Veteran air-talent, programmer and broadcast historian Clarke Ingram died on Saturday, November 25 after a series of illnesses at the age of 66.
A Pittsburgh native, Ingram spent the majority of his career in his hometown starting on-air at “96KX” WXKX and successor “HitRadio 96” WHTX before jumping to “B94” WBZZ, while helping launch “Q94” WBXQ Altoona PA as a consultant. He would then head to Arizona and programming with stints at 104.7 KZZP Phoenix and then as Program Director of “93.7 KRQ” KRQQ Tucson at the peak of the 80s CHR boom. Ingram would then move back home to program WBZZ and “Hot 99.9” WHXT Allentown PA, while working on-air at “Eagle 106” WEGX Philadelphia and “Z100” WHTZ New York. In 1994, Ingram would begin a five year stint as Program Director of CHR 97.9 WPXY Rochester and later adding those duties at then sister AC 100.5 WVOR.
Pittsburgh would call home again in 1999 as Ingram joined Jammin Oldies “104.7 The Beat” WJJJ as Program Director. After stepping away from radio to care for his ailing mother and stepfather, outside of a weekend stint at Oldies “94.5 3WS” WWSW, Ingram would spend the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh with stints as OM/PD of Broadcast Communications’ 620 WKHB/770 WKFB from 2006-11. and R&B Oldies 1550 WZUM from 2013-15. He spent his last years in and out of nursing homes, but attempted to launch a new radio consultancy earlier this year.
Ingram was also a noted broadcast historian archiving the history of early UHF television and the DuMont Network.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com