Pittsburgh pop radio fixture Clarke Ingram dies

Nov. 27—If you listened to Top 40 radio in the Pittsburgh area between the mid 1970s and the mid 2000s, chances are good that Clarke Ingram touched your life in some way.

The Pittsburgh native, who died Saturday at 66, was not just a mover and shaker in the Top 40 radio industry but also a caretaker of media history.

"Clarke was extremely generous with his time and feedback," said Jason Togyer of McKeesport, a part-time radio DJ and executive director for Tube City Community Media. "I know he made me a better radio host, both as a DJ and in the talk format."

Ingram began his radio career in the 1970s after graduating from Point Park College. He took an on-air position with WXKX-FM (96KX at the time). Later, he became the programming director for former Top 40 station WBZZ-FM 93.7 (B-94).

"He was the smoothest guy," said Mark "Bubba" Snider, who worked with Ingram at B-94. "He really set the standard for what that generation's disc jockeys should be."

Snider said Clarke had a talent for thinking outside the box.

"He realized that a Top 40 audience wanted to listen to a little bit of everything," Snider said. "He was one of the first people I recall who expanded Top 40 radio beyond just pop music. He was really ahead of his time when it came to programming radio stations."

Over the years, Ingram worked at WHTZ in New York City, KZZP in Arizona and WPXY in Rochester, N.Y. He returned to Pittsburgh radio programming at WJJJ for the company that eventually became iHeartMedia.

Kevin Amos, who DJs Sunday nights on WRCT-FM, first met Clarke at WJJJ.

"He was a really likable guy," Amos said. "His knowledge of radio was massive, and he knew a lot about TV as well."

Eric O'Brien of Ross, who started the Pittsburgh Radio & TV Online website in 1998 and hosts the "Smooth, Relaxing and Easy" show, which airs on the Mon Valley internet-only station Tube City Online Radio as well as on WRCT-FM 88.3 in Pittsburgh, said Clarke was one of a kind.

"In Pittsburgh, he was the last of the 'fast-talking' DJs. Clarke was a master of what's called 'hitting the post' — talking over a song intro and finishing just as the lead singer starts singing," O'Brien said. "He could do that for any song."

Snider said that in 1990s radio, no one could top Ingram.

"He was so good at what he did," he said. "I don't know if there was anyone in that generation who was better."

Following a stint at WWSW-FM (3WS), Ingram worked for Broadcast Communications, programming radio for WKHB-AM 620 in Irwin and WKFB-AM 770 in Jeannette.

"He said all the time, 'I might be the only person who started out on FM radio and worked backwards to AM,'" O'Brien said. "He loved the business even though it ate him up and spit him back out."

Togyer, who knew Ingram for nearly 25 years and worked with him during his AM radio days, said Ingram made a strong impression.

"If he liked you, you were in his circle immediately," Togyer said. "He made me want to be more generous when I'm helping other people."

Scott Fybush, editor for Northeast Radio Watch, was Ingram's neighbor for several years in Rochester, N.Y.

"He was larger than life in almost every way," Fybush said. "He was over 6 feet tall and had a great, booming radio voice. He had an innate sense of how to connect with audiences."

Fybush said that in the 1980s, when Ingram was working at a Tucson, Ariz., radio station, he had a 23 ratings share, which means 23% of the people listening to radio in the Tucson market were listening to him.

"That station, WKRQ, had one of the highest ratings shares," Fybush said. "Clarke was just a lot of fun to listen to. There are a ton of air checks where you can hear his enthusiasm."

Chris Reynolds of Penn Hills, disc jockey at WORD-FM in Greensburg, worked with Ingram both at WXKX and The Beat 104.7. He fondly recalled Ingram organizing groups of friends to meet for a meal and to socialize.

"He was a warm, friendly person. I'll miss him," Reynolds said. "It was always a pleasure working with him."

Ingram also was a historian and was very interested in media, particularly one of America's first commercial television groups, the DuMont Television Network. He maintained a site dedicated to the company's history.

His final radio job was programming oldies for WZUM-AM 1550 in Braddock, before the station was sold in 2016.

In recent years, Ingram struggled with diabetes, kidney problems and other health issues that frequently left him hospitalized.

O'Brien said Ingram leaned on his faith as his health worsened.

"He was very exuberant about radio, but he had a quiet side, too, and that was his faith," O'Brien said. "He never let his faith waiver, through the (2004) loss of his mother, the (2014) loss of his dog, and his own illnesses."

O'Brien said he'll mainly remember Ingram's wit and his love for radio.

Snider agreed.

"He was just an amazing human being," he said.

Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .