Radio Pioneer, Legend and Icon, Paul Harvey, famous for his line "and now you know, the rest of the story" passed away on Saturday February 28, 2009 at the age of 90. It was a sad day for broadcasters and listeners alike around the world to learn of his passing. I followed many comments about him on the famous Social Networking site Twitter via their search page. Of course people were sharing memories, and passing on condolences.
Naturally I started thinking about my own memories of listening to Paul. Unfortunately I don't have many, but he did have an influence on my life. My earliest memory is when my dad would listen. Dad would even record the broadcasts just in case it was one he would want to listen to again when he couldn't find anything else as entertaining to listen to. Back then I didn't understand what was so appealing. But dad was 3 years younger than Paul, and so he related very well. I would sit and listen from time to time with dad to see if I could "get it" but I was a teen more interested in music. When my dad passed away in 1989 I remember going through his effects and seeing several cassettes with Paul Harvey's "Rest of the Story" on them. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
It wasn't until I was about 22 that I gained a true appreciation for Paul Harvey and Talk Radio. I was working a roofing job and the guys had on the local Talk Station. Of course, the station carried Paul's News and Commentary. It was mesmerizing to listen to Paul tell his stories. I remember thinking how cool that these "construction" guys were into it too! I always associated the rock genre with construction, so that had been an enlightening experience for me.
In 1996 I got a job working for a radio group in Salt Lake City. The AM station in the cluster also carried Paul's programs. At times I was asked to make sure it aired as the station recorded the feed from ABC Radio on reel to reel for playback at noon. So I would go sit in the AM studio and listen while it played. The stories were always entertaining. I never came away disappointed!
Paul Harvey must have touched 98 percent of American's lives. That is not a hard fact or statistic I am presenting, I am just suggesting that he had a serious influence. And if he didn't touch someone directly, he most certainly has has an indirect effect. And it has been a positive one because he believed in God, Country and Family. Not only from a broadcasters point of view, but as an American and as a human, Paul has led a life of example we should all live by.
My legacy in radio will not be anywhere near as great as Paul's. But I certainly aspire to be able to influence lives in the same fashion as he did with honesty, integrity, moral character and a wholesomeness that is withering away just to earn a buck. In a day of shock talk and celebrity gossip that most broadcasters call entertainment, I hope to provide listeners the same caliber of entertainment as Paul Harvey did.
Paul Harvey, I stand as one counted whose life you touched and had influence on, not only as a broadcaster but as an American and a human. I am honored to have had the opportunity as many of us had, to have listened to you and we could always count on you to tell us the rest of the story.
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Naturally I started thinking about my own memories of listening to Paul. Unfortunately I don't have many, but he did have an influence on my life. My earliest memory is when my dad would listen. Dad would even record the broadcasts just in case it was one he would want to listen to again when he couldn't find anything else as entertaining to listen to. Back then I didn't understand what was so appealing. But dad was 3 years younger than Paul, and so he related very well. I would sit and listen from time to time with dad to see if I could "get it" but I was a teen more interested in music. When my dad passed away in 1989 I remember going through his effects and seeing several cassettes with Paul Harvey's "Rest of the Story" on them. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.It wasn't until I was about 22 that I gained a true appreciation for Paul Harvey and Talk Radio. I was working a roofing job and the guys had on the local Talk Station. Of course, the station carried Paul's News and Commentary. It was mesmerizing to listen to Paul tell his stories. I remember thinking how cool that these "construction" guys were into it too! I always associated the rock genre with construction, so that had been an enlightening experience for me.
In 1996 I got a job working for a radio group in Salt Lake City. The AM station in the cluster also carried Paul's programs. At times I was asked to make sure it aired as the station recorded the feed from ABC Radio on reel to reel for playback at noon. So I would go sit in the AM studio and listen while it played. The stories were always entertaining. I never came away disappointed!
Paul Harvey must have touched 98 percent of American's lives. That is not a hard fact or statistic I am presenting, I am just suggesting that he had a serious influence. And if he didn't touch someone directly, he most certainly has has an indirect effect. And it has been a positive one because he believed in God, Country and Family. Not only from a broadcasters point of view, but as an American and as a human, Paul has led a life of example we should all live by.
My legacy in radio will not be anywhere near as great as Paul's. But I certainly aspire to be able to influence lives in the same fashion as he did with honesty, integrity, moral character and a wholesomeness that is withering away just to earn a buck. In a day of shock talk and celebrity gossip that most broadcasters call entertainment, I hope to provide listeners the same caliber of entertainment as Paul Harvey did.
Paul Harvey, I stand as one counted whose life you touched and had influence on, not only as a broadcaster but as an American and a human. I am honored to have had the opportunity as many of us had, to have listened to you and we could always count on you to tell us the rest of the story.
1 comment:
Very insightful and well written, Charlie.
A voice so familiar has been quieted, but life's experiences, as often described by Mr. Harvey, continue in its progressive line of march.
The parade, however, will now be described in different ways, as it passes by ... and, I'm afraid, not as eloquently as Paul Harvey described it as a ... "Good Day!"
Thank you for this tribute. It was, as life is, moving.
Thanks to Mr. Harvey for sharing his life with us for these many, many years. The life he saw through 76 years of broadcast experience was made better, sadder, enthusiastically and quietly at many times ... times, as described by him, always memorable.
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