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Ron Chapman to NAB HOF

Dallas radio personality to be inducted at spring show

He might as well be called Mr. Dallas Radio.

Ron Chapman has been a radio broadcaster for more than 50 years, most of them in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market. At the April NAB Show, Chapman will be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Chapman began his career at WHAV(AM) in Haverhill, Mass., after graduating from high school. After a stint in the Army during the Korean War (broadcasting, of course) and a short time at WNHC(AM) in New Haven, Conn., Chapman joined KLIF(AM), a popular Dallas station. He co-hosted the “Charlie & Harrigan Show.” Chapman was Harrigan.

He spent time on WFAA, a Dallas television station in the mid-1960s, where among other things he hosted a local show in the style of “American Bandstand.”

Chapman and partners bought KVIL(FM) in 1968. KVIL dominated Dallas radio with a pioneering adult contemporary format.

After 32 years there he retired but was soon back on the air with KLUV(FM), another Dallas station. He took that station up in the ratings, according to bio information from NAB.

Eventually retiring again in 2005, Chapman could be heard occasionally on KTYS(FM) and subbing for Paul Harvey in 2008.

Chapman’s easy-going personality and local knowledge made him a regional institution, at times described as “The Most Listened-to Broadcaster in the Southwest.” He told an interviewer in 2005 about secrets to his on-air success:

“Two that stand out are: accentuate the positive, and feel free to let the listener get the best punch line. That’s very difficult for DJs to do. DJs always want to top whoever they’re dealing with. I love for the listeners to have better lines than I do. So the radio program, if it’s done properly, is a two-way street.”

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