What ever happened to Dan Ingram

[DawsButlerFan]

Does anyone know what ever became of Dan Ingram after he left CBS-FM? He was one if not the greatest air talent to hit the air.

 

[BACKnUSSR]

Does anyone know what ever became of Dan Ingram after he left CBS-FM? He was one if not the greatest air talent to hit the air.

Dan is alive and well and happily retired. He does a bit of work on the advisory board of AFTRA I believe.

 

[disney fanatic]

I wish Dan Ingram should come back to CBS-FM for another Radio Greats show probably soon.

 

[tothedj]

For those who might catch the "Saturday Night Oldies" show on WABC in New
York, he occasionally talks with Mark Simone and if you go to this web page,
you might find a recent interview there...www.musicradio77.com
By the way, Dan Ingram will be inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame this
fall, congradulations to him!

 

[Boss Radio]

Ingram got mad and quit when CBS-FM tried to cut back his hours and pay. Since that was the only place where his presence really made any sense, there was nowhere else to go.

In all honesty, his time had passed. Silly double entendre lines sound really dumb when a 70-year-old is telling them for the 10,000th time. Ingram's delivery had degenerated into a mumbling growl. His legend from the WABC days is secure, so why do the same "Come Together" joke again?

 

[DawsButlerFan]

Does anyone know what ever became of Dan Ingram after he left CBS-FM? He was one if not the greatest air talent to hit the air.

Dan is alive and well and happily retired. He does a bit of work on the advisory board of AFTRA I believe.

Glad to hear Big Dan is doing well. He inspired many young jocks to get into the biz and is truly one of the real radio giants.

 

[froggiesmother]

In reply to Boss Man...I have to agree that Ingram's skills in his latter years certainly weren't what they were in his prime years on WABC...but listen to the aircheck of his last visit with Mark Simone.... many people who were true fans of Dan would still find him to be relevant, humorous and entertaining....Yeah, some of the lines he uses may be a bit fried, his delivery does sound like a man who is getting on in years, but the man is still a wonderful communicator and has that special something that 99 percent of the air talent in this business will never possess. I admit my view of Dan will always be through rose colored glasses since I was one of those people inspired to be in the business by him....but my point is, there are alot of us who don't care if the lines are old, if the delivery is mumbled....it's hard to explain why, but life just seems right when Dan is talking on the radio.

 

[Boss Radio]

I can understand the sentiment. A lot of people feel the same way about baseball announcers whose skills have slipped. There's just a comfort level in having that voice in a familiar setting. It provides some continuity, especially when the players move around so much.

The problem with that in Ingram's case is CBS-FM will always battle demo issues....and the people who feel warm and fuzzy about Ingram are probably those who remember him from WABC. Those are the older demos who are largely already locked into CBS-FM.

Younger listeners just take him at face value, and that isn't the style of radio they grew up with. They're not going to find that same comfort level.

 

[jamjimaria]

For those who might catch the "Saturday Night Oldies" show on WABC in New
York, he occasionally talks with Mark Simone and if you go to this web page,
you might find a recent interview there...www.musicradio77.com
By the way, Dan Ingram will be inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame this
fall, congradulations to him!

I did listen to this and it was a great trip down memory lane. One thing came to mind though. You can tell the closeness between Dan & Ron Lundy, but you don't get that same feeling with Harry Harrison. They mentioned him in passing, then Dan had mentioned that he took over mornings when Herb Oscar Anderson left the station. Dan did mornings when WABC fired Harry Harrison, not Herb Oscar Anderson. I just thought it was odd that they kept mentioning the closeness with Lundy, Ingram and Cousin Brucie, but Harry was barely mentioned.

 

[calstymes]

jamjimaria astutely observed:

One thing came to mind though. You can tell the closeness between Dan & Ron Lundy, but you don't get that same feeling with Harry Harrison. They mentioned him in passing, then Dan had mentioned that he took over mornings when Herb Oscar Anderson left the station. Dan did mornings when WABC fired Harry Harrison, not Herb Oscar Anderson. I just thought it was odd that they kept mentioning the closeness with Lundy, Ingram and Cousin Brucie, but Harry was barely mentioned.

In deference to each of these wonderfully talented air personalities who are mentioned above I can't give away any specific trade secrets or inside info but jamjimaria is certainly a good listener! And he didn't imagine what he heard, either. I completely understand why he would think that what Dan said might be odd.

