It was a 45-minute show. Ron Chapman made Vocal Majority . It was also an opportunity, and that night Rons car found itself parked outside every cool bar and nightclub on Greenville Avenue. So Charlie and Harrigan came on and said, Were going to do our hike. Drive-time shows have opposite hours from most other jobs, starting in the very early morning hours. It was Chapman who convinced owners to ditch their paltry AM signal and go with its powerful 100,000-watt signal. 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. "Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman dies at 85. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. And this is, like, in the 80s. Its a small industry. 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. (The money was later distributed to local charities.) the magic morning man takes a deep breath, raises his index finger before his eyes, and does what Ron Chapman does best: KAY he breathes, low and confiding, in a voice that mirrors the softest, kindest, deepest, afterglow moments of romantic love. 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. Dallas, Texas 75201. The station's studios are located along North Central Expressway in Uptown Dallas. That was, perhaps, the last Most Meaningful Moment on local radio. Were keeping you on the payroll through October. If shed said, I f-ed up, Im on the team, shed be here still. When the drawer becomes filled with bills and change, he bundles it up and sends it to the man. Chapman invited him to come watch the show at some point. It was an itty-bitty bear. This duality is a big part of Ron Chapmans magic. In 1968, Chapman joined a team that purchased KVIL-FM, a station known for pioneering the Adult Contemporary (AC) format. Selden was the Afternoon Drive DJ at 1190 KLIF at the time when 75% of the teenagers in Dallas were listening. Paul: Okay, so let's go back to Bud's career. No sexism, period. Ralph Chapman passed away on May 4, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Theyll still be telling that story when Chapmans grandkids have carpool duty. . We tell them, Heres the concept. Nance prayed for her. Remembering Ron Chapman. 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. Last year, that power was demonstrated when Chapman asked listeners to trust him and send in $20 each for no specified purpose. And one night in March 1981, KVIL radio legend Ron Chapman walked into Billy Bob's. "And I walked up to Chapman and I said, 'I'm going to come work for you,' " Dean said. Born October 11, 1942 in Ashland, KY, he was the son of the late Otis Guy and . 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. By Casey Carr. It was the only way we could get a feel for the publics impressions on what we were doing. Ron Chapman's legendary $20 announcement from March, 1988. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. It was Chapman who gave KVIL its sound in 1969: music foryoung adults who'd grown up listening to him on KLIF. And now, it is no longer.". 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. anyway? And Ron said, Why, I am in charge of the talent show, of which there wasnt one at the time. Ron Chapman began his radio career the DAY he graduated high school, hitting the airwaves in his hometown of Haverhill, Massachusetts. His hard-scrabble experience inspired him to say, Ill show them. And his broadcasting career accomplished exactly that he showed them. Chapman remembers all the other long-gone-and-forgotten ones who came gunning for him: the Mobys in the Morning, the Stevenses and Pruetts. But stories of Chapmans sentimentality and generosity are almost as abundant as the tales of his colossal ego. But hes been trying to play Creative Tension to the point that it became creative chaos. He killed the competition. So one of our sponsors was Coca-Cola. Chapman's booming voice is now a shadow of its former self, the result of a stroke suffered just before Christmas in 2012. Ive had two scoops of everything, Chapman likes to say. 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. He was No. Did Ron Chapman have a wife? KVIL radio personality's life explored But back then, you prayed for Vince Lombardi. 12:02 PM on Apr 26, 2021 CDT Updated at 4:57 PM on Apr 26, 2021 CDT. After working for two years with the Voice of the United Nations Command in Korea , Chapman moved to Connecticut and station WHNC/New Haven. He began by working as a disc jockey for WHAV in Haverhill. Woods was Charlie Brown. . But the most telling aspect of Ron Chapmans house may be his shower. Imagine working in a situation for five or six years where your first question every day had to be, What kind of moods he in today?, Tony Garrett got a dose of it too, though he took it philosophically. Didnt think about it until after I handed the keys back to him. Chapman himself acknowledges his mortality, but only in the vaguest way, putting retirement plans out there some years down the road. I now think about retiring. Ron Chapman Radio Hall Of Fame We just knew where the other one was headed. Chapman says he and Nancy were in excellent health at that point but age was a factor for him wanting to retire. Each year, I am more and more aware of the power we have in that room, Chapman confides. Ron in makeup for his role in an episode of Police Story. Rons face superimposed on the body of Michael Jackson. Talk about a cush gig. A computerized Young Chang Grand Piano is playing Gershwin via floppy disk over near the bar. 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. They filmed it. Next to the picture, the new kid on the block had penned, Dont buy a house here. People just trusted him, Dean said Monday. But would he be really pissed if we never played it at all?. They were buying Ron Chapmanat something like a half million dollars a pound. Updated: Apr. 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. Everyone I knew went to college. He did not. Michael Granberry, Arts Writer. 'And with honor I return' - The Northwest Florida Daily News 1 radio show in Dallas for a dozen years. 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. For example, co-workers wondered about his habit of dumping all his foreign currency into a drawer when he returns from trips. Charlie Brown), playing records and providing character voices as stars of the popular Charlie and Harrigan Show. 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. 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. "They should have changed the call letters the day he left," said Jody Dean, who joined KVIL in 1982 and served as Chapman's producer before replacing him on the morning show. And then they put me on from midnight to six. @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. . . Jan 3, 2017. Hes now an announcer and does several shows for ABC radio. Following his tenure at KLIF, Chapman joined the staff of KVIL-FM, Dallas-Fort Worth, in 1969. Last time I dialed in for any length was the first day of September2000, whenRon Chapman signed off after a 31-year stint as The Voice of KVIL and, by extension,Dallas radio. A Passing: Ron Chapman - My Sweet Charity I froze. It would be rude not to let Ron Chapman give it a proper send-off. But it doesnt mean that I wont stick my heel in your throat. 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." PART OF AUDACY NEWS. "It's a shame it's gone, but KVIL had a great history," he said. And its also a public service if you use it right.. He was 85. 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 he thought you had an iota of talent, and you wound up on that station, then the expectations for you were enormous. Barack O-blame-a. Honestly, I thought everyone knew that hed started out in radio with a program called Tips for Teenagers.. No spam, ever. Chapman realized that if he won Fort Worth, he could almost double the stations numbers. Thanks a lot, everybody! They were pissed off, and they loved it. And we walked around the corner and stopped. In 1969, he teamed up with local radio men Hugh Lampman and Jack Shell at the newly born KVIL. In the late 1990's Chapman joined KLUV-FM, an Oldies format that saw high ratings upon his arrival. I would carpool my son to school, pick up kids. He then did afternoon drive at KVIL-FM for several years until he was fired by Ron Chapman. Oh, Lord. 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. 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.". Our ears are in mourning. 750 North St.Paul St. Maybe for forty-eight hours, max. The slightly bugged eyes turn flat, focused inward. So when we cut away to commercial, we would turn off the lights so the studio would get cool. "But a well-respected punchline," Rhyner said. Ron Chapman was born on 25 January 1936 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. And the little guy loved Coca-Cola. But I got my bucketful of him a long time ago. 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. 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. Chapman is an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, Selden says. 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. I was off the wall, and he loved it. Ron Chapman's radio career began in 1953the day he graduated from high schoolwhen he became a disc jockey at station WHAV/Haverhill, MA. Chapman hired fellow broadcasting legend Jody Dean to work a late-night shift at KVIL in 1982. This is a secret, but we take a lot of the staff to the big derrick at Six Flags and put them on top. Baby, it's cold outside. That was the power of Ron Chapman. And we are going to walk all the way from the Sheraton Hotel to the so-and-so life building. They were on the same block, but nobody caught it. According to Tony Garrett. Chapman had a . 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 loved ones left in total devastation. Ron Chapman Was a Warm and Fuzzy Tyrant. And we ran an electric cord out to the van, and while Im on the air with Ron, Im having my hair done. He's now a news anchor for CBS Channel 11 and will replace Chapman on KLUV's morning show. The Texas Radio Hall of Fame shared the news of the passing of Dallas radio icon Ron Chapman. "It was what it was when it was. Its on the far back burner, but I think about it. Ron Chapman, former radio host at KVIL, KLUV, dies at 85 - WFAA Ronald V. Chapman, age 80, passed away Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at Mount Carmel East Hospital in Columbus. 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Chapman is a perfectionist in every way, Nance says. (A whole lot better, wife Nance is quick to observe, than the other way around.) Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a man-made creek meanders past a resistance pool and a hot tub on its way to the pump. I'm saddened to tell you that legendary Dallas DJ Ron Chapman has passed away at 85. Longtime North Texas disc jockey Ron Chapman, who spent more than four decades on the air in Dallas-Fort Worth, died Monday. Ralph Chapman Obituary (1936 - 2021) - Dallas, TX - Dallas Morning News Chapman was involved at the time with a woman in New York, an aspiring actress. 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. Ron preparing to parachute out of an airplane and broadcast all the way to the ground. While Ron was 85 years old at the time of his death, Nance Chapman's age remains a mystery. Dallas Radio Legend Ron Chapman Recovering From A Stroke - Blogger And she looks so good by the time she gets to the office, she had to be up by 5:30. 