Jack Harris (broadcaster)
Encyclopedia
Jack Harris is an American
radio and television personality based in Tampa, Florida
who co-hosts the morning drive time program on 970 WFLA
and is a broadcaster with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, the Tampa Bay Storm
and the Outback Bowl
. He has been involved in local radio and television in the Tampa, Florida market since 1970.
on September 18, 1941 to Elaine (née
Stolings) and William Harris. After high school, Harris attended Davidson College
for a year and a half and transferred to West Virginia University
from where he graduated in 1963.
Harris was named a distinguished military graduate in his ROTC class and spent two years as a lieutenant
in the Intelligence Branch of the United States Army
, with tours in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam.
Harris began his radio career in 1959 in Logan
at WVOW
and followed by ten years in Morgantown, West Virginia
at WAJR.
with WFLA radio. A year later, he moved to afternoons and in 1972, became the morning personality.
After producing a parody piece called Floridians, a Yankee's Opinion in 1974. Through this piece, Harris received offers to move to larger markets and subsequently took a job as morning personality at WRC radio
in Washington D.C., working alongside figures such as Willard Scott
.
Within little time, the parent company of the station, NBC
, switched it to an all-news format, moving Harris to the FM station, WKYS
, which was among the first all-disco stations in America.
After declining an offer to move to the NBC owned station in Chicago, WMAQ, Harris returned to mornings at WFLA in Tampa.
and began play-by-play with the USF
men's basketball team. Within short time, he also began play-by-play with the soccer team, the Tampa Bay Rowdies. After small positions at Tampa's WTOG
and WFLA-TV
television stations in the seventies, he became a host of the afternoon program Pulse Plus! on WTVT
channel 13 in 1984.
After its end in 1989, Harris moved on to WFLA channel 8 hosting a similar program, until 1992 when his afternoon talk show Harris & Company premiered on the same station, which ran for eight years. Since then, he has been a restaurant reviewer for Bay News 9
and a commentator for the 5 PM news at WFTS-TV
.
In addition to this, Harris served six years as the Alcalde
(honorary mayor) of Ybor City, briefly had a regular column with The Tampa Tribune
and has released a book of satirical essays and recipes titled Jack Harris Unwrapped.
show in Hillsborough County along with the Tampa mayor since 1996. He continues to cover play-by-play commentary on the radio broadcasts for the Outback Bowl
and the Tampa Bay Storm
, as well as pre-game and halftime radio programming for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
.
Jack has been married since 1986 and has one son, Jackson, born 1991.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio and television personality based in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
who co-hosts the morning drive time program on 970 WFLA
WFLA (AM)
WFLA is an AM radio station in Tampa, Florida, serving the Arbitron Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market with additional listenership to the east in the adjacent Lakeland-Winter Haven market and to the south in the adjacent Sarasota-Bradenton market...
and is a broadcaster with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, the Tampa Bay Storm
Tampa Bay Storm
The Tampa Bay Storm are an Arena Football League team based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. They play their home games in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa....
and the Outback Bowl
Outback Bowl
The Outback Bowl is an annual New Year's Day college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The event was originally called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1994 until being renamed in 1995 for its new title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse...
. He has been involved in local radio and television in the Tampa, Florida market since 1970.
Early life and Beginnings in Radio
Harris was born William H Harris Jr. in Logan, West VirginiaLogan, West Virginia
Logan is a city in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 1,779 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Logan County.-History:...
on September 18, 1941 to Elaine (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Stolings) and William Harris. After high school, Harris attended Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
for a year and a half and transferred to West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
from where he graduated in 1963.
Harris was named a distinguished military graduate in his ROTC class and spent two years as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Intelligence Branch of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, with tours in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam.
Harris began his radio career in 1959 in Logan
Logan
Logan was a Native American leader.Logan may also refer to:- Australia :* Logan City, a local government area in Queensland* Electoral district of Logan, an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly...
at WVOW
WVOW
WVOW-FM and WVOW is a radio station simulcasting an Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Logan, West Virginia, USA. The station is currently owned by Logan Broadcasting Corp. and features programing from CBS Radio and ESPN Radio....
and followed by ten years in Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
at WAJR.
Tampa Bay Broadcasting
Jack Harris decided move south in 1970, taking a job as production director and mid day disc jockeyDisc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
with WFLA radio. A year later, he moved to afternoons and in 1972, became the morning personality.
