Dan Ingram was one of the great voices of New York radio, a personality whose timing, humor, and unmistakable delivery became part of everyday life for generations of New Yorkers. During the 1960s and 1970s, when WABC AM ruled the city’s airwaves, Ingram’s voice could be heard in apartments, diners, stores, cars, and street corners across the five boroughs. His passing marked the loss of one of New York’s most beloved broadcasters, but for those who grew up with WABC 77 playing in the background, Dan Ingram remains one of the city’s most unforgettable sounds.
New York City – Photo: Brian Kachejian ©2016
Dan Ingram, one of New York’s most legendary radio voices, has passed away at the age of 83. Dan Ingram died on June 24, 2018, in his Florida home. While his retirement years may have been spent in Florida, Dan Ingram was all New York. Dan Ingram was born in Oceanside, New York, in 1934. Ingram attended Hofstra University on Long Island. Like so many talented performers itching to get into the professional world, Ingram began his radio career before ever graduating from Hofstra. Dan Ingram spent the early days of his career jumping back and forth between radio stations on Long Island. Dan Ingram also worked in St. Louis and Dallas, as well as in the state of Connecticut. However, it was the job he landed at New York’s WABC AM radio station in 1961 that led to Dan Ingram’s legendary status in radio.
Dan Ingram And WABC Radio
If you grew up in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s, you knew who Dan Ingram was. WABC AM radio infiltrated New York’s airwaves more than any other station. Even if you were not a music fan, you heard Dan Ingram’s voice because every restaurant, diner, grocery store, newsstand, street corner, and apartment usually had WABC AM radio playing in the background. These were the days long before all the various sorts of entertainment we now deal with in 2018. There were no cell phones, no cable television, no computers, no CDs, and no video. We had newspapers, seven television channels, and radio. AM radio in the 1960s was the format of choice for everyone. FM radio had not yet reached the masses. Album rock was still in development. We were a country that celebrated the hit single. Dan Ingram was the man who delivered those singles to listeners every day from 2 to 6 p.m. on the city’s most popular radio station. Everyone had on WABC 77. Their signal was very strong. WNBC and WCBS radio were also popular stations, but WABC ruled the airwaves with its strong signal strength and popular radio personalities.
Dan Ingram’s New York Radio Personality
Dan Ingram’s radio personality fell somewhere in between Howard Stern and Mike Francesa. Dan Ingram was over the top at times and very funny in a Howard Stern-type way, but nowhere close to as vulgar. But he could also come across sounding a bit grumpy in a Mike Francesa way. However, Dan Ingram always respected his listeners and paid special tribute to them when he left New York radio in 1982, stating that if it had not been for them, he would never have had a job.
As a kid, I had a small cassette tape recorder that I used to record songs off the radio. It was tough to do with Dan Ingram because he would talk over the musical introductions right up to the part in the songs when the vocals began. That was the style of the radio DJ back in the 1960s and 1970s. Dan Ingram defined that style more than any other radio disc jockey.
The Sound Of WABC 77
Dan Ingram would leave the airwaves every weeknight at 6:00 p.m., followed by George Michael. The station had a strong group of personalities, including Ron Lundy, Cousin Brucie, Chuck Leonard, and good old Harry Harrison, whose name jingle was always my favorite. The WABC radio jingles got more play than the music, it seemed. The station was identified by that famous WABC jingle. I can still hear Dan Ingram’s name being sung with the call letters WABC.
Dan Ingram left WABC AM radio in 1982 when the station changed formats. He floated around for a while before landing a job at WCBS in 1991. He stayed at WCBS until he retired from radio in 2003.
Dan Ingram’s Legacy
Unless you grew up in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s, it is hard to understand how much of an impact radio personalities had on people’s lives. Maybe impact is the wrong word. They may not have changed what we were doing, but they did follow us around in everything we did. Voices like Dan Ingram’s followed us every day in New York City. I wish he was still following us now; then again, it’s possible he still is.
For more New York broadcasting and entertainment history, be sure to read our articles on The Real Reason Mike Francesa Returned to WFAN, Radio City Music Hall, Times Square, and Grand Central Terminal.
Updated June 29, 2026.
