First Paul Harvey Biography Hits Bookstores

It was my unfortunate duty to report the recent passing of an American radio icon, Paul Harvey. Now, a mere six months later, we find the the first biography of this classic audio personality hitting the shelves, Good Day! The Paul Harvey Story by Paul J. Batura.

It’s going to be an interesting book. The author is a member of the noted conservative evangelical organization Focus on the Family, and originally started it as a book on Harvey’s faith. The forward is by someone you should recognize from the recent presidential campaign, Mike Huckabee.

According to David Hinckly at the New York Daily News, it was only after Harvey’s death that Batura decided to expand the scope of the work. It is a work that evidently sings Harvey’s praises unabashedly:

Readers seeking analysis of the controversies in Harvey’s career will have to wait for another biography because while Batura brings most of them up, it is primarily to explain Harvey’s perspective.

That includes Harvey’s support for Sen. Joseph McCarthy and other Communist-hunters of the early 1950s. Like Harvey, Batura argues history has forgotten or ignored the genuine threat communism posed in those years, and suggests that countertactics like “the so-called blacklist” were part of a sincere effort to protect America.

He does go on to state that overall, the book follows Harvey’s personal story as he worked his way up through the broadcast industry to the point where he became a household name.  It’s a classic American story of success achieved through hard work and determination.

I’m sure we will be seeing more of these soon, including the inevitable “tell all” paperbacks, but this is the first one and I thought it deserved special notice.

Image: Book Cover | Fair Use

Paul Harvey Jr. Gives Eulogy for His Father

“A great tree has fallen, an empty place has opened up against the sky.”

These were the words that Paul Harvey Jr. opened with last  Saturday, March 7, a quote from his father’s send-off for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I am sure that the 200 mourners at the Fourth Presbyterian Church on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago had agreed.

The man who created the words “skyjacker,” “Reaganomics” and “guesstimate” has left the earthly plane, and the outpouring of emotion across the nation shows how much he is missed.

Via The Washington Post:

The son recalled his father’s start on radio for the 200 mourners at the Fourth Presbyterian Church on the Magnificent Mile. When his father first applied for a job on radio, he was given a broom and told to sweep up, Harvey Jr. said.

He went on to share the wealth of accomplishments his father had accumulated over the decades. From the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to Mr. Harvey in 2005 to his induction into the Radio Hall of Fame (an honor he shared with his wife, the woman he always referred to as “angel”), there was a hefty list.

What I will miss the most, small as it is, is the sound of Paul Harvey’s voice with its staccato delivery saying, “And now — for News!”

Photo courtesy of Vertigojen, used under its Creative Commons license

Museum of Broadcast Communications Tunes in the Spirit of Paul Harvey

Bruce DuMont, founder and president of the Museum of Broadcast Communications, is invoking the spirit of a radio legend.  The Museum itself has been through many ups and downs due to broken promises of funding from recently ousted Illinois Gov. Blagojevich. In fact work on the site is currently suspended due to outstanding bills. Nonetheless DuMont remains sanguine about the fate of both the Museum and the Radio Hall of Fame it will house.  New administrations in Illinois and Washington, D.C.,  provide a possible light in the tunnel.

In the meantime, staying optimistic, he looks to the future. As Phil Rosenthal at the Chicago Tribune shows, Mr. DuMont is looking forward by honoring the past:

Following Harvey’s death this weekend at age 90, DuMont has decided the museum, assuming it is finished, will rename the special-events venue that is to take up its fourth floor.

The Paul and Angel Harvey Center will honor the broadcaster and his wife of 68 years and longtime producer, Lynne, who died in May.

As the coming weeks approach, I feel we will be seeing many more instances like this. The honors and tributes offered up by passionate fans to this man who came into our living rooms, cars, and headphones for six decades. It is a true testament to Mr. Harvey’s force of personality and to the power of radio itself.

Go take a look at the museum website, there is a video of Paul Harvey talking about why it’s important.

Logo  courtesy of MBC Press Page

Legendary Radio Broadcaster Paul Harvey Passes Away at Age 90

On Saturday, February 28, the mic went silent. Paul H. Aurandt, known to his estimated 22 million regular listeners as Paul Harvey, passed away this weekend at the age of 90. Seventy of those 90 years were spent on the air, years that indelibly imprinted his unique vocal style upon the consciousness of America. “Stand by for news!” said with that distinctive rise in pitch on the word “news” that almost every American  recognizes.

Coming roughly a year after losing his wife and long time producer Lynne,  Mr. Harvey has now joined her. He called her his “Angel” from the night they met.  They are survived by their son, Paul Harvey, Jr.  More from Seattle PI/TV Guide Matt Mitovich:

“My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news,” Paul Harvey Jr. said in a statement. “So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and … millions have lost a friend.”

Godparents, indeed. Mr. Harvey’s first radio work was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the year 1933 at KVOO-AM. Radio has been his home ever since. In 1951 his voice was brought to listeners across the country when his first national broadcasts began. Since then his offbeat delivery and Midwestern folksiness have been a constant. For more than twice my lifetime he has been a part of our nation’s audio tapestry.

One trademark of this legendary announcer is the conversational way in which he introduced advertising into his shows. Each pitch was woven seamlessly into the conversation on air. Famous for his stance of only endorsing products he himself used, Paul Harvey was setting the bar for the social media that come with the Internet age. Personal and warm, he would make each product placement as riveting and personal as the rest of this broadcast.

The Internet and the media are overflowing with the news, tributes and retrospectives, providing “The Rest of the Story” on this titan of the AM band.

• NPR – Audio – Dumont, a friend of Mr. Harvey’s and the founder of the Museum of Broadcast Communications, talks to National Public Radio host Robert Smith.
• ABC News – Linda Zecchino and Dean Schabner give us  fantastic four page look at Mr. Harvey’s amazing life and career. At the time of this writing there are hundreds of comments containing an outpouring of emotion from listeners around the world.
• The Chicago Tribune- Dennis McLellan of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune reporters Mary Owen, Rick Kogan and Trevor Jensen present a solid retrospective on Mr. Harvey’s life and career.

Condolences may be left for the family through the Paul Harvey Website

In Mr. Harvey’s own famous words, “good day!”

Photo courtesy of RoadsidePictures, used under its Creative Commons license