Harry Harrison started in radio at the age of 14 while living in his hometown of Chicago, IL. He suffered a bout of rheumatic fever and was in bed for a year. As a result, radio became his best friend. After his recovery he approached WJJD in Chicago for a job. They put him in contact with the educational station in Chicago, WBEZ. Incredibly, he moved to Chicago's WCFL as a summer replacement and stayed for eight months!
Harry cultivated his homespun, genuine, warm, and personable, on-air style at WPEO.Harry next moved to WPEO in Peoria IL as the morning man and later its program director. There, he hosted a top rated morning show as the "Morning Mayor of Peoria" and even performed in local television! He made WPEO the top station in six months. As Harry became well known in the Midwest with his rapid success, New York City's WMCA came calling.
In 1959 Harry joined WMCA as one of the famous "Good Guys". WMCA was an incredible Top 40 radio station from this era and Harry was very popular in the late morning midday show. Early morning WMCA personality Joe O'Brien followed by Harry Harrison gave program director Ruth Meyer a formidable "one two punch" in the New York radio ratings every morning for over eight years. Harry refined his personable style which became extremely popular with housewives. In fact, one of Harry's best known features on WMCA was his "Housewife Hall of Fame".
WABC program director Rick Sklar took note of this. When Herb Oscar Anderson decided to leave WABC in 1968, Rick hired Harry to become WABC's morning drive air personality. Among his many talents, Harry is able to drop in weather forecasts, time checks and traffic reports with ease and Rick was quite impressed by this.
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During this era in Top 40 radio programming where the object was to appeal to a mass audience of every demographic, Harry fit WABC perfectly. And, the ratings that followed Harry to WABC proved that Rick had made the perfect choice. By 1970 Harry was waking up nearly 4 million people a day!
Harry is at WABC in New York on December 31, 1975. [ LISTEN ] (12:38)
This particular morning, Harrison brought in his family and they actually get to say hello on the air. WABC is in the middle of playing the Top 100 songs of 1975.
One famous Harry Harrison WABC story was that he once received a letter from a lady who gave him up for Lent as a sign of great sacrifice. In her letter she commented that she was late for work and missed getting up on several occasions as a result! Many WABC listeners will also remember Harry "zipping" his female listeners up every morning.
Harry remained at WABC until 1979. Times were changing and music stations on AM were struggling. In its final two years as a music station, WABC tried various approaches to keeping that music audience. One attempt was to move Dan Ingram to mornings. Harry left WABC in November of 1979 to the cries of his many fans. But, he wasn't off the air for long.
Collage created by Harry's wife "Pretty Patti", copies were sent to loyal listeners. Harry has a number of "trademark" phrases he uses on the air. "Every brand new day should be opened like a precious gift", "Stay well, stay happy, stay right here" and "Harry Harrison wishing you the best... that's exactly what you deserve". Harry also has a Holiday greeting titled "May You Always" which he plays every year over the holidays.
So, how did Harry stay on the air in New York for almost 44 years? "I think the secret is that I come across as an ordinary guy, which I am" says Harry. "I spend time with my family, go to the movies, run errands, read books".
Harry's last weekday show on WCBS-FM March 19, 2003.On getting that first job at WMCA in 1959, Harry goes on to say "How many chances do you get to go to New York? Most people, when they come here, think they have to change. I didn't. I do just what I did in Peoria.
Harry passed away on January 28, 2020 at his home in Westwood, New Jersey. He was 89 years old.
