Bob Gibson Interviews Bob Whitney about Dan Ingram
September, 2016
On the occasion of Dan's 82nd birthday

 
 
                                                 
 
Bob Gibson writes:

Dan Ingram, the super-talented broadcaster who just happened to be  a bright-sounding, often hilarious air personality who put WABC, New York, on the map like never before nor since, is 82. 
A lot of us radio and television people, past and present, harbor warm feelings for Big Dan and so I have reached out, all the way to California, to enlist an old and dear friend of his 
to retrace the highlights of a fast-moving career that did not slow down until the man returned to New York, New York.
 
Our guide for this colorful flashback is Bob Whitney who recruited Dan many years ago and for whom Dan has the utmost respect. 
Here are some of Bob's recollections:
   

In 1959, I became Program Director of KBOX radio in Big D. I got the job because I held the same position at KALL, Salt Lake City, and we had gone #1 in the ratings as a top forty station. KBOX, Dallas, was up against Gordon McClendon’s powerhouse, number-one Top 40 station, KLIF, and we had a VERY BIG job to do. The biggest answer I found was young deejay, Dan Ingram, whom I hired out of a station in Connecticut, [WNHC, New Haven.]. I knew when I heard his tape that he was what was needed on the air in Dallas.

A year later, we had done very well against KLIF and Big Dan was well established as the most exciting morning deejay to be heard anywhere.    He was also one of the most talented hands-on production experts I have ever met. Our KBOX success got me the job of National PD of the 3 Balaban stations and I moved on to WIL, St. Louis.  Quickly, I stole Big Dan from my own Dallas station and made him - not only morning man at WIL - but also Program Director at our “St. Louis Tiger”.

Together Dan and I went looking for talent - and we found it.  I clearly remember listening to a tape (we almost didn't open) from a guy out of Baton Rouge - as succulent a sound as the sweet taste of crawfish pie. And that's how Ron Lundy got to be Dan Ingram's "best friend" on the air at WIL.  We found Bob Dayton somewhere and called him Rockin' Robin Scott - a guy just crazy enough to work for us. 

We got WIL sounding almost as good as KBOX. We ran shows and contests and lots of crazy promotions around the clock. WIL was getting to be a fun place and the sound seemed too good to be true. We were constant-flow, top-forty.   WIL did VERY well thanks to air promotion spawned right out of Big D's KBOX with Dan Ingram as chief morning clown and and inventive PD. After a while there really wasn't a lot more to do. WIL became smasho numero-uno. 

Stan Kaplan, WIL Sales Manager, and I quit WIL, flew east and started Mars Broadcasting (syndicated top forty programming and production). We moved to Stamford, Connecticut and set up shop in a nice little neighborhood on Hope Street. We started producing and selling contests and jingles to top forty radio stations nationwide.

Did I send up smoke signals for Big Dan back in St. Louis?  Of course I did!  And Big Dan flew to Mars.

                                                              

  
Bob Whitney

 

Stamford was just 25 miles from Dan's home town: The Big Apple - NYC. But after his fantastic Mars contribution, Dan Ingram was headed for bigger things. He began to itch big time to get back on the air. I began to have bad dreams about losing him. It didn't  help that his great voice was already blaring on WABC. Stan Kaplan was selling Mars Funtests to our new friend at ABC, Hal Neal. Our “Funtests”  radiated hourly from all the ABC O&O's, but nowhere as big and loud as from WABC, New York. Dan was already on the air every hour on WABC!

You may have heard the fabulous story about how Dan spliced himself into a WABC aircheck and brazenly sneaked into ABC after hours and dropped the tape on Neal's desk. That was the biggest favor anybody ever did for Hal Neal. I tried to make a contribution. I called Neal personally and told him how great Dan was and that he should hire him. Later, Neal thanked me. 

It soon seemed like the Mars studios became a day-off hangout for every radio guy I ever knew.  Ron Lundy and Bob Dayton flew in on a several weekends. Needless to say it wasn't Mars they wanted to land on. They wanted WABC.  At one point, both seemed to be calling Big Dan at WABC on the hour and half hour. It took awhile but Dan did it. Dayton went to WABC in 1963 and Lundy in '65.

Big Dan keynoted WABC until May 10, 1982 - an amazing 21 years. Then came  “the day the music died” and WABC - the Top 40 giant - disappeared forever. On the last show, you can hear the BIG SIGN OFF by both Ron Lundy and Big Dan Ingram.

Later, Big Dan went to WCBS-FM for several years - carrying the Top 40 Flame until the very end.   His old buddy, Ron Lundy, was already there doing nine-to-noon.  

                                  


Big Dan & Bob Whitney on WOR (circa 2001) 

 

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