat. He was an actor, known for Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (1979). So we hit the air, and Ron got it. He likes to say he lost two-thirds of his voice then, but every so often you can hear peeks and hints of that booming voice that used to wake up Dallas every weekday morning. 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'm saddened to tell you that legendary Dallas DJ Ron Chapman has passed away at 85. Wowwwwww, Chapman warmly asserts, and Okaaaaaaay and Alllllllright and Well suuure. The money was donated to charity. 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. Everybody that works here eventually comes back around, and Im going to be here when they come round again. How would he like to be remembered? While Ron was 85 years old at the time of his death, Nance Chapman's age remains a mystery. And yet, as he prepares to send his message radiating into those hundreds of thousands of receptive minds, he is more aware of them than perhaps anyone has ever been in the history of this city. Ron Chapman Death - Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death Just heard radio legend Ron Chapman has died. Chapman himself acknowledges his mortality, but only in the vaguest way, putting retirement plans out there some years down the road. And he admits that, in part, it is the reason his first marriage ended after nineteen years. blackpool north pier fishing permit; bradley cooper parents; best prepaid debit card to avoid garnishment For a while, Chapmans career in Dallas was on the stairsteps to oblivion, he recalls. He is best known as the morning drive anchor of radio station KVIL, on the 103.7 frequency. Chapman thought that was funny. He was just a wonderful, wonderful guy., And yet, on a professional level, Chapmans reputation carried with it a darker side. Nevertheless, she also has to be in between her late '70s and early '80s. We used a two-way radio. The following obituaries have been provided by local funeral homes. On it was a headshot of some fierce new arrival on the Dallas radio scene, the latest young gun bent on a showdown with Chapman at the WBOK Corral. Especially this woman right here., And Brad says, Well, how about if we start the play and say, The quarterback comes up to the line of scrimmage. "But a well-respected punchline," Rhyner said. Updated: Apr. When he started hosting SumpN Else, I was a kid, and we loved to dance, and I would go over there to dance. 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. The Texas Radio Hall of Fame shared the news of the passing of Dallas radio icon Ron Chapman. She said, How do you expect me to do a good job after all Ive been through? I said, Thats it, weve been talking too long. It would be rude not to let Ron Chapman give it a proper send-off. 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. Chapman was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2010 and into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. 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. Charlie Brown), playing records and providing character voices as stars of the popular Charlie and Harrigan Show. He is the chairman of Southwest Airlines. 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. 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. Legendary radio host Ron Chapman has passed away. Hes now a program director for ABC Dallas radio and an adjunct professor of TV production at the University of North Texas.We did Sumpn Else at NorthPark. But the laughter was tinged with something like pity. And she looks so good by the time she gets to the office, she had to be up by 5:30. His career launched in 1953, the day after he graduated from high school. In honor of his life, we reproduce this 1989 profile of Chapman. The Zoo crew used to regard KVIL's mushy adult-contemporary playlist as a punchline. And, you know, Im an easy-going guy. Chapman's booming voice is now a shadow of its former self, the result of a stroke suffered just before Christmas in 2012. For nearly thirteen years, with a few scattered intermissions. He knows what people want to hear. Barack O-blame-a. Drive-time shows have opposite hours from most other jobs, starting in the very early morning hours. But she never did., Coast to coast, when a radio stationbegins considering a format change, radio insiders say, the list of options goes like this: We could go country. I know something the others havent figured out.. Thats just the wrapper. So youre that egotistical S.O.B., They became fast, but platonic, friends. But, quite frankly, we werent real excited about learning it at the time.. This is a first, he admits. He killed the competition. He was always very warm and sweet with me and very welcoming, as he was to all the kids. Bring walking sticks. "His family asks for time to . And thats the way Ron was. Ron Chapman began his radio career the DAY he graduated high school, hitting the airwaves in his hometown of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Theres gotta be some point at which hes willing to pass the torch. No spam, ever. 2023 Audacy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. And it suddenly became a craze. Ron didnt say a word. Chapman had a . Thats reflective of some pretty strong public service. Chapman says. FOX 4. And the 01 Man on KVIL is still saying, aint this great? Thats what we started doing. As she perfected her skills, the dean of Dallas radio, Ron Chapman, hired her at KVIL-AM/FM as News Director alongside his other show members: Suzy Humphries, Len Mailoux, Andy McCollum, and Larry . The slightly bugged eyes turn flat, focused inward. Trust me, Chapman didnt laugh at all. His family is asking for time right now to process the loss and thanks the community for their "kindness, understanding and prayers.". I tell people this story, and they think its one of those urban legends. I knew I was fired. Ron Chapman's legendary $20 announcement from March, 1988. At the haunted house, Chapman took along a producer and equipped her with a microphone. According to industry analysts, fellow media, and KVIL employees, former and current, Chapman is a man of planned spontaneity, of freeze-dried warmth. Ron Chapman announced his retirement on 98.7 KLUV at age 69 saying he was retiring from the morning program and going on vacation with his wife Nancy. Ron Chapman Death - Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death Just heard radio legend Ron Chapman has died. Chapman is not just guessing at what his audience wants to hear He is downright methodical about it.