Get up and Go!

[stinker]

anyone know what has become of Don Harris of WBAP fame??
it's been about 9 yrs now since he retired....
would be good to hear of his whereabouts.
he used to wake me up when i was 7..... yikes!!!

 

[klifhanger]

Supposedly he has a large swath of property in Granbury( next to Siegel's someone told me) and is enjoying it.

 

[DroopyDave111]

When I was a little kid in the 70's, I remember listening to that show. Wasn't Don Day and Don Harris on Saturdays, back when WBAP was all country? And who did the ag report in the morning?

 

[balam]

memories of Country WBAP

When I was but a young whipper-snapper, a trip to the State Fair of Texas was never complete without watching Don Day do his show live from the WBAP booth/travel trailor. Those were the days, my friends. WBAP was one heck of a country station. Hal and Dick, Don Day, Don Harris, Bill Mack, Joe Holstead on news, Bill Coates on sports, and the rest of 'em made a great big station sound local and interesting.

 

[Steve Eberhart]

You know it is interesting that so many people talk about all of the Top 40 wars in this market from years ago and for sure there was some good Top 40 radio through the years, but we've had some pretty darned good country stations in these parts too!
WBAP as a country station was one of the best in the nation. Nothin' real fancy and slick, just a talented staff with a full service approach on an incredible signal and huge ratings.

I never understood why ownership didn't move KLIF over to an FM frequency and keep on truckin' and equally why WBAP didn't do the same. I think the formats were still viable, but needed to migrate to the band the listeners were now on - FM.

(Actually they did have a plan to move KLIF to FM in 1976 when Fairchild tried to buy 102.9 but the deal fell through in part because of interference by Gordon McLendon who still owned 98.7 at the time...but that's a whole thread in itself)

 

[Top40Dawg]

Steve are you the guy with the KLIF history site? If so, great work! sorry to hijack the thread with that!

 

[stinker]

When I was a little kid in the 70's, I remember listening to that show. Wasn't Don Day and Don Harris on Saturdays, back when WBAP was all country? And who did the ag report in the morning?

Don Harris was the morning drive, the late great Dick Yaws provided the ag reports beginning at 5 am..
very interesting now as the "Farm Report" which included Hog futures, corn prices, cattle prices, etc. is now
a lost part of this metroplex.....
What was once a rural area is now concrete and brick and mortar..... some call this "progress", but not me.

Others on WBAP included Jimmy Stewart, who was a true gem...
He had a great voice and a great sense of communication with the listener.
His "820 Memory Lane" was most always a keeper.

Can't remember the name, but there was a fellow who did "The Music Merry-go-round"....
wanna say Don Thompson, but not sure..

maybe Steve can fill in the blanks...

 

[Josh Holstead]

Don Harris and his wife left Goldley a few years ago and now live close to Lake Meridian.

You might also be interested in knowing that Dick Siegel and semi-retirement did not mix well. He is working at, and <I think> in the process of buying KPIR/1420 in Granbury, where he and his wife reside.

 

[John Lewis]

Good Lord Josh, good to see you on! Hope all is well. I heard the same thing about Siegel. I did my time at 1420AM in Granbury, only then it was kpAr. Jody was down there too and I think his experience was the same as mine! LOL!
Best to you!

John Lewis
Please visit www.KXOL1360.com and support this years MDA drive.

 

[ArcherSports]

I remember visiting the old WBAP studios on Broadcast Hill when I was still a rookie in broadcasting (back in the mid 70's). I remember that I could actually walk into the control room, and the announcer on air (I don't remember who... may have been Hal Jay) was very cordial, and showed me all the new technology they had. Later (in 1979) I took a job at KLUR in Wichita Falls, and they told me that one of their former employees had moved to WBAP, and again, I can't remember who that was (Jimmy Stewart maybe?).

WBAP was also one of the early AM stereo stations... I remember listening to them on a first-generation Sony SRF-A100 (which I still have).

Good memories.

John

 

[stinker]

hey john,

what years did you work in WF at KLUR?
the DJ that made the jump to WBAP was big jim brady. wasn't it?
also Eric Harley was a KLUR alum, i believe.

spent many a summer in WF..

 

[ArcherSports]

hey john,

what years did you work in WF at KLUR?
the DJ that made the jump to WBAP was big jim brady. wasn't it?
also Eric Harley was a KLUR alum, i believe.

spent many a summer in WF..

Ah, Big Jim Brady... I think that is it... had a very deep rich bass voice. I was there in 1979-80, right after the tornado..... I was waaaaaaay too young when I worked there.

 

[pro4aa]

hey john,

what years did you work in WF at KLUR?
the DJ that made the jump to WBAP was big jim brady. wasn't it?
also Eric Harley was a KLUR alum, i believe.

spent many a summer in WF..

Ah, Big Jim Brady... I think that is it... had a very deep rich bass voice. I was there in 1979-80, right after the tornado..... I was waaaaaaay too young when I worked there.

Jim Brady is one of the best air talents I've ever worked with. And he's a decent human being as well; a rare combination. He's been in Toledo for many years. See this: http://snipurl.com/uj0u. Also: http://rockradioscrapbook.ca/air1979.html

 

[stinker]

Big Jim Brady worked at BAP until 94? maybe 95.....

his sign off after each show:

"come get me mother, i'm through".....

 

[pro4aa]

Big Jim Brady worked at BAP until 94? maybe 95.....

his sign off after each show:

"come get me mother, i'm through"..... ;D

It's interesting that you remember his signoff 10 years after he left the area. He also worked at KAAM when they were at 1310.