Lanny James (broadcaster)
| Lanny Ray James
(Louisiana radio and television news and sports broadcaster) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Born | April 24, 1940 Flint, Genesee County Michigan | ||
| Died | February 2, 2023 (aged 82) Spring, Harris County, Texas | ||
| Political Party | Unaffilated[1] Alma mater: | ||
| Spouse | Not mentioned in obituary Children: | ||
| Military Service | |||
| Service/branch | United States Army National Guard 157th Engineers’ Battalion in Vicksburg, Mississippi | ||
| Years of service | 1962-1968 | ||
Lanny Ray James (April 24, 1940 – February 2, 2023) was a radio and television broadcaster who specialized in sports in various media in Louisiana and Mississippi. He was known for his signature line, “We’ll be right back, after this time-out."
Background
James was born in Flint, Michigan, to Carl Lincoln "Link" James (1907-1969), a native of Illinois, and the former Lettie Lou Morris (1907-1994), who are interred in Greene County, Arkansas.[2]. He graduated from Flint Tech High School in Flint, Michigan, and the Keegan School of Broadcasting in Memphis, Tennessee, from which he graduated in 1958.[3]
Career
James landed his first job as a disc jockey at KLPL radio in Lake Providence, a small town in northeastern Louisiana. By 1966, he was a disc jockey, news reporter, and sportscaster for WRBC Radio in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1968, he moved into television as a news anchor and sportscaster at WJTV, also in Jackson. In 1969, James moved to Monroe, Louisiana, as a sports and news reporter for KNOE-TV, the first television station in North Louisiana which was established in 1953 by former Governor James A. Noe, hence the call letters of the station. He was the KNOE sports director from 1974 to 1989. While working and raising four young children he attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then known as Northeast Louisiana State University, from which he graduated in 1973 in the Associates in Broadcasting program.[3]
From 1962 to 1968, James served in the United States Army National Guard as a member of the 157th Engineers’ Battalion in Vicksburg, Mississippi.[3]
James hosted his weekly program Sportscope and hosted playback shows for the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston and for the ULM Warhawks, then known as the "Indians" football team. He traveled with the Techsters and the historically black Grambling University during the 1980s. He did the play-by-play for numerous area high school football games and was the play-by-play television announcer for the former Shreveport Steamers in Shreveport in 1975 and the Louisiana State University Tigers on Tigervision in the middle 1980s. After leaving KNOE, he owned and operated LJ Productions providing voice on hold for numerous businesses throughout the United States and also hosted a talk radio program on AM 540 in Monroe until late 2020.[3]
James was known for storytelling about how he met many professional athletes, Muhammad Ali and Terry Bradshaw. He was an avid golfer and hunter and a devotee of "oldies" music. He would introduce many of these songs in his distinctive radio and television voice and offer a backstory related to each song and the year of its release.[3]
James moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and relocated in 2021 to Spring in Harris County near Houston, Texas, where he died at the age of eighty-two. He was survived by his four children, Jennifer James Stone, Judy James, Jessica James, and Christopher James.[3]
References
- ↑ Lanny Ray James, 82 - Margate, FL - Reputation & Contact Details (mylife.com), accessed February 11, 2023.
- ↑ Carl Lincoln “Link” James (1907-1969) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed February 11, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Lanny Ray James Obituary 2023 - Mulhearn Funeral Home, accessed February 11, 2023.
