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Tulsa Radio News Legend Neal Kennedy Retires

G

Glenn Quagmire

This one totally slipped under the radar for me and I only found out this morning by accident on KRMG's website, but newsman Neal Kennedy retired earlier this month after a very long time at KRMG. There was no mention here and I guess it just slipped past me. I'm not sure where Neal is headed, but I want to wish him congratulations on a fantastic career and let him know he set the bar very high.

His shoes are well worn and will be hard to fill. However, I have heard former KOTV reporter Steve Berg on KRMG recently and maybe he is replacing Neal. If so, it's a great decision because Neal was truly one of the best.
 
Glenn Quagmire said:
This one totally slipped under the radar for me and I only found out this morning by accident on KRMG's website, but newsman Neal Kennedy retired earlier this month after a very long time at KRMG. There was no mention here and I guess it just slipped past me. I'm not sure where Neal is headed, but I want to wish him congratulations on a fantastic career and let him know he set the bar very high.

His shoes are well worn and will be hard to fill. However, I have heard former KOTV reporter Steve Berg on KRMG recently and maybe he is replacing Neal. If so, it's a great decision because Neal was truly one of the best.
Click to expand...

Neal and I worked together at KVOO AM back in the 70's during what I will always consider the heyday of the Station. We also worked together for a short while at KVOO when I came back in August of '99. Shortly thereafter Neal left for KRMG. Neal is and was always a class guy and a wonderful broadcast journalist. Many people don't know that Neal was a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Viet Nam war. He was a true professional and a lot of fun to work with. They were wild times at KVOO AM during the 70's. Bar none, the most fun I ever had in radio. The very best to you Neal Kennedy. An honor to call you my friend.

The Lyin' King,
Bob O'Shea
 
Now you know the real reason I left KRMG.... I knew Neal was going to retire. (not really)

In 1999, when Neal came to work at KRMG we made the deal over a couple of beers on my deck. No background check... no winky-tinking in a cup.... no consultant demanding an aircheck. Just two old boys and Budlight. Last time that ever happened.

Neal is an excellent reporter who always busted his tail for me. KRMG threw him a nice retirement party. It was great to see Alan Lambert there. Alan was Neal's ND for 24 years at KVOO. I only had Neal for nine. The City Council presented Neal with a Key to the City. It caught him completely off guard.

I already miss seeing Neal at City Hall... but perhaps he'll show up at my house with a six-pack soon.
 
I also believe Neal also worked for the Tulsa Tribune for a while as well. I also remember Neal on KVOO, that seems like eons ago, but really it was the late 90's, wow how time flies?
Neal is also a big race car guy and had a reputation for having a few fast cars himself.
For a man who served his country in Vietnam and busted his you know what here in Tulsa, I hope he'll be doing something fun in his retirement. He most certainly deserves it!
 
Neal also played bass guitar for Harlow Wilcox and The Oakies. They had a Top 30 hit back in the 1969 called "Groovy Grubworm". It was recorded at Gene Sullivan's studio in OKC and has sold over a million copies. Neal is a class act. A man of character, vision and integrity and a heck of Corvette enthusiast. Good luck and God speed to you, Neal. Now back to our regular programming...
 
Zero - What an amazing bit of trivia! VERY cool info.

Neal gave me my 1st chance to get my hands on real broadcast equipment: my 1st real air board, my 1st air turntable, my 1st cart machine.

He ran for, I don't how many years, Explorer Post 1170 at KVOO. As far as I know this was something he did for no pay, volunteering his time to kick-start the next generation of jocks.

When I was a member, KVOO still shared studios with Channel 2 in Brookside, so I got to see the spring-loaded floor use for Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys, 40 years worth of broadcast junk (it tends to collect when you're not being consolidated every few years) and decades of KVOO memorabilia (who knew they had so many bumpers stickers?).

That was also the 1st place I ever heard AM stereo. I sincerely didn't believe what I was hearing was coming off the radio, I thought it had to be from the board... but it was a Pioneer AM stereo home receiver and it was GORGEOUS.

I don't know of a question any of us could ask Neal (sometimes several times) that he wouldn't patiently & clearly answer. He was a wonderful teacher and fantastic ambassador for broadcasting.

One of the things he would do is take us around to other radio stations in Tulsa so we could see how other stations were set up and meet other "pros." One of them was John Erling at KRMG who was doing his Saturday morning mess. Neal warned us after the tour, "just because John runs his needles pegged, doesn't mean that's where you should run your board." :D

Many, many years later Neal would help me get my car out of a parking space it was stuck in due to ice & snow. When he offered to help, I didn't realize he really wasn't in any physical condition at the time to be exerting himself... he didn't care, he saw a need and wanted to help... (and sure enough, we got that car out of there!)

I'm sure Neal has bad qualities, but I've never seen them. He ad-libbed live shots like he was reading a script he'd been practicing for a week, and used his words to put you where he was.

First Durkee, now Kennedy... *WHAA!!!* :'(
 
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