Ralph Frederick "Ron" Chapman (1936-2021) - Find a Grave Ronald Vernon Chapman Obituary - The Columbus Dispatch The kids had to wear coats and ties on the show. From Haverhill, Mass (also Ed McMahon's first rad - 2 years ago. 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. We could go New Age. April 26, 2021. Hell suddenly realize he needs to talk to everybody he knows.. "It's a shame it's gone, but KVIL had a great history," he said. Maybe for forty-eight hours, max. Charlie Brown), playing records and providing character voices as stars of the popular Charlie and Harrigan Show. To a person, everyone interviewed for this story believed that Chapman, if riled, could end his career. Stevens and Pruett. But his desire was for you to get the best out of yourself. His rages and abuse must be swallowed whole. In 2007, he returned to broadcasting part-time as a substitute for radio legend Paul Harvey. By Casey Carr. Michael Granberry was born and grew up in Dallas. DALLAS - Three-time Texas Radio Hall-of-Famer and Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman died on Monday. 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. My wife made me admit it publicly: yeah. He knew exactly what he was going to do and started work reprogramming KVIL in their big studio. The Zoo crew used to regard KVIL's mushy adult-contemporary playlist as a punchline. ', Chapman isnt surprised to hear that many former associates want deep cover before discussing his character and work style. The maddest he ever got at me were those times that I delivered less than the best. In terms of logistics and creativity, hes a towering genius. It was your classic, stereotypical young yuppie couple from Highland Park. For a while, Chapmans career in Dallas was on the stairsteps to oblivion, he recalls. But stories of Chapmans sentimentality and generosity are almost as abundant as the tales of his colossal ego. Ive always tried to make my sportscast understandable to the non-sports fan. I wouldnt even park near one. KVIL - Wikiwand Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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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. Yeah, he would. Ron Chapman Radio Hall Of Fame 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. 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. And one morning, I was going to go do a speech for the Dallas Board of Realtors at 9 oclock. It was just ambition. Honestly, I thought everyone knew that hed started out in radio with a program called Tips for Teenagers.. Weve become Kleenex. Or, according to Alex Burton, until his recent firing the voice of KRLD, Hes a right-brained man who manages to sound left-brained.. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, We can't say goodbye to KVIL until its legendary voice Ron Chapman gives it a proper sign-off, CBS Radio has rebranded 103.7 on Your FM Dial as the Amp, Charles Meeks acquired a broadcast license from the feds to open up shop in 1958, Woman arrested in killing of 3 children at Italy, Texas, home in Ellis County, Frisco Liberty battles back vs. Lubbock Cooper to claim UIL Class 5A state championship, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defers comment on revival of sexual harassment lawsuit, What we know after 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home, The Cowboys are closer than you think to a total makeover at running back, American Airlines, flight attendants file for mediation during contract negotiations, New Uptown office tower lands second major lease, Years after North Texas bid for Amazons second headquarters, retail giant halts plan, Mesquite to become the site of new 2,500-home community, North Texas builders see influx of activity in new year, but challenges persist, Mark Wahlberg pours tequila for fans at Dallas restaurant during thunderstorm, Dude Perfects trick-shot town could find a home in North Texas, or somewhere else, Slow start for Luka Doncic? - Click to. Forty-five years in one market. Chapman has seen twenty years worth of six-month wonders come and then go. 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. In order for us to match the standard, the three of us guys on the floor crew went out and bought blazers. In those days KVIL was so big the Postal . The program, based on "American Bandstand . He loved kids and teenagers and music and all that was happening in the 60s, which was a lot. 2023 Audacy, Inc. All rights reserved. Did Ron Chapman have a wife? KVIL radio personality's life explored So he and a couple of radio buds ( Hugh Lampman and Jack Schell) got some backers and found a little building on Mockingbird across from the Dallas Country Club, where they launched a station called KVIL. So when we cut away to commercial, we would turn off the lights so the studio would get cool. You understand that? Boom! How would he like to be remembered? Dick Clark is an old friend of Chapmans. 