Paul Harvey…When We Listened

Although I am bound to get arguments on this one, I believe there has never been a better commentator than the late Paul Harvey. His powerful voice could be heard on radio and television from coast to coast for the better part of six decades.

We couldn’t wait to listen.

Harvey was a valuable source for workplace and living room discussions. His “News and Comment” broadcast on weekdays and Saturdays reached 24 million listeners on 1,200 radio stations from 1951 to 2008. His broadcasts were heard on 400 American Forces Networks radio stations aired to millions of service members. If that wasn’t enough and you didn’t have a radio, you could read his words in 300 newspapers across the land.

Tulsa, Oklahoma born Paul Harvey Aurandt arrived on the planet September 4, 1918 – born with a God-given voice for broadcasting. It got our attention. We just couldn’t stop listening – even when we didn’t agree with him. Harvey was a true conservative, yet he observed all sides of a story.

He never played sides.

“Stand By For News!” and “The Rest of The Story…”

Harvey’s interest in broadcasting began with building radio receivers as a young teen. One of his high school teachers was so inspired by his powerful voice that she suggested he pursue a career in broadcasting. His first job was building maintenance custodian at KVOO radio in his native Tulsa in 1933. He watched what good broadcasters did and honed his broadcasting skills accordingly. Harvey’s launch pad was filling in for broadcasters who couldn’t get to a microphone. He had a natural ability to speak with great clarity and perfect diction. He knew how to keep us hanging on his every word with the extended pregnant pause.

Harvey’s journey with KVOO continued while he was in college at the University of Tulsa. He became program director at KVOO before moving on to KFBI (later KFDI) in Wichita, with a broad reach across the vast prairie. Harvey’s career path became swift, landing him at KOMA in Oklahoma City, and later KXOK in St. Louis by the end of the 1930s. He learned the ropes of radio broadcasting at these stations where his mentors molded him for a lifetime of broadcasting.

As World War II unfolded in two theatres a world apart, Harvey found himself on Oahu in the Pacific in the wake of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor to cover news and events of the vast Pacific. Harvey enlisted in the United States Army, serving a short time in 1943-44 before getting a medical discharge and a return to civilian life.

Harvey’s post-war career took him to Chicago and WENR, an ABC radio affiliate. At WENR, he hosted “Jobs For G.I. Joe,” which was a valuable service for Veterans who had served, only to come out of the military to unemployment lines and no place to live. His voice was reassuring for those who were struggling with the culture shock of post-war life. Harvey’s “The Rest of The Story…” was a natural addition to news stories that required additional clarification.

Harvey remained with ABC Radio through the 1940s and ’50s, cutting his teeth as a respected broadcaster. Sometimes, opportunities arise where we never expected to find them. Harvey filled in for veteran broadcaster H.R. Baukhage’s daily news round-up. ABC immediately replaced him with Paul Harvey on the daily broadcast.

In April of 1951, ABC News changed Baukhage’s “Daily News Round-Up” broadcast name to “Paul Harvey News and Comment,” and the world of radio broadcasting changed overnight. Harvey found himself on television by November of the following year where he gained his momentum.

Harvey’s success would endure for decades. He continued without interruption until his passing in 2009. In later years, Harvey did his broadcasts with help from his son, Paul Harvey, Jr. Harvey began to suffer from health issues that kept his voice off the air intermittently in the 2000s.

ABC News, so inspired by the great success of Harvey’s broadcasts, signed a 10-year, $100 million contract to remain on its networks. When Harvey couldn’t regularly deliver broadcasts, he looked to credible people who could deliver his message – Senator Fred Thompson (also an actor), his son, Harvey, and other notable celebrities filled in when he couldn’t speak. When Harvey passed in 2009. ABC News canceled his program. No one could fill his enormous shoes.

It can be safely said Harvey was inspired by great broadcasters. He’d listen to radio and television news and molded his style after the best storytellers. His intoxicating style kept us all in front of the radio when radio’s time had long passed.