Radio Legend Paul Harvey Silenced

Todd Pittenger / Metro Source News - Sat 08:39 PM 02/28/2009

At age 19 Paul Harvey briefly lived in Salina, and worked at radio station KFBI. In the mid 1970s Harvey returned to Salina for a visit, and broadcast his nationally syndicated radio program live from the KSAL studios.

Radio legend Paul Harvey has been silenced. The broadcasting pioneer died at age 90 on Saturday. Word of his death comes from the head of the ABC Radio Network.

Harvey was fixture on radio stations around the country, including KSAL, for over 50 years. He opened each weekday broadcast with the memorable phrase, "Hello Americans, This Is Paul Harvey."

Harvey was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and started his radio career in 1933 in Tulsa while still in high school.

In 1937, at age 19, Paul Harvey lived in Salina, and worked at radio station KFBI. The station eventually moved to Wichita, and later changed its call letters to KFDI.

After leaving Salina he would take a newscasting job in Oklahoma City and became a radio reporter in St. Louis.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Harvey enlisted into the Army Air Corps, where he served until 1944. He then began work in Chicago, where in 1951 he started his "News and Comment" on the ABC Radio Network. In 1976, he also began another network program called "The Rest of the Story."

In the mid 1970s Harvey returned to Salina for a visit, and broadcast his nationally syndicated radio program live from the KSAL studios.

In a letter Harvey sent to KSAL in 1997, he said that he fondly remembers his time in Salina. He said that he never worked for KSAL, which was at that time competing with KFBI. He remembered announcing and traveling with the Norse Gospel Trio, which he called "an inspiring experience". He also remembered spending Thanksgiving in Salina. Times were tough, and he remembered the radio station trading advertising for a turkey so the employees could have a Thanksgiving meal.

The 90-year-old Harvey once said he was raised in radio newsrooms. After last September's death of George Putnam, Harvey became the oldest syndicated radio personality in the nation.

Explaining why his sponsors were supportive of his programs, Harvey once said "I am fiercely loyal to those willing to put their money where my mouth is."

A statement from ABC Radio Networks President James Robinson:

Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation's history. As he delivered the news each day with his own unique style and commentary, his voice became a trusted friend in American households. His career in radio spanned more than seven decades, during which time countless millions of listeners were both informed and entertained by his "News & Comment" and "Rest of the Story" features. Even after the passing of his loving wife Angel in May 2008, Paul would not slip quietly into retirement as he continued to take the microphone and reach out to his audience. We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him. Our thoughts and prayers are now with his son Paul Jr. and the rest of the Harvey family.

Jim Robinson

President, ABC Radio Networks

A statement from Paul Harvey Jr. :

My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news. So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend.

Paul Harvey Jr.

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