Without getting too specific, let's just say that while the relationship between Dan and Harry has been a professionally cordial one over the years, there have occasionally been times when it was personally strained. It doesn't surprise me that Dan said what he said on Mark's show and while he might be getting on a bit in years he is still as sharp as a tack and knew full well what he was saying. The sad thing is, he most likely also knew that what he said would likely get back to Harry, which is probably why he said it.

These guys, especially the real pros, hide their personal feelings pretty well, don't you think? No doubt another "tell-all" book will be written someday in which you'll be able to read all about these kinds of things, but until somebody who "was there" has the nerve to do something like that, much of this will likely stay shrouded in mystery.

Stay tuned!

 

[ScarletVoice]

I am new to this blog, but sent here by Tom Taylor's comments about Dan and his induction into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. I was privileged to sit in with Dan many times during my college days, first in his old studio, and then in the new, huge, all-cart studio where Dan sat across from his engineer with live speakers up on the wall behind him. The plate reverb unit, the best in the industry, was several floors away, totally isolated, and if memory serves me correctly, about 15 to 20 feet long. Dan had a similar one in his production studio in what was formerly his garage at his house on Long Island where he also went to college (Hofstra). To watch this consumate professional work was unique, but, moreover, to have coffee or lunch with him, and talk out at length what it took to become successful in that business in those days pursuaded me NOT to try to become a professional radio DJ (helped by the Vietnam War draft!). Someone above said the youth of today are not used to that style of DJ: I have found in my own career as a CD producer/engineer when the topic of oldies and the 60s/70s comes up, today's young folks are fascinated and excited by the talk-up entro, and seem to love it. I've played them some recordings of DJs from that era, and the reaction is the same: wide-eyes and smiles all around.

 

[calstymes]

ScarletVoice reported:

I have found in my own career as a CD producer/engineer when the topic of oldies and the 60s/70s comes up, today's young folks are fascinated and excited by the talk-up entro, and seem to love it. I've played them some recordings of DJs from that era, and the reaction is the same: wide-eyes and smiles all around.

And Dan did that better than anyone else ever has in this business. I can understand why young people would find recordings of his work entertaining, fascinating and insightful. He knows he was the best and the admiration that his fans and most fellow professionals feel for him is well deserved.

 

[RADIO TRUTH]

Attention groupies.....According to two inside sources at CBS, Dan Ingram was offered weekends at CBS-FM. He turned it down because of the piss poor money he was being offered which should give you an idea of what the other jocks are making there.

 

[chacha]

Attention groupies.....According to two inside sources at CBS, Dan Ingram was offered weekends at CBS-FM. He turned it down because of the piss poor money he was being offered which should give you an idea of what the other jocks are making there.

Maybe he values what he does.

 

[Boss Radio]

Well, considering CBS-FM is the last place he can do what he does, I guess he'll be content to do it in his living room.

 

[RADIO TRUTH]

I have a great deal of respect for Dan Ingram turning down the chump change offer that CBS-FM brought before him. I have no respect for the fulltime djs who are on CBS-FM now and accepting the AFTRA minimum. I, also, have no respect for all the djs who work for $15.00 an hour on various XM and Sirius music channels. When a dj whores himself, he is saying that $15.00 an hour is all he is worth. Overall, it brings down the salaries for all djs.

 

[chacha]

Well, considering CBS-FM is the last place he can do what he does, I guess he'll be content to do it in his living room.

Well....maybe he won't be broadcasting in his "living room" as you say....maybe he'll be enjoying a comfortable retirement...traveling around the world with his wife, and spending time his kids and grandchildren, after a stellar 45 year career.
Or he could take the money (he probably doesn't need) and play the Greatest Hits of the 60's, 70's and 80's. Personally, I think the man has earned option #1.

 

[justareporter]

With any luck no one will ever write the book. Ingram, Harrison, cousin Brucie et.al were terrific broadcasters and I am not sure I need to know every professional or personal up and down the had with one another. We grew up when talent was king and it doesn't get much better than that.

 

[raykroc]

I would like to know why there was friction between Dan Ingram and Harry Harrison. Their public personae are different. Ingram has had several marriages and a very liberal political perspective. Harry was married to the same woman for many years, had four children, and gave the public a perception of a
man with strong family values. That could make him somewhat right-of-center. However, Barry Goldwater and John Kennedy were close friends, so it's not as if
you have to be politically compatible to get along. Also, Dan was irreverent while Harry was warm and fuzzy. Perhaps Ingram thought of Harrison as a wimp.
C'mon, somebody give us the E! True Hollywood Story.

 

[fortmill]

raykroc, I resent the fact that you say that because a person has strong family values that person might be expected to be politically right of center. Where do you get such an idea? That's a real "kroc" in my opinion!