You heard him on Galesburg radio for nearly 40 years. Remembering Jim Bohannon

Jim Bohannon

Radio insiders and fans everywhere are remembering a familiar late-night voice that was heard locally on the WGIL airwaves for nearly four decades. 

Conservative talk radio host Jim Bohannon died Saturday, Nov. 12 of esophageal cancer. He was 78. Bohannon passed away at the Prisma Health Cottingham Hospice House in Seneca, South Carolina, according to an obituary published online.

Bohannon left his popular Jim Bohannon Show last month, citing health concerns. He had hosted the show for over 30 years and was featured on the Westwood One radio network for 40. His show, which he inherited from the late Larry King after King moved to CNN, aired each weeknight from 9 p.m. to midnight CST on more than 300 radio stations nationwide, including WGIL Radio in Galesburg.

Galesburg Broadcasting General Manager Roger Lundeen met Bohannon at several radio industry events and helped bring him to Galesburg for a couple of events. 

“He had about 500 radio station affiliates and he was always concerned for each of them, even those of us from the smaller markets,” Lundeen said. “I’ve talked with him about a dozen times at industry events and he was always really nice.  

“I think that each time I ran into him, he asked me if I needed anything from him, or if there was anything that I thought he could do to make the show better for our station. I think that comes from his beginnings in small town radio.”

Bohannon was born Jan. 7, 1944 in Corvallis, Oregon, while his father was stationed in the U.S. Army during World War II. Following the war, his family moved back to Missouri, where he graduated from Missouri State University.

His radio career started before college, when he worked at KLWT, a now-defunct AM dial news-talk station. During his college studies, he worked at KICK (1340 AM) and KWTO (560 AM) in Missouri.

During his U.S. Army career, Bohannon was stationed in Virginia, where he worked at several radio outlets, including WRC-AM (now WTEM, 980 AM). He eventually joined the Mutual Network in 1983, where he anchored “America in the Morning” and filled in for Larry King on his show.

Jim Bohannon poses with WGIL’s Terry Cavanaugh, who won the Marconi Award for Small Market Personality in San Diego in 2004.

In the early 1990s, Larry King moved full-time to CNN, and Bohannon was given his time slot on what became Westwood One. He continued to host the show regularly until this summer, when he took several absences for health reasons. Bohannon retired in October.

“Jim Bohannon was such a likable guy,” Lundeen said. “He was always so informed, especially since he usually slept during the day. He would use common sense conversations to both educate and inform.”  

Lundeen recalls two times when Bohannon went out of his way to recognize WGIL.

“When WGIL won the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award for Small Market Station of the Year in Austin, Texas in 2008, Jim made a special effort to come and find me after the event to pass on his congratulations to me and our staff,” Lundeen said. “He did the same thing when Terry Cavanaugh won the Marconi for Small Market Personality in San Diego in 2004.  

“He will be missed by not only his listening audience but by so many of us in the radio industry.”

Bohannon is a member of both the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the Radio Hall of Fame. He was voted one of “The 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America” by Talkers Magazine three years in a row.

Industry executives remember Bohannon as a broadcasting veteran who dedicated his entire professional life to the industry.

“Our industry has lost a legend in the passing of Jim Bohannon,” Curtis LeGeyt, the president of the National Association of Broadcasters, said in a statement. “His charismatic nature, distinct style and engaging programs have left an enduring mark on radio and the generations of audiences whose lives he touched. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to be a guest on his show, and was honored to induct him into NAB’s Broadcasting Hall of Fame earlier this year. We offer our deepest condolences to Jim’s family, friends and fans.”

Tim McCarthy, President of the Broadcasters Foundation of America, said, “The Broadcasters Foundation of America honors Jim Bohannon for his amazing career in radio. A strong supporter of our charitable mission, Jim will be missed by his colleagues and his many radio listeners across the country. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family.”

Bohannon is survived by his wife, Annabelle Bohannon, and his daughter, Elizabeth Smith. His family is requesting donations in Jim’s memory to any organization in lieu of flowers.

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