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." And then they put me on from midnight to six. Brings new meaning to the phrase Sunday Funday. This is a first, he admits. @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. . Dale Hansen broadcasted Cowboys games on KVIL. I figure we have her ears, and were the only ones shell let talk to her for the first hour of the day. 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. But for the first 20 minutes of the show, Id been loading this little guy up with Coca-Cola. So he comes to me, and I open the mic. Michael Granberry, Arts Writer. While Ron was 85 years old at the time of his death, Nance Chapman's age remains a mystery. 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. In Memory Of KVIL's Peggy Sears - CBS Texas - CBS News Im sitting there, and Im cracking up. Okay, so were in a commercial break. Ron Chapman - Press Club of Dallas Brings new meaning to the phrase Sunday Funday. Ive done this in many ways in my sportscast. 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. Theres gotta be some point at which hes willing to pass the torch. It was Chapman who gave KVIL its sound in 1969: music foryoung adults who'd grown up listening to him on KLIF. Chapman liked to say he was a poor kid who grew up behind a grocery store, which his father owned in his native Haverhill, Mass. . A man in the hotel found his passport and rushed it to the airport. April 26, 2021 - TOP INFO GUIDE Chapman realized that if he won Fort Worth, he could almost double the stations numbers. RADIO: Thank You, Ron - D Magazine 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.. But it was impossible to replicate a station that made a growing big city feel like a small town. "This has something to do with age. He was an actor, known for Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (1979). However, Mylife.com suggested that Nance Chapman was born on 25 February 1941 which made her 80 years old as of . January 20, 2023 by Jacob Pococontons. 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. RONALD E. CHAPMAN Ron passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2020, at the Scarborough Extendicare long-term care home, from pneumonia at the age of 90. And the guy was the typical model. 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. Legendary radio host Ron Chapman has passed away. 1 radio show in Dallas for a dozen years. "Well, they had to do something," the National Radio Hall of Famer said. This is a secret, but we take a lot of the staff to the big derrick at Six Flags and put them on top. I love the guy. KVIL - Wikipedia 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. Ron Chapman was born on 25 January 1936 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. Chapman was on his way to becoming, twenty years later, a small industry unto himself. So settle down with one of these throws. The call letters have been tossed in the dustbin; they no longer serve a purpose. We put them on constantly.. His family is asking for time right now to process the loss and thanks the community for their "kindness, understanding and prayers.". It was Chapman who convinced owners to ditch their paltry AM signal and go with its powerful 100,000-watt signal. RIP Ron pic.twitter.com . He is an amalgamation of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, a warm, fuzzy presence who intrudes benignly into the consciousness of hundreds of thousands of women every morning. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it serves the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas. dallas talk radio hosts - quickglobalexpress.com We play some stuff that cooks pretty good, but there are a lot of songs we wont play at all. 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 man had to be on the air at 5:30 in the morning. In 1968, Chapman joined KVIL-FM, a station known for pioneering the Adult Contemporary (AC) format. So Charlie and Harrigan came on and said, Were going to do our hike. Ron Chapman made money by Directors niche. And I did everything. First published on April 26, 2021 / 11:54 AM. 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. Ron was a legend already in the 60s in Dallas, Fairchild said Monday from her home in Los Angeles. 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. Ron Chapman had this offer from KVIL. After working for two years with the Voice of the United Nations Command in Korea , Chapman moved to Connecticut and station WHNC/New Haven. Ron actually holds up a picture that hed cut out of a JCPenney catalog. It was an itty-bitty bear. A very happy one. She loved going to NorthPark to dance with other teenagers during the daily weekday broadcast of SumpN Else. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. (The money was later distributed to local charities.) 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. 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. Ron Chapman is a dazzlingly entertaining intellect who has refreshed my life for 25 years with his insightful wit and unerring eye for the quixotic vagaries of the human kind. So we hit the air, and Ron got it. 