But telling Brad after 20-plus years how to broadcastDont be talking about blitzes and the nickel defense. And Chapman was being pretty emphatic about it. Next to it is a portable telephone, complementing cellular phones in his and Nances cars. 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.. 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. The man had to be on the air at 5:30 in the morning. But Ive wondered ever since., Herb Kelleher has known Chapman for years. Ron Chapman's radio career began in 1953the day he graduated from high schoolwhen he became a disc jockey at station WHAV/Haverhill, MA. / CBS Texas. From Haverhill, Mass (also Ed McMahon's first rad - 2 years ago. 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. Everyones going to do a 50-mile hike. Chapman has seen twenty years worth of six-month wonders come and then go. 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. 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. Says Chapman, Electronically, we dont do much, but we are very conscious of highs. There are a lot of stations right now that will say, after they read this, Oooooh, so thats what theyre doing. They still dont know it., Even the KVIL signal is altered to be pleasing to a womans naturally more sensitive ears. what happened to archie in monarch of the glen; funeral poem our father kept a garden. 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. We dont do that here. There was dead air for, like, 10 seconds. Legendary radio host Ron Chapman has passed away. The radio industry took to social media to reflect on Chapman's life and career. He said, Thats the second time youve used that item and its the last! And, you know, Im an easy-going guy. 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. "Three time radio Hall of Famer and Dallas radio ICON Ron Chapman has passed," the organization said. But I got my bucketful of him a long time ago. We could go New Age. To a person, everyone interviewed for this story believed that Chapman, if riled, could end his career. In terms of logistics and creativity, hes a towering genius. According to industry analysts, fellow media, and KVIL employees, former and current, Chapman is a man of planned spontaneity, of freeze-dried warmth. @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. . I have the same type of personality, just not as much discipline. 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. The station is branded as "Alt 103.7" and airs an alternative rock radio format. And the little guy loved Coca-Cola. - Click to. In the meantime, you play every night like it was opening night, kick ass, and prove me wrong. No spam, ever. In those days KVIL was so big the Postal . His family received condolences from thousands . "And that means something," Mike Rhyner said Thursday morning. 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. It was an itty-bitty bear. Ron Chapman has passed away. Each year, I am more and more aware of the power we have in that room, Chapman confides. But later, using his real surname, Chapman became an even bigger personality. Thanks a lot, everybody! They were pissed off, and they loved it. 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. ', Chapman isnt surprised to hear that many former associates want deep cover before discussing his character and work style. Thats what we started doing. And yet, he would never ask me to be one of the [featured] dancers. 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. January 20, 2023 by Jacob Pococontons. . The slightly bugged eyes turn flat, focused inward. I tell people this story, and they think its one of those urban legends. RALPH CHAPMAN OBITUARY. Gratefully I accepted, and drove off in his North Dallas wheels while they towed my Fort Worth bomb away. 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.". It wont work for you.. . I wouldnt even park near one. Here are a few other stories about Chapmans career, told by those who knew and worked with the legend. It was a woman who had a pink sweater wrapped around her neck. There is no way that Vince Lombardi could coach football in todays world. But for the first 20 minutes of the show, Id been loading this little guy up with Coca-Cola. There will be no service, however a "public gathering for friends and colleagues" is being planned at this time. Suzie was initially an airborne reporter, but was later given her trademark "KVIL-o-Van" (bearing the vanity plate, "SOOZIE.") Her efforts were honored in 2004 as an inductee to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. RIP Ron pic.twitter.com . Every store in town used KVIL's mellowrock as its shop-to soundtrack; it evenprovidedthe background music softly droning throughout my orthodontist's office, because what pre-teen with a mouth full of metal doesn't dig some "Afternoon Delight." Drive-time shows have opposite hours from most other jobs, starting in the very early morning hours. 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. ", China sets this year's economic growth target at 'around 5%', 20 cars of Norfolk Southern cargo train derail in Ohio, China expands defense budget 7.2%, marking slight increase, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway and husband are divorcing, Teen hikers rescued after days stuck in California snowstorm, Trump pitches a sequel, but shies away from attacking rivals, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 19; 3 still missing, How one storm system wreaked havoc from coast to coast, Before Oscars, Everything Everywhere sweeps Spirit Awards, Californians await key decisions from reparations task force. 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. Ron Chapman's legendary $20 announcement from March, 1988. 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. All great relationships are built on trust . About 20 years ago, Id barely started working at KVIL and was the overnight deejaythe lowest life form in radio, with an equivalent lifestyle. Ironically, Chapman so dominates the KVIL lineup that the DJs around him seem unremittingly unmemorable. anyway? And Ron said, Why, I am in charge of the talent show, of which there wasnt one at the time. Everywhere 1 go, the broadcasters are asking me how to do that. His family is asking for time right now to process the loss and thanks the community for their "kindness, understanding and prayers.". Chapman himself acknowledges his mortality, but only in the vaguest way, putting retirement plans out there some years down the road. In 1989, KVIL reigned supreme for three consecutive quarters, reaching 10.5 ratings points in the July Arbitrons, 3.1 points ahead of runner-up KSCS. And now. You understand that? Boom! Ron Chapman made Vocal Majority . He loved kids and teenagers and music and all that was happening in the 60s, which was a lot. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. Im absolutely realistic in believing that nobody remembers you, Chapman says. While many have attempted to imitate his formula, nobodyat least locallyis likely to remotely approach his mastery of it. The program, based on . Now, its someone I found out of Kim Dawson headshots. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. 1 radio show . And now, it is no longer.". . 2023 Audacy, Inc. All rights reserved. He knows what people want to hear. They had no bathtub, no phone, no family car. And thats the way Ron was. Most of the radio folk we talked to have a love-hate relationship with the man. A man in the hotel found his passport and rushed it to the airport. RIP to a #NTX legend," wrote Dallas County judge Clay Jenkins, in a tweet on April 26. "But it's a different world in radio, isn't it?" Anybody can read, goddammit! Also, his people say that his expectations for others are not nearly as high as those he imposes on himself. Ron.. Hey, says Chapman, most people like living here. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. 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. I now think about retiring. Yeah, he would. Thousands showed up. I can give you failure after failure of people whove come on the air in this market and tried to do that. That was his job to make that station great.