lynne “angel” harvey

Lynne “Angel” Harvey is the first producer to enter the Radio Hall of Fame. Her career has spanned more than 60 years and is credited for shaping the way Americans receive radio and television news.

Lynne Cooper was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from nearby Washington University with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English. In 1939, she responded to an advertisement from local station KXOK. There she met a young reporter named Paul Harvey. During their first date, Paul gave Lynne the nickname “Angel.” The two were married the following year, and moved to WKZO/Kalamazoo in 1941.

By the mid-1940s, the Harveys had truly become a team. At Lynne’s suggestion, the couple moved to Chicago in 1944 to pursue network radio. Local station WENR offered Paul a 10:00 PM newscast and Lynne became her husband’s producer, director, editor and writer. The show was an immediate success and demonstrated the appeal of a late-night newscast. In 1951, the Harveys joined the ABC Radio Network, where they remained until Lynn’s death in 2008. One of the show’s more popular segments, The Rest of the Story, became its own series in 1976.

Lynne “Angel” Harvey  died in 2008.

She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997.