
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, November 26, 1993                   TAG: 9311260027
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

SHARP, VETERAN BROADCASTER WITH WDBJ RADIO AND TV, DIES

Irving Sharp, a broadcast personality known more affectionately to Southwest Virginians as "Cousin Irv," has made his final sign-off.

Sharp died Thursday from complications of pneumonia, heart trouble and other health problems. He was 78.

During his almost 60 years in broadcasting, Sharp was well known for his corny jokes, his down-home style and his hard work. His shows ran the gamut from ad-lib country music spots to religious programs and children's shows.

Sharp began his career in 1936 as "talent," playing piano and singing on WDBJ radio shows, and soon after became an announcer.

He gained national celebrity in the mid-1940s when a fledgling soft Sharp drink company, Dr Pepper, picked up Sharp's country music program and aired it on 100 stations coast-to-coast.

Although fame brought him many opportunities to move on, the Roanoke native and dedicated family man chose to stay in his hometown.

When WDBJ television began broadcasting in 1955, Sharp went with it. He was host of such shows as "Town Crier," "Cartoon Theatre" and "Top o' the Mornin'."

Former station president and general manager Chuck McKeever once described Sharp as "Mr. WDBJ."

"I've seen coffee cups drop when he walks into a room. White-haired ladies are just in awe when they see him," McKeever told the Roanoke Times & World-News in 1989.

Sharp retired from his full-time job at the station several years ago, but continued to do the morning show until May, when poor health forced him to stop.

by CNB