Your Pal Pallan: Artfully Dodging The Pitfalls Of Radio
EDWARD L. BLANK - Press TV-Radio Writer - May 21, 1970

He calls himself "Your Pal Pallan," and that's just the way he comes across. Friendly is the word that defines him best.

One can't help having some notion of what a person's going to be like, and Arthur Earl Pallan fills his own bill to the T. He's been a district broadcaster for almost 30 years, making him a truly unmistakable voice in radio here.

The years haven't changed his style much.

He's got a perpetually sunny disposition which, by falling short of exuberance, manages to have an upbeat effect rather than superficial one that might be offensive.

Born in Braddock and raised in Brentwood, Art is one of the few local broadcasters who can communicate successfully to the listeners here by his nature rather than effort.

He's as provincial as the city itself.

Art lives with his wife, the former Agnes Simons, and their 15-year-old son, Arthur E. (no middle name and therefore not "junior," his dad emphasized), on their 36-acre "former farm" in Middlesex Twp.

He and his wife, a Pittsburgh native who grew up in Mercer County, were married in 1942 and have celebrated the event 53 times, going on 54.
"We met on Mount Washington, and on the first date I proposed," he said. "Three months later we were married by a justice of the peace. Then we got married in church." Each year they celebrate both wedding dates, which is how the 54th Is coming up in November.

The couple has three married daughters, Andrea, 25, Ann, 22, and Artha, 21, each of whom has a son. "They all live within about five miles of where we are," he said. "It's like Thanksgiving or Christmas every Sunday at our house."

Heard from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m. Monday through Saturday on KDKA-Radio, Art's longevity and popularity in the area can be attributed to personality. He chalks it up to what he learned from other people in the business:

"Davey Tyson was like a father to me. And there was Rege (Cordic). I tried to learn things from Bill Cullen. When I came back from the service, he'd gone to New York.

"Ed Schaughency Is a great guy to learn from. He says all the right things."
Art, who began at WWSW, and worked there until April, 1956. credits Guy Harris more than anyone with his success.

"Guy was the program manager at KD shortly after I came there. He taught me why I was doing what I was doing. Before that, what I was doing was apparently right, but I didn't know why. He said: 'Just walk with the people.' That was his big thing.

" 'Don't be above the people. Don't be below the people,' he'd say. 'Don't talk about riding around in a convertible. Don't be a "top-down" man on a hot summer day because most people don't have a convertible.

" 'If you have a pool, don't brag about having a pool. Just be yourself. Walk with the people. It's just as simple as that.'

Harris died in Texas less than two weeks ago.

Pallan, who won the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster and the Asiatic Pacific Ribbon with three battle stars for his service in the Pacific during World War II, makes his work sound easy, but that wasn't always the case, even for him.

As a former singer ("It's been about 16 years since I last cut a record"), and apprentice broadcaster he had his problems: "When I was going to cut a record I'd get nervous. This was exciting, making a record. It was a helluvan honor. And I'd get real uptight. Then I'd get laryngitis.

"The first day I was on the payroll in broadcasting I got laryngitis, and I had to take the day off. Then I went into the service (the only time he referred to it in any way), and I came beck and the first day again I was so uptight I got laryngitis. Psychosomatic. It was strictly psychosomatic (caused or influenced by an emotional state). I'd get the sniffles and post-nasal drip. Then after it was over I was all right."

Though thought of mainly as a late morning or afternoon disc jockey, Art did the drive-time morning show on KDKA with Bob Trow for two and a half years between Rege Cordic's departure and Jack Bogut's arrival.

Herman disappeared on that show.

Who's Herman? That's what people used to ask Art.

In the days when he did broadcasts from record marts, Art would say on the air: "Hi there, Herman, old fella. How are you getting along with your music?"

There was no Herman, of course. "The purpose was to have people come up and ask, 'Who's Herman-old-fella?' And it worked. Then I got with the morning show, Pallan and Trow, and there were already two of us, so I dropped it. And I never picked it up. "It died a natural death."

But Herman wasn't forgotten. On learning Art was to visit the Press, someone said: "Be sure to ask about Herman."

It must have been felt that, like Art, Herman walked with the people.

  ---------------------