Your backstage pass to the DFW music scene and beyond.
Four longtime radio personalities with strong DFW connections will be inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame this weekend. A couple of others who made DFW stops will be among the 21 new members inducted in the 10th annual ceremony. The ceremony, which is sold out, will take place Sunday at Tin Hall in Cypress, northwest of Houston. But TRHoF founder Larry Shannon sent some intros, which are excerpted below.
Ken Barnett: Barnett began his career at Longview's KFRO in the mid-'70s, then made a stop at Sherman's KIKM, putting him in range of DFW. "He didn’t just want to listen to the Dallas-Fort Worth stations, he wanted to make his mark there – and did - by joining KVIL and spending nearly a dozen years there from 1976-1987 and working with future Texas Radio Hall of Famers like Ron Chapman, Jody Dean, Mike Selden and Mitch Carr," according to his TRHoF intro. Barnett left DFW for gigs in St. Louis, Houston and Birmingham, returning to DFW in the early '90s to work for KHYI "Y95." "But it wasn’t long before he moved across town and up the dial to 103.7 KVIL where he enjoyed many of the great times of his life from 1991 to 2006," the intro says. "He ended his radio career after working at KLTY in 2006 and 2007." Barnett says he still keeps busy, spending time riding his motorcycles, fly-fishing, and perfecting his smoked brisket.
Cuzzin Linnie: Linwood "Cuzzin Linnie" Henderson died earlier this year (The Dallas' Observer's Robert Wilonsky paid tribute), leaving an important legacy. " Cuzzin Linnie broke the color barrier for Dallas-Fort Worth Top 40 radio when he became the overnight delight at KLIF 1190,'" his TRHoF intro says. "He was the DJ who seemed to always be having a good time on the air and it was infectious." Cuzzin Linnie went on to do airshitfs at KXXK, KKDA/730 AM and KNON/89.3 FM.
Mitch Carr: Carr, who is still on the air at KRLD/1080 AM, is best-known for the more than 20 years he spent with DFW radio legend/Hall of Fame member Ron Chapman on KVIL/103.7 AND KLUV/98.7 FM. He came to DFW in 1975, doing midday news at KLIF. Before that, he'd spent time working in Missouri, for the Armed Forces Radio TV Services in Japan on the Far East Network, and back Stateside in Indianapolis. He'd worked for a number of DFW stations before joining Chapman and KVIL in 1985, making the move to KLUV with Chapman in 2000.
Ira Lipson: Ira Lipson founded legendary DFW radio station KZEW "The Zoo," which went off the air six months after I moved to Fort Worth, and even in those late days for the station I could tell that I'd missed out on something before I moved here. (Here's look back, from the Observer's tireless Wilonsky again). Lipson cut his radio teeth in Detroit, where he flipped an oldies station into an album-oriented rock station before coming to DFW and creating KZEW in 1973. (Wanna see how many big DFW radio names worked for the station? Go here and scroll down to KZEW. Or just go here. Or here. Or here.) "In addition to his creative programming and the wisdom to let his air personalities BE creative on their own," his TRHoF intro says, "Ira brought spectacular promotions to Dallas-Fort Worth, including the 'Zoo Goodwill Concert,' which brought together 100,000 Zoo Freaks where 110 tons of clothing were donated for Goodwill Industries." Lipson later did some consulting; one of his big successes was a sports radio station still known as KTCK/1310 AM "The Ticket." He continues to do voiceover work and services clients in the US and Europe.
Other inductees with DFW connections include Doug Harris, a promotions wiz known as the Creative Animal whose Texas stops include DFW's KTXQ and KBFB-FM; and Richard Mock, a newsman who began his career at KRLD/1080 AM and worked at Fort Worth's KFJZ and DFW's KLIF. For a complete list of inductees, go here.
Hey there. or join DFW.com. Your account. Log out.
