He was huge in Dallas for decades doing mornings at KVILclick link to learn more. It was Chapman who gave KVIL its sound in 1969: music foryoung adults who'd grown up listening to him on KLIF. So I went by my hairdressers, who lived in Oak Cliff. Thats power. She loved going to NorthPark to dance with other teenagers during the daily weekday broadcast of SumpN Else. According to industry analysts, fellow media, and KVIL employees, former and current, Chapman is a man of planned spontaneity, of freeze-dried warmth. Everybody that works here eventually comes back around, and Im going to be here when they come round again. But back then, you prayed for Vince Lombardi. Dean later called it a dream come true. Nance prayed for her. Each year, I am more and more aware of the power we have in that room, Chapman confides. The station's studios are located along North Central Expressway in Uptown Dallas. I now think about retiring. Ron Chapman Obituary Kvil Death | Obituary | Ron Chapman Dead | Died | Has Passed Away | Funeral Plans - We are immensely sad . A secretary, yeah, sure, absolutely, but she wont be for long. 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. By KLTV Digital Media Staff. I once wrote Ron Chapman meant more to Dallas radio than electricity. Ron Chapman's radio career began in 1953the day he graduated from high schoolwhen he became a disc jockey at station WHAV/Haverhill, MA. 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. We are very grateful for the care and compassion he. Hes like the man who juggles chain saws while singing Verdi. Maybe for forty-eight hours, max. I know something the others havent figured out.. Its a tribute to Chapman that the call letters of what is, after all, just a radio station, have entered the argot of the trade. The obituary was featured in Dallas Morning News on May 16, 2021. Everyones going to do a 50-mile hike. DALLAS - Three-time Texas Radio Hall-of-Famer and Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman died on Monday. But would he be really pissed if we never played it 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.. 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. It was your classic, stereotypical young yuppie couple from Highland Park. I love the guy. We used a two-way radio. He died Monday at age 85. Both of which I left, unconsumed, somewhere in Rons car. Thats reflective of some pretty strong public service. Chapman says. In 2007, he returned to broadcasting part-time as a substitute for radio legend Paul Harvey. I hear it., I said, Yes. Forty-five years in one market. "In my own little world, the end of KVIL was something unthinkable," he said. But Chapmans vaunted ego and his famed temper have only enhanced his hold on the Dallas radio market. 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. The country was going to get in shape. According to Tony Garrett. 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. Charlie Brown), playing records and providing character voices as stars of the popular Charlie and Harrigan Show. TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Longtime radio personality Ron Chapman has died at the age of 85. 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. For example, co-workers wondered about his habit of dumping all his foreign currency into a drawer when he returns from trips. Because shes gonna move up. And its not just the lower-downs, but the higher-ups who have their hands full of Chapman ego. Ron Chapman Was a Warm and Fuzzy Tyrant. Photos: Chapman Today: Dan Sellers; Chapman on TV: Courtesy of ABC Radio Networks. Anyway, I was holding this animal on my shoulder, on my freshly cleaned jacket, and it got a little excited. Other than that, Im real comfortable.. Nobody. And thats the way Ron was. So Chapman is now going to teach Brad and me how we should broadcast a football game to appeal to his target audience women. He claims more listeners than any DJ in Texas. No spam, ever. But Chapman says that the first time Haley went on the air after the deal was struck, She was dreadful. Chapman had a . It would dance on kids shoulders. But I got my bucketful of him a long time ago. Info. Chapman joined KVIL in 1969 where he would remain a fixture for 32 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. He seems completely oblivious to his subjects, the teeming thousands of Little People trapped and fuming in the traffic below. Into the breach jumped Ron, who offered to loan me his brand-new Cadillac Seville. He was an actor, known for Dallas Cowboys . And, you know, Im an easy-going guy. In 1968, Chapman joined a team that purchased KVIL-FM, a station known for pioneering the Adult Contemporary (AC) format. The winning name was Chief Rain in the Pants.. 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 . The man who sat at the top of the hill, a legend in broadcasting. With that warning, we move through room after room of airy, fresh pastels, past furniture that looks as if it never gets touched, with the exception of Rons well-worn leather chair. The Texas Radio Hall of Fame shared the news of the passing of Dallas radio icon Ron Chapman. Baby, it's cold outside. He had spent his last few years on 98.7 KLUV in Dallas/Forth Worth. Ron would fairly often show up while I was on the air to go in a studio and record a promo that might run overnight, only to plug something that was going to be on his show. He must know where everything is at all times. At one point, Chapman broadcast live while skydiving from a plane. 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 this is, like, in the 80s. I grew up listening to his voice, though as many different characters, in Arlington. I knew I was fired. Wowwwwww, Chapman warmly asserts, and Okaaaaaaay and Alllllllright and Well suuure. I dodged flying reels of tape more than once., Later, Dean said, Im sure Ron regretted a great deal of it. The late Ron Chapman, who died April 26, 2021 at the age of 85, as seen in 2014. He was 85. This time, the gala planners were prepared; the system had been checked and rechecked by technicians. 