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Kuar radio4/10/2023 ![]() The casts included soundbites, mostly from phone interviews, though Morris says he got out and covered some events around Little Rock, mainly with people of significance like the governor. William Morris, another news anchor, tells me he worked with Ron there in 1983, with the stations simulcasting newscasts during the mornings and afternoons and at 12 p.m. Ron spent some time at the original KLAZ-FM 98.5 (the Little Rock station, not to be confused with the Hot Springs station that later adopted the call letters) and its sister station KOKY-AM 1250 while they were owned by Curtis Communications. ![]() But it was loved by old folks and also played in offices and stores. The easy listening format was terrible, with about two-thirds of the music being instrumental covers of popular songs. I’d grown up hearing KEZQ whenever I was in the car with my grandmother, so it was interesting learning these things later. He also noted funny things about the formatics, like the fact that KEZQ had a deliberate four-second pause between each element on the air. Ron said he would take short naps, but because it was a rather swampy area and snakes would occasionally get inside the station, he said he would sleep on top of a desk. He told me about babysitting the automation during the overnight, which involved changing large reel to reels of music every few hours. I don’t know the years because he didn’t include it on his later resume, but at some point Ron got hired by easy listening station KEZQ-FM 100.3, which at that time had studios at the transmitter site along U.S. He graduated UCA with dual majors in broadcasting and philosophy. ![]() But Ron was undeterred and years later worked alongside Lincoln at KARN. At some point Ron got up and asked what advice Lincoln would have for someone interested in going into broadcasting and was essentially told don’t do it! It’s the worst mistake you’ll ever make in your life. Ron had been interested in going into broadcasting from an early age and told me the story a few times about Ray Lincoln, another Little Rock radio legend, coming to speak to one of his classes at the University of Central Arkansas. 4, 1992, the morning after Clinton’s victory, side A, beginning about 6:15 a.m. There are also several other legendary voices you hear on the air who have also long since died, including morning host Bob Harrison and Sports Director Jim Elder. These recordings come from a cassette tape Ron recorded of the morning after the election. Ron oversaw KARN’s evening’s coverage, then was back in for morning drive to put it all together. He had covered Clinton for years as governor of Arkansas, reported on much of the presidential campaign, then covered the Democratic and Republican conventions that year.īy that time Ron was news director of KARN, which still had a large news staff and was all over the place on election night as thousands of people from around the world descended on Little Rock where Clinton’s watch party and victory speech were held at the Old State House Museum. One of the biggest stories Ron covered was the lead-up to Bill Clinton’s 1992 election as President of the United States. He wasn’t always the most likable person to work for, but I respected him. In 2009 Ron hired me a second time, this time at KUAR, allowing me to return home to Arkansas after 12 years of working as a reporter in Miami, Florida. It started a friendship that lasted more than two decades. I’ll always be grateful to Ron for hiring me at KARN in 1993, giving me my first real news position. It’s also interesting just hearing one person in many different positions on the air. ![]() I thought others would enjoy hearing these, so I’ve digitized them and include many below. I was honored to be asked to speak at his memorial service and include some of my thoughts here.Īt one point after his death I came across some old cassette tapes at KUAR that Ron had clearly been saving with some of his more noteworthy broadcasts from different news operations. His death in 2014 brought an outpouring of grief from many in and outside the news business. Ron served in many positions at different radio stations, including news and program director of NPR station KUAR-FM 89.1 in Little Rock and three rounds with commercial news station KARN-AM 920. The merits of his reporting were recognized by the numerous awards that he won over the years. Extremely intelligent, he was unafraid to challenge top politicians or other officials in a public setting or live on the air. When he was on his game, he was the best. Ron Breeding on the air at KUAR on October 10, 2010.įor decades Ron Breeding was an icon for radio news in Arkansas.
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