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.". Dallas Radio Icon Ron Chapman Dies at 85 - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth "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. Ron Chapman Obituary: In the loving memory of Ron Chapman, we are saddened to inform you that Ron Chapman, a beloved and loyal friend, has passed away. Six years later, he moved to Texas to begin what eventually became a Radio Hall of Fame career in DFW. 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. Ron.. Chapman hired fellow broadcasting legend Jody Dean to work a late-night shift at KVIL in 1982. 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. 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. A lot of people couldnt handle it, Dean said of Chapmans style. blackpool north pier fishing permit; bradley cooper parents; best prepaid debit card to avoid garnishment But certainly not unrealistic. Theyll still be talking about that twenty years from now. Longtime North Texas disc jockey Ron Chapman, who spent more than four decades on the air in Dallas-Fort Worth, died Monday. The obituary was featured in Dallas Morning News on May 16, 2021. And Ron has a brand-new sweater. He then did afternoon drive at KVIL-FM for several years until he was fired by Ron Chapman. 10/11/1929 - 05/23/2020 . Thats reflective of some pretty strong public service. Chapman says. The guy would give you the shirt off his back. Trust me, Chapman didnt laugh at all. We just knew where the other one was headed. The station is branded as "Alt 103.7" and airs an alternative rock radio format. Barnum. In 1968, Chapman joined a team that purchased KVIL-FM, a station known for pioneering the Adult Contemporary (AC) format. Even after he retired, he would call and ask for help, and I was always happy to do it. He had spent his last few years on 98.7 KLUV in Dallas/Forth Worth. Catch up on the day's news you need to know. Warm and fuzzy was the game plan from the very beginning. 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. And he admits that, in part, it is the reason his first marriage ended after nineteen years. 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. The piece coincided with Chapmans 20th anniversary at KVIL, where, The News noted, His hyper, happy-talk Ron Chapman and the Morning Group has been the almost-constant No. 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. He was 85. Then the man loaned him enough money to buy a ticket. 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. Ron Chapman and Mitch Carr Photo credit Courtesy Mitch Carr. Ron Chapmans the only one that talks to her that first hour, and in that hour, 1 can mold her frame of mind. And because he spanned KLIF and "Sump'n Else" to KVIL -- he WAS the history of Dallas radio . Ron Chapman Obituary Kvil Death | Obituary | Ron Chapman Dead | Died | Has Passed Away | Funeral Plans - We are immensely sad . 26, 2021 at 1:34 PM PDT. He claims more listeners than any DJ in Texas. Some 12,000 did, and KVIL donated $240,000 to charity. We are very grateful for the care and compassion he. Talk about a cush gig. #1. Next to it is a portable telephone, complementing cellular phones in his and Nances cars. Chapman maintains that the station turns down huge amounts of revenue from advertisers who are dying to get at his listeners: Massengill, Preparation H, etc. Former Dallas Morning News columnist Robert Wilonsky contributed to this report. But they werent really buying the station. And I do have a good memory. We had a contest to name the honey bear. The program, based on . The Right Hand of God is Dallas. Done in slick, black marble, it is an oversized rectangle, big enough for Ron to pace in. To pace in. His wife says the best way to get him frantic is to put him in a car without a phone. 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. You had left "Sump'n Else" and you're still at WFAA directing the church remotes. The Texas Radio Hall of Fame says "his family asks for time to process this loss, and thanks you for your kindness, understanding and prayers. Ron Chapman Was a Warm and Fuzzy Tyrant. I would carpool my son to school, pick up kids. 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. Consultants studied and copied KVIL, launching dozens of lite-rock imitations across the country. 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. He is a walking contradiction, a Type A masquerading as a Type B. "In my own little world, the end of KVIL was something unthinkable," he said. That's a very sad commentary on the times. There was dead air for, like, 10 seconds. 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. He was one of the greatest radio people to ever sit behind the mic. Right away, you know two things about her: she has no time to waste, and you dont mess with her. 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. 1 forever. Its mascot was an incontinent kinkajou. 