Ron Chapman Signs Off
• UPDATED: Dallas radio icon Ron Chapman, best known for his three decades of service at AC KVIL/Dallas-Ft. Worth, has died at the age of 85. Chapman had retired from fulltime radio in 2005 and had been recovering from a stroke he suffered nearly a decade ago.
Chapman’s bio on the Radio Hall Of Fame website reads, in part, “Ron Chapman’s radio career began in 1953 — the day he graduated from high school — when he became a disc jockey at WHAV/Haverhill, MA. After working for two years with the Voice of the United Nations Command in Korea, Chapman joined WNHC/New Haven, CT. In 1959, as “Irving Harrigan,” Chapman joined KLIF/Dallas, where he teamed up with Jack Woods (a.k.a. “Charlie Brown“) as stars of the popular Charlie and Harrigan Show.
In 1969, Chapman joined KVIL-FM/Dallas-Fort Worth as morning disc jockey, MD and PD, bringing the AC format to FM radio. During his 31 years at KVIL, Chapman became famous for his upbeat humor and his participation in outrageous stunts and giveaways — like the time he asked his listeners to send $20 to the station; within three days, over $200,000 had poured in! (The money was donated to three Dallas-area charities). In 2000, Chapman moved over to Oldies KLUV/Dallas, where he stayed until announcing his retirement from radio in 2005. Two years later, he returned to broadcasting part-time as a “permanent substitute” for the legendary Paul Harvey.
Chapman was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. He is also a member of the Texas Radio Radio Hall of Fame, which announced that no services will be held for Chapman, but a public gathering of friends and colleagues is planned. [Chapman photo: Radio Hall Of Fame]
Chapman’s former longtime KVIL colleague Bill Gardner posted a nice tribute and this photo on his website. That’s Chapman, (left), alongside legendary programmer George Johns and Gardner at the 2019 KVIL Reunion.
• Special thanks also to “Radio’s Best Friend,” Art Vuolo, who dug deep into his extensive video archives to assemble this loving tribute to Ron Chapman.