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. . 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. He killed the competition. Thats just the wrapper. Dick Clark is an old friend of Chapmans. Chapman knows his audience, and he knows what they buycomfort. The radio industry took to social media to reflect on Chapman's life and career. 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. 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. Thousands showed up. Then the man loaned him enough money to buy a ticket. There will be NO service, but a public gathering of friends and colleagues is being planned.". The Right Hand of God is Dallas. And I do have a good memory. (To Everything There Is a Season) by the Byrds. Within three days listeners had sent in more that $240,000. Barnum. According to Littauer, Chapmans massive energy manifested itself during his youth in a series of class-clown pranks. 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. When the drawer becomes filled with bills and change, he bundles it up and sends it to the man. He then did afternoon drive at KVIL-FM for several years until he was fired by Ron Chapman. I tell people this story, and they think its one of those urban legends. Woods was Charlie Brown. 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. And one morning, I was going to go do a speech for the Dallas Board of Realtors at 9 oclock. Many of us grew up listening to him on #KVIL. 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. But the laughter was tinged with something like pity. 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. 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. 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. Industry critics say that while Chapman is full-tilt today, he is not really doing much to prepare his station for Life After Ron. "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. Chapman was on his way to becoming, twenty years later, a small industry unto himself. He is, he admits, a control freak. 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. 2023 Audacy, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Ron actually holds up a picture that hed cut out of a JCPenney catalog. Hes now an announcer and does several shows for ABC radio. 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. There was dead air for, like, 10 seconds. You realize we dont play the same things for a thirty-five-year-old female that youd play on the Zoo. 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'm saddened to tell you that legendary Dallas DJ Ron Chapman has passed away at 85. Theyll still be telling that story when Chapmans grandkids have carpool duty. Barack O-blame-a. We tell them, Heres the concept. "His family asks for time to . And because he spanned KLIF and "Sump'n Else" to KVIL -- he WAS the history of Dallas radio . Then it became Jane Fonda for a while. . 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. But certainly not unrealistic. Walton and Johnson. 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. Stevens and Pruett. Updated: Apr. 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. KVIL-FM, born in Highland Park on August 25, 1961,died, officially, on Jan. 18, 2017. A very happy one. It was Chapman who convinced owners to ditch their paltry AM signal and go with its powerful 100,000-watt signal. 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. ", 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. It was a 45-minute show. Says Littauer, Only Ron could spend two weeks on a ship, do nothing, and then get a commendation for it.. 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. 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.. Beneath that rasp, he's still very much the manwho once broadcast while skydiving and whoin April 1988 asked listeners to send $20 without explaining why and wound up collecting $240,000 he dispensed to charity. 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. He remained at KVIL-FM for 32 years, serving as program . 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. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. Between his junior and senior years, he interned at The Washington Post during "the Watergate summer" of 1973. 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. 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. 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. In 1969, Chapman joined the staff of KVIL-FM/Dallas-Fort . Hollywood actress Morgan Fairchild first met the radio maestro when she was a student at Lake Highlands High School. The Emperor is in his tower, conjuring, working on the exact wording and inflection of the incantation that will once again secure his seemingly unending supremacy. Part of Audacy. Theyll still be talking about that twenty years from now. "But a well-respected punchline," Rhyner said. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Dallas-Fort Worth radio legend Ron Chapman has died, officials with his former station KLUV-FM confirmed. 1 forever. Its what youd get if God had money, Nance says. Legendary Dallas DJ Ron . "It was what it was when it was. Our thoughts and hearts are with his frien - 2 years ago. And even then they didnt get it. "In so many ways around here, Chapman was the pioneer, the seer," Rhyner said. The maddest he ever got at me were those times that I delivered less than the best. . It almost looked like a squirrel. FACE FOR RADIO: Chapman hosted a popular TV show. By Emily Jimenez, NewsRadio 1080 KRLD. Ron Chapmans the only one that talks to her that first hour, and in that hour, 1 can mold her frame of mind. Hell suddenly realize he needs to talk to everybody he knows.. He never said anything to me about it. 1 radio show . 