Paul Harvey gave a unique perspective to the news because he focused on human interest stories. Unique is to be “the only one of its kind; unlike anything else, distinctive, exclusive, remarkable, special, noteworthy, extraordinary, unequaled, unparalleled, unmatched”¹ which definitely describes Paul Harvey.

A Unique Broadcaster

Paul Harvey Aurandt, “later known as just Paul Harvey became a famous commentator, author, and columnist.”²

Paul Harvey was “the ‘most listened to man’ in broadcasting. Paul was known for his folksy speech and plain talk for over seventy years.”³ He broadcast from the age of 14 in 1932, to the age of 90 in 2009.

Paul Harvey is “best known for his ‘News & Comment’ and ‘Rest of the Story’ which made him a familiar voice in Americans’ homes across the country. His own unique style and commentary, his voice became a trusted friend”³ to many Americans.

Paul Harvey “entertained and informed generations of Americans by paying attention to the people and places most others overlooked. His love and respect for simple values permeated his broadcasts.”³

Paul was known for beginning his programs with “Hello Americans, this is Paul Harvey. Stand by for News!” Paul was known for ending his early broadcast with “the rest of the story” and his last broadcast of the day would finish with “Now you know the rest of the story. Paul Harvey, good day.”

9 Unique Personal Facts

• Born as Paul Harvey Aurandt
• Born September 4, 1918
• His father died when he was 3 years old
• He married Lynne “Angel” Cooper in 1940
• Served in the Army Air Forces in World War II as a pilot (1943-1944)
• Coined the word skyjack (airplane hijacking)
• They had one child, Paul Harvey Aurandt, Jr. in 1948
• His mother died in 1960 when he was 42 years old
• Paul Harvey died on February 28, 2009, at the age of 90

18 Unique Broadcasting Facts

1. Began broadcasting in 1932, at age 14
2. Began his own show in 1940
3. In 1945 he hosted a postwar employment program, Jobs for G.I. Joe⁴
4. In 1946, Paul added the tagline The Rest of the Story to his in-depth feature stories⁴
5. Paul Harvey hosted News and Comment which ran in the mornings for 64 years (1944-2008)⁴
6. Began national broadcast in 1951
7. “On May 10, 1976 Paul Harvey began to host a separate program, The Rest of the Story, in which he provided backstories behind famous people and events
8. The Rest of the Story ran for 33-years and was written and produced by his son, Paul Harvey, Jr.
9. Broadcasts carried by 1,350 commercial radio stations
10. Broadcasts carried by 400 stations of the Armed Forces Radio Service
11. Broadcast twice a day on the internet
12. Commentary carried in more than 300 newspapers
13. Inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990
14. President George W. Bush presented Harvey with the Medal of Freedom in November of 2005 (nation’s highest civilian honor) Bush remarked, “Americans like the sound of his voice…over the decades (54 years at that time) we have come to recognize in that voice some of the finest qualities of our country: patriotism, the good humor, the kindness, and common sense of Americans.”⁴
15. Listed in the 10 most influential opinion-shapers of each decade since the 1930s
16. More than 25 million listeners each week
17. The largest one-man network in the world
18. His biography, Good Day! The Paul Harvey Story, was published in May 2009

The Rest of the Story was a Monday-through-Friday radio program originally hosted by Paul Harvey. Beginning as a part of his newscasts during the Second World War and then premiering as its own series on the ABC Radio Networks on May 10, 1976, The Rest of the Story consisted of stories presented as little-known or forgotten facts on a variety of