After producing a parody piece called Floridians, a Yankee's Opinion in 1974. Through this piece, Harris received offers to move to larger markets and subsequently took a job as morning personality at WRC radio
WTEM
WTEM — branded ESPN 980 — is a sports radio station licensed to Washington, D.C. and serving the Washington metro area. It is the flagship of a sports talk trimulcast with WWXT in Prince Frederick, Maryland and WWXX in Buckland, Virginia, all affiliated with ESPN Radio and owned by Red Zebra...
in Washington D.C., working alongside figures such as Willard Scott
Willard Scott
Willard Herman Scott, Jr. is an American media personality and author best known for his television work on NBC's The Today Show and as the creator of the Ronald McDonald character.-Early years:...
.
Within little time, the parent company of the station, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, switched it to an all-news format, moving Harris to the FM station, WKYS
WKYS
WKYS, the "Station for Interactive Hip Hop and R&B", is an American radio station broadcasting an Urban Contemporary radio format, that serves the greater Washington metropolitan area. Its transmitter is located on the same tower as WRC-TV. The station broadcasts from a class B signal with an...
, which was among the first all-disco stations in America.
After declining an offer to move to the NBC owned station in Chicago, WMAQ, Harris returned to mornings at WFLA in Tampa.
Sports Broadcasting and Television
In 1976, Harris became a member of the first broadcast team for the newly created Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
and began play-by-play with the USF
USF
USF may refer to:Universities* University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida* University of San Francisco, California* University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois* University of Sioux Falls, South DakotaFile formats* Universal Subtitle Format...
men's basketball team. Within short time, he also began play-by-play with the soccer team, the Tampa Bay Rowdies. After small positions at Tampa's WTOG
WTOG
WTOG, channel 44, is a television station in St. Petersburg, Florida. Owned by the CBS Corporation, WTOG serves as the Tampa Bay Area station for the co-owned The CW Television Network. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida.-Early years:...
and WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV, virtual channel 8, is the NBC-affiliated television station in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida. The station is the flagship station of its owner and operator, Media General. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida. WFLA is the only station in the market to be...
television stations in the seventies, he became a host of the afternoon program Pulse Plus! on WTVT
WTVT
WTVT, channel 13, is a television station in Tampa, Florida. It is an owned and operated station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the News Corporation...
channel 13 in 1984.
After its end in 1989, Harris moved on to WFLA channel 8 hosting a similar program, until 1992 when his afternoon talk show Harris & Company premiered on the same station, which ran for eight years. Since then, he has been a restaurant reviewer for Bay News 9
Bay News 9
Bay News 9 is a cable news television network located in St Petersburg, Florida. It currently serves the Tampa Bay Area including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties...
and a commentator for the 5 PM news at WFTS-TV
WFTS-TV
WFTS, virtual channel 28, is the ABC affiliate television station for the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida market, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 29. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida.-History:...
.
Recent Years
In 1986, Harris was fired from WFLA and was shortly thereafter picked up as a member of the Q Morning Zoo on WRBQ-FM. In 1988 he moved back to WFLA-FM (now WFLZ), which was at the time, Z93 a classic hits station. In less than a year, it switched to its current Top 40 format, then known as Power 93. Harris subsequently became a member of their own morning program, the "Power Pig". In 1993, he returned to WFLA AM mornings, alongside of Tedd Webb. The two were joined by Sharon Taylor from 1997 to 2009, and continue to host a successful AM radio morning show.In addition to this, Harris served six years as the Alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
(honorary mayor) of Ybor City, briefly had a regular column with The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune, published in Tampa, Florida, is one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area, second in circulation and readership to the St. Petersburg Times. The paper's tagline is "Life...
and has released a book of satirical essays and recipes titled Jack Harris Unwrapped.
Today
Currently, Harris continues to host AM Tampa Bay on 970 WFLA and The Mayors Hour, a Public-access televisionPublic-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
show in Hillsborough County along with the Tampa mayor since 1996. He continues to cover play-by-play commentary on the radio broadcasts for the Outback Bowl
Outback Bowl
The Outback Bowl is an annual New Year's Day college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The event was originally called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1994 until being renamed in 1995 for its new title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse...
and the Tampa Bay Storm
Tampa Bay Storm
The Tampa Bay Storm are an Arena Football League team based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. They play their home games in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa....
, as well as pre-game and halftime radio programming for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
.
Jack has been married since 1986 and has one son, Jackson, born 1991.