750 North St.Paul St. DALLAS Updated at 9:41 p.m. with more quotes from colleagues. Each ratings point represents a percentage of the audience market share and is said to be worth about $1.3 million in advertising revenues yearly. But his desire was for you to get the best out of yourself. pic.twitter.com/XuaDWmWvEm. He said, Thats the second time youve used that item and its the last! Ironically, Chapman so dominates the KVIL lineup that the DJs around him seem unremittingly unmemorable. . More than one KVILite also remarked that they wouldnt have had jobs at all if Chapman hadnt heard that they were down on their luck and called to offer them gigs. / CBS Texas. 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. 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. @RGreggHart : A giant of Dallas-Fort Worth radio, Ron Chapman, has died at 85. The call letters have been tossed in the dustbin; they no longer serve a purpose. This duality is a big part of Ron Chapmans magic. I noticed that they would feature me dancing a lot on the show. He had this real, real long tongue, and it could get into the bottle. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. Legendary radio host Ron Chapman has passed away. We never worked in the studio together, for 20 years. . My wife made me admit it publicly: yeah. 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." Id just started with Chapman, and I did that two or three times before he slammed down the headphones and blew up. Dallas most important news stories of the week, delivered to your inbox each Sunday. But the most telling aspect of Ron Chapmans house may be his shower. I just never mellowed out. Chapman admits. The guiding light in my life, my operational phrase, was: Ill show em. It wasnt angry. Two things worth noting: back then, no one had any fear about writing "$20" on an envelope - and we never gave our street address. The longtime host of KVIL died in April 2021 at the age of 85. But the thing about it is, ten minutes later, its like it never happened.. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Im talking to a thirty-year-old female. . He remained at KVIL-FM for 32 years, serving as program director, music director, promotion director and morning personality. Trust me, Chapman didnt laugh at all. Chapman thought that was funny. Chapman was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2010 and into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. He graduated from Samuell High School in Pleasant Grove in 1970 and from Southern Methodist University in 1974. We did that to our audience constantly. So we all lined up, and we said, Okay, hoooo! And we started to walk. Incidentally, the quarterback is the guy behind the center. Anybody can read, goddammit! I can walk faster than most people can run, Chapman once told The Dallas Morning News. After 45 years in radio, Ron Chapman retired from his morning show on June 24, 2005. The feature says Chapman and his wife, Nance, had met at a charity telethon in the late sixties and spent decades as platonic friends before both parties . Ron was a legend already in the 60s in Dallas, Fairchild said Monday from her home in Los Angeles. 750 North St.Paul St. And it was Chapman who ran every single nutty promo in the station's stories history, among them a scavenger hunt that involved hidden tape recorders, secret messages and, eventually, a Braniff International Airways ticket to Hawaii. Michael Granberry, Arts Writer. Ron Chapman was born on 25 January 1936 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. CBS News Texas: Free 24/7 News; . 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. 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. A computerized Young Chang Grand Piano is playing Gershwin via floppy disk over near the bar. And thats a problem KVIL itself will have to face one of these days. Theyre over. According to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, no public service is happening, but there will be a public gathering of friends and colleagues which is being planned at this time. Steve Eberhart was a deejay at KVIL. The hand goes higher above his head: VEE higher now, almost pleading as it keens with the anticipation of all the wonderful, warm, cuddly, sensual things to come. Suite 2100 Chapman's family says there will be no service, but a public gathering of friends and . We had several meetings in which we hoped to gain her attention about things we didnt feel were happening correctly on the nighttime show. Warm and fuzzy was the game plan from the very beginning. Shes now a motivational speaker and lives in Fredericksburg, Texas.From the first moment we ever opened our mouths, we clicked. Nothing to embarrass a woman who is even remotely prudish. And he admits that, in part, it is the reason his first marriage ended after nineteen years. I told her so. Also, his people say that his expectations for others are not nearly as high as those he imposes on himself. Yet beneath that amiable exterior lurk hints of a tyrannical ego, of a man well accustomed to his own success story. anyway? And Ron said, Why, I am in charge of the talent show, of which there wasnt one at the time. He was one of the greatest radio people to ever sit behind the mic. No dice. And he says, This is your audience. Ill never forget it. I hand it to Ron, and the little guy hops on Rons shoulder, and when the lights come up, you know, animals react. The next step from there would have been the street. 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. Says Chapman, Electronically, we dont do much, but we are very conscious of highs. "It's a shame it's gone, but KVIL had a great history," he said. Chapman, fifty-three, fell over laughing. On April 13 in Las Vegas, Ron Chapman will be inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters' Radio Hall of Fame -- a momentous occasion that comes exactly one month after the Citadel . 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 organization said no service will be held for Chapman, but a public gathering of friends and colleagues is planned. Whatever it took.. And some who have shown too much personality, critics charge, get the ax. Ron Chapman has passed away. I would hope it would be as someone who elevated the art..