FORT WORTH -- The note at the end of a Star-Telegram radio column in 2001 was brief: "Metroplex radio veteran Larry Shannon has an interesting proposal: a Texas radio hall of fame. This would honor people who have contributed to radio broadcasting in the Lone Star State."
By 2002, Mr. Shannon had made the Texas Radio Hall of Fame a reality, with an inaugural class of inductees that included such familiar North Texas broadcasting names as Ron Chapman and Bill Mack.Mr. Shannon himself did as much as anyone to contribute to Texas radio broadcasting and to bringing attention to radio broadcasting nationwide. But he always declined efforts to include him in the hall of fame.In November, he will be inducted posthumously.Mr. Shannon died of leukemia Thursday at his family's farm in Tarkio, Mo. He was 63.Mr. Shannon was born Charles Rice Redding III on April 5, 1949, to Charles R. Redding Jr. and Dorothy Dunham Redding. He graduated from Irving High School in 1967 and later from the University of Texas at Arlington.He became involved in Dallas-Fort Worth radio as a teenager. Fort Worth listeners probably knew him best as "Biff Burns," a part he played on Mark Stevens' KFJZ show, which aired from 1968 to 1974. He also was on air at Fort Worth's KXOL.According to Dallas-Fort Worth radio historian Mike Shannon (no relation to Mr. Shannon), he also worked at Fort Worth's KBUY AM/FM; Dallas' KLIF when it was still a music station at 1190 AM; Dallas' KSKY; McKinney's KYAL; and Dallas' KVIL/103.7 FM, where he went by the air name Dick Armstrong.Using the name Larry Shannon, he remained involved in broadcasting while becoming involved in public affairs, acting as an adviser on local, state and national campaigns beginning in 1976, according to his biography on his website, www.larryshannon.com.From 1986 to 1998, he was administrative assistant to U.S. Rep. Jim Wright, a period that included Wright's years as speaker of the House."He was a very engaging person, and an intelligent and devoted individual," Wright said Friday."He was associated with a great number of organizations in town, and he seemed to enjoy the interplay with all sorts of people. He enjoyed the work and was very effective. I have enormous regard for him."He legally changed his name to Larry Redding Shannon during this time, friends said.Longtime Wright assistant Norma Ritchson said, "He knew everyone in the world and kept contact with everyone."Ritchson said she, Mr. Shannon and Orvis McMullen constituted the close-knit group that kept Wright's office running during his years as a U.S. representative and eventually House speaker.Mr. Shannon, a bachelor with no children, kept his friends and contacts up to date by e-mailing news clips and notifications, Ritchson said.Mr. Shannon contributed to KTVT/Channel 11 as a political analyst and wrote occasionally for the Star-Telegram.When news of Mr. Shannon's death was posted on the Texas Radio Hall of Fame Facebook page, tributes began coming in, and some local broadcasters posted tributes of their own -- many of them noting Mr. Shannon's selflessness."In the business of politics and broadcasting, loaded with supercharged egos and personal agendas, Larry was a rare breed," Mike Snyder, former longtime anchor for KXAS/Channel 5, posted on his page."Rather than turning the limelight on himself he chose to help others; he saved my bacon more times than I can count, and he did the same for countless others."Mr. Shannon was an early Internet advocate and launched a number of websites, including Radio Daily News (radiodailynews.com), where he wrote his own pieces and aggregated radio-related articles from hundreds of newspapers, magazines, journals and websites. Journalists on the radio beat would often seek him out for comment.Although Mr. Shannon founded the Texas Radio Hall of Fame and frequently received enough votes to be inducted himself -- including for this year's class, which was announced in July -- he always declined. When the 2012 inductees were announced, there was a note on the organization's website saying that Mr. Shannon would step aside to allow another person to be inducted instead of him."If, in any future year after his death, he receives enough votes and support for induction, he will be inducted posthumously," the note concluded.Josh Holstead, operations manager for the hall of fame, says that Mr. Shannon will be inducted in November in San Antonio.Funeral arrangements were not available on Friday.Robert Philpot, 817- 390-7872Twitter: @rphilpotHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
