Runyon was loved by his radio audience and was known for playing the many love songs of the late 60's and early 70's in his evening time slot. There was many a teenaged girl listening to him every night, and falling asleep to his signature sign-off song, " Good Night My Love" and his signature closing: " from a Runyon named Jim."
Runyon was born in West Virginia in 1931 and grew up in Williamson, where his father owned a furniture store. He had an early interest in radio and started out as a janitor at a radio station in Welch, West Virginia.
When the station's regular announcer did not arrive for work one Saturday morning, Runyon convinced the station manager to let him go on the air. This worked out to be a regular air shift for him until it was learned that he was only thirteen years old. The state's Child Welfare Department intervened, and Runyon had to leave the airwaves until his fourteenth birthday.
Jim is running the main studio turntables at WCFL in Chicago in August, 1966. [ LISTEN ] (7:35)
The Chicago Federation of Labor station, as heard during the Summer of 1966. Jim's got a smooth voice, and the advertisements feature smooth ladies’ voices.You’ll hear five minutes of scoped Jim Runyon, then a minute of WCFL News headlines before its back to music and the end of the recording.
Runyon worked at several radio stations in West Virginia before serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. He was initially a correspondent but became a Marine recruiter assigned to the Miami, Florida area. While in Miami as a recruiter, Runyon also became part of a Marine unit there doing radio and television public service announcements. The unit included Ed McMahon, later of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Following his discharge in 1951, he went to work at WLW in Cincinnati. From 1954 to 1961, Runyon worked in Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, prior to his joining station KYW in Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1965, he moved to WCFL in Chicago. Runyon was the narrator of the Chickenman series which began on his program at WCFL in Chicago in 1966.
According to creator Dick Orkin, "Jim was incredible, he would adlib an ending for each episode. Jim made the work enjoyable and fun — because we never knew what he was going to come up with. His big goal was to break us up at the ending and make us laugh." Runyon also played several other parts in the show.
According to creator Dick Orkin, "Jim was incredible, he would adlib an ending for each episode. Jim made the work enjoyable and fun — because we never knew what he was going to come up with. His big goal was to break us up at the ending and make us laugh." Runyon also played several other parts in the show.
He rejoined what became WKYC in October 1969, replacing Specs Howard on the morning show and kept the position when the station became WWWE in 1972.
Runyon announced his resignation from WWWE in March, 1973 because of health concerns. Runyon had been frequently hospitalized and told WWWE management to look for a replacement, as he doubted he would be able to return to the air. Weeks later, he died of leukemia at the age of 42. He was survived by his wife, actress Jane Roberts, who had performed with him in Chickenman, their daughter Jennifer Runyon (born 1960), a film and television actress, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage.
Runyon's memory was honored at a special Cleveland Indians game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on May 4, 1973, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.
