The guy would give you the shirt off his back. He was 85. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. 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. The longtime host of KVIL died in April 2021 at the age of 85. Didnt think about it until after I handed the keys back to him. 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. "How sad that all of those KVIL things are now part of history. Ron was a longtime morning host at our sister station KVIL 103.7, where he worked with KRLD's Mitch Carr. Who could follow Ron Chapman? Michael Selden airchecks | RadioDiscussions And he admits that, in part, it is the reason his first marriage ended after nineteen years. Dallas, Texas 75201. But suppose, suddenly, a rogue meteorite comes falling out of the sky and mashes him into a puddle at the corner of Mockingbird and Central? Chapman was on his way to becoming, twenty years later, a small industry unto himself. I would carpool my son to school, pick up kids. The man had to be on the air at 5:30 in the morning. My wife made me admit it publicly: yeah. For full obituary please visit. Chapman died Monday at the age of 85, the Texas Radio Hall of Fame announced on its Facebook page. 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. The call letters have been tossed in the dustbin; they no longer serve a purpose. Hollywood actress Morgan Fairchild first met the radio maestro when she was a student at Lake Highlands High School. Suzie Humphreys was Chapmans on-air sidekick on KVIL from 1975 to 1995. Brings new meaning to the phrase Sunday Funday. 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. Homepage; Contact US; About US; Ron Chapman Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight. He likes certain things in certain places. But off-mike, in what employees call his little Come to Jesus talks, that mouth can get hot enough to melt pig iron. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. Ive had two scoops of everything, Chapman likes to say. Says Chapman, Electronically, we dont do much, but we are very conscious of highs. Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman dies at 85 First published on April 26, 2021 / 11:54 AM. Jody Dean was Chapman's producer at KVIL from 1987 to 1994. 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. 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. Ron was a longtime morning host at our sister station KVIL 103.7, where he worked with KRLD's Mitch Carr. There will be no service, however a "public gathering for friends and colleagues" is being planned at this time. People just trusted him, Dean said Monday. Im sitting there, and Im cracking up. At one point, Chapman broadcast live while skydiving from a plane . 'And with honor I return' - The Northwest Florida Daily News Nance prayed for her. 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. 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. Ron, how come my offer to buy KVIL never worked out? Jason Kidd hopes Mavs star stays patient in preseason play, Spring training cuts are incoming, but these Rangers prospects have impressed in camp. Ronald Edward Chapman. However, Mylife.com suggested that Nance Chapman was born on 25 February 1941 which made her 80 years old as of . Its on the far back burner, but I think about it. Its mascot was an incontinent kinkajou. FOX 4. The longtime host of KVIL died in April 2021 at the age of 85. Theres gotta be some point at which hes willing to pass the torch. He claims more listeners than any DJ in Texas. 1 radio show . In 1959, a 23-year-old up-and-coming disc jockey from Haverhill, Mass., took on the role of morning co-host for a . Chapman is a perfectionist in every way, Nance says. RIP Ron pic.twitter.com . They had no bathtub, no phone, no family car. Selden was the Afternoon Drive DJ at 1190 KLIF at the time when 75% of the teenagers in Dallas were listening. Youd be walking down the hall, and nothing would stop him from putting you down in a very loud voice in front of anybody. 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.. Dallas Radio Icon Ron Chapman Dies at 85 | News Talk WBAP-AM what happened to archie in monarch of the glen; funeral poem our father kept a garden. On the mike, butter wouldnt melt in his mouth. He is a walking contradiction, a Type A masquerading as a Type B. Exact sum is $73000000. Then it became Jane Fonda for a while. But Im serious when I tell you that I learned a great deal from it. Into the breach jumped Ron, who offered to loan me his brand-new Cadillac Seville. Thats just the wrapper. 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. In honor of his life, we reproduce this 1989 profile of Chapman. Ron in makeup for his role in an episode of Police Story. Rons face superimposed on the body of Michael Jackson. In the late 1990's Chapman joined KLUV-FM, an Oldies format that saw high ratings upon his arrival. 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 . (Her cohort, Ron Chapman, who clocked more than 45 successful years on local radio and television [including WFAA-TV,] died in 2021.) Thats power. Between his junior and senior years, he interned at The Washington Post during "the Watergate summer" of 1973. 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 man who sat at the top of the hill, a legend in broadcasting. I figure we have her ears, and were the only ones shell let talk to her for the first hour of the day. He had spent his last few years on 98.7 KLUV in Dallas/Forth Worth. 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. 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. KVIL is a commercial radio station dual-licensed to Highland Park and Dallas, Texas. Baby, it's cold outside. We just hit. Weve become Kleenex. Right away, you know two things about her: she has no time to waste, and you dont mess with her. Hes now retired and owns a winery called Orangewoods near San Diego.In, Im going to say 62 or 63, Jack Kennedy, I think, did a 50-mile hike. Chapman has seen twenty years worth of six-month wonders come and then go. And Ron has a brand-new sweater. 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. 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. anyway? And Ron said, Why, I am in charge of the talent show, of which there wasnt one at the time. Robert Wilonsky, former city columnist for The Dallas Morning News, is communications director for Heritage Auctions and a frequent contributor to these pages. 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. 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. Ron Chapman set out to claim it. Whatever it took.. He must know where everything is at all times. 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. But Chapmans vaunted ego and his famed temper have only enhanced his hold on the Dallas radio market. So we all lined up, and we said, Okay, hoooo! And we started to walk. Ive done this in many ways in my sportscast. Would Stevie Wonder object if we took it out? It would dance on kids shoulders. Robert Wilonsky on Twitter: "I once wrote Ron Chapman meant more to But when the chairwoman greeted Chapman in the ballroom, she says, he lit into her. He brought, what is known in the industry as the "adult contemporary" format to FM. When the show aired its final broadcast, Chapman played as its swan song Turn! The country was going to get in shape. Ron Chapman Death - Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death Just heard radio legend Ron Chapman has died. Ron didnt say a word. There was dead air for, like, 10 seconds. April 26, 2021. I can walk faster than most people can run, Chapman once told The Dallas Morning News. For nearly thirteen years, with a few scattered intermissions. The center is the guy who is bending over with the football.. Everyone I knew went to college. He did not. The winning name was Chief Rain in the Pants.. And I want you to know that Leonard jerked the plug out from the wall. You had left "Sump'n Else" and you're still at WFAA directing the church remotes. FACE FOR RADIO: Chapman hosted a popular TV show. Chapman thought that was funny. 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. And some who have shown too much personality, critics charge, get the ax. 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.. Warm and fuzzy was the game plan from the very beginning. How would he like to be remembered? Chapman was 85 years old. Says Littauer, Only Ron could spend two weeks on a ship, do nothing, and then get a commendation for it.. This duality is a big part of Ron Chapmans magic. 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 . He's now a news anchor for CBS Channel 11 and will replace Chapman on KLUV's morning show. 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