The End of an Era

I'm guessing that many of you don't know who Paul Harvey is. Or I guess I should say was.

He was a radio legend, a true original. Here's the obit from the Washington Post. And from this link you can find some examples of his work. Besides reading the daily news, he also broadcast a piece called "The Rest of the Story". Here's a good example of that.

Finally, a few tributes from longtime listeners:

My parents listened to him every day. His demeanor was that of a beloved family friend stopping by to have a chat. He was sincere and unpretentious and presented things in a way so that people of all ages and levels of education could understand without dumbing anything down. He was able to disagree with others and still be a gentleman. We have lost a true class act.

I'm surprised his death is only noted as a footnote in the news rather than as a headline. Talk about misplaced priorities. Little tribute is paid in the press to a giant of a person like Paul Harvey, but trivia that happens on American Idol gets shoved in our face.

My father used to call Paul Harvey a prostitute in the news industry. That is because one moment Paul Harvey would be telling a news story, and the next moment he would be advertising a sponsor's product in his own voice. It therefore became confusing at times to discern what was news and what was sponsor advertising. Personally, I enjoyed Paul Harvey's style because he made news entertaining. He was a story teller. But my father's negative opinion of him did make an impression on me, as a child, because my father (like Harvey) was also a prominent journalist.

Every time I heard Paul Harveys voice it reminded me of being on my grandparents farm. Every weekday he would come on the radio around lunchtime. Awesome because it gave me a few extra minutes out of the heat! But, it was also a time where you didn't dare talk. There were four things you never talked during: Paul Harvey, The Farm Report, the evening news, and the mealtime blessings (and church, of course, but that was never a problem. Someone usually had to keep elbowing Grandpa to keep him awake). I read one of Paul Harveys "Rest of the Story" books. Those stories are always interesting and hold your attention. Paul Harvey always seemed to take me back to a different time. There was something comforting about his voice on the radio. Just my 2 cents.