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. He works on his show twelve, fourteen, sixteen hours a day. HE IS AN EAST TEXAN: Judge Ron Chapman is a native Texan, an experienced public servant and a dedicated member of his community. Here are a few other stories about Chapmans career, told by those who knew and worked with the legend. Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman passes away at the age of 85 - Audacy Ron was a longtime morning host at our sister station KVIL 103.7, where he worked with KRLD's Mitch Carr. Chapman has seen twenty years worth of six-month wonders come and then go. I hand it to Ron, and the little guy hops on Rons shoulder, and when the lights come up, you know, animals react. A lot of people on this board are so young that they have never heard of Michael Selden. 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. Mess with Ron and I might become an ape in heat and jump all over you. April 26, 2021. 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. But Ive wondered ever since., Herb Kelleher has known Chapman for years. Death: Ron Chapman Obituary Kvil - Tradegy Info The man had to be on the air at 5:30 in the morning. Shes divorced, and may have a kid at home that shes sole support for. One time, I finally asked him, You seem to like my dancing, but why dont you ever ask me to be one of the dancers? And he said, Well, to be honest, youre too sexy for our show. ", At that age, Fairchild said with a laugh, I didnt really know what he was talking about.. And yet, he would never ask me to be one of the [featured] dancers. 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. According tohia bio posted at the Radio HOF website, Ron Chapman's radio career began in 1953the day he graduated from high schoolwhen he became a disc jockey at station WHAV/Haverhill, MA. He was an actor, known for Dallas Cowboys . But later, using his real surname, Chapman became an even bigger personality. For nearly thirteen years, with a few scattered intermissions. I noticed that they would feature me dancing a lot on the show. Or, according to Alex Burton, until his recent firing the voice of KRLD, Hes a right-brained man who manages to sound left-brained.. Homepage; Contact US; About US; Ron Chapman Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight. The Right Hand of God is Dallas. I told her so. Born plain old Ralph Chapman in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Ron began performing at the ripe age of three. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defers comment on revival of sexual harassment lawsuit, Q and A: How MLBs streaming, TV options will impact Rangers fans ability to watch team. Theres a Stevie Wonder song where right in the middle of the song he does this loud, high-pitched scream. 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 for the first 20 minutes of the show, Id been loading this little guy up with Coca-Cola. 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. But theyll never work hard enough.. My wife made me admit it publicly: yeah. The longtime host of KVIL died in April 2021 at the age of 85. He was one of the greatest radio people to ever sit behind the mic. KVIL tried to take on powerhouse KLIF-AM in the late 1960s; on 4/17/1967, they changed to a Top 40, "solid rock sound" format (formerly a talk/music format,) and renamed all of their jocks "Dave" to emphasize their 'David . 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. On the mike, butter wouldnt melt in his mouth. 10/11/1929 - 05/23/2020 . In my mind, Chapman continues, I used to picture Mary Tyler Moore. Ralph Frederick "Ron" Chapman (1936-2021) - Find a Grave And Ill tell you who finds it difficult to work for me. 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. So we hit the air, and Ron got it. He graduated from Samuell High School in Pleasant Grove in 1970 and from Southern Methodist University in 1974. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Deborah Chapman; mother Helen Chapman; twin sister Connie Smith; sons Eric . "Ron Chapman is a dazzlingly . Six years later, he moved to Texas to begin what eventually became a Radio Hall of Fame career in DFW. Ron.. He was so popular in Dallas in the 70s, 80s and 90s that his station, KVIL, sold for more than the Dallas Cowboys. Ron, how come my offer to buy KVIL never worked out? The center is the guy who is bending over with the football.. I dodged flying reels of tape more than once., Later, Dean said, Im sure Ron regretted a great deal of it. At one point, Chapman broadcast live while skydiving from a plane . Dallas most important news stories of the week, delivered to your inbox each Sunday. And we stayed in touch over the years. Selden went full circle in his personal life too, abusing drugs and alcohol until he wound up doing some time in what he calls the Home for the Occasionally Coherent, the state hospital at Rusk. To a person, everyone interviewed for this story believed that Chapman, if riled, could end his career. "His family asks for time to . It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it serves the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas. Nobodys going to build monuments or hold big memorial services. 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. Dale Hansen broadcasted Cowboys games on KVIL. Turn! Chapman, fifty-three, fell over laughing. Whatever it took.. Ive always tried to make my sportscast understandable to the non-sports fan. Anybody can read, goddammit! Ron Chapman received an obituary from the KVIL community. 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.