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. However, Ron Chapman's cause of death remains yet to be known but it is suspected that he died of natural causes. The winning name was Chief Rain in the Pants.. Ralph Chapman passed away on May 4, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Who could follow Ron Chapman? Shes now a motivational speaker and lives in Fredericksburg, Texas.From the first moment we ever opened our mouths, we clicked. And yet, he would never ask me to be one of the [featured] dancers. Ron Chapman Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight 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. 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. Exact sum is $73000000. Chapman had already carved out a legend as one-half of Charlie & Harrigan on KLIF. Hollywood actress Morgan Fairchild first met the radio maestro when she was a student at Lake Highlands High School. The slightly bugged eyes turn flat, focused inward. Ron Chapman on the State of Radio and Why He'll Never Make a Comeback 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. 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. Says Chapman, Electronically, we dont do much, but we are very conscious of highs. 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 . And we walked around the corner and stopped. In 2007, he returned to broadcasting part-time as a "permanent substitute" for legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Ralph Chapman Obituary (1936 - 2021) - Dallas, TX - Dallas Morning News So I had just had my jacket cleaned. The individuality, the uniqueness. Ron didnt say a word. I'm saddened to tell you that legendary Dallas DJ Ron Chapman has passed away at 85. While many have attempted to imitate his formula, nobodyat least locallyis likely to remotely approach his mastery of it. Because shes gonna move up. It wont work for you.. Ron Chapman - IMDb Everybody that works here eventually comes back around, and Im going to be here when they come round again. For nearly thirteen years, with a few scattered intermissions. Skip to content. During his 31 years at KVIL, Chapman became famous for his upbeat humor and his participation in outrageous stunts and giveaways. . I would hope it would be as someone who elevated the art.. And even then they didnt get it. There are no excuses in Ron Chapmans world except You screwed up. Im absolutely realistic in believing that nobody remembers you, Chapman says. And this is, like, in the 80s. He likes certain things in certain places. Chapman thought that was funny. He spent 19 years at the Los Angeles Times before returning to Dallas. Theres a Stevie Wonder song where right in the middle of the song he does this loud, high-pitched scream. I tell them, you cant do that. 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 According to industry analysts, fellow media, and KVIL employees, former and current, Chapman is a man of planned spontaneity, of freeze-dried warmth. 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. 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. Many of us grew up listening to him on #KVIL. Legendary radio host Ron Chapman has passed away - Audacy Tragedy Info - Ron Chapman Obituary - Death: Ron Chapman | Facebook Obituaries Search for Ron Chapman - Dignity Memorial But Chapman says that the first time Haley went on the air after the deal was struck, She was dreadful. Dallas Radio Icon Ron Chapman Dies at 85 | News Talk WBAP-AM This was 1991. 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. He is best known as the morning drive anchor of radio station KVIL, on the 103.7 frequency. I knew I was fired. I was driving an older beat-up Nissan, and my alternator went out one night while on the way to work. In 1969, Chapman joined the staff of KVIL-FM/Dallas-Fort Worth as morning disc jockey, music director, and program director, bringing the . The country was going to get in shape. Chapman was known for doing the unexpected, once airing his show from a haunted house and another time while skydiving. But I got my bucketful of him a long time ago. The station is branded as "Alt 103.7" and airs an alternative rock radio format. Chapman remembers all the other long-gone-and-forgotten ones who came gunning for him: the Mobys in the Morning, the Stevenses and Pruetts. I once wrote Ron Chapman meant more to Dallas radio than electricity. When it comes to his precious radio station, the man is as fiercely protective of his listeners and his formal as a mother sow is of her litter. Chapman moved to KVIL a decade later, after the station briefly flirted with Top 40 in an attempt to topple the mighty KLIF. At the haunted house, Chapman took along a producer and equipped her with a microphone. Passing by the cage, he would surreptitiously slip the mouthpiece through the wire into the neck of the tuba and blow. But when the chairwoman greeted Chapman in the ballroom, she says, he lit into her. 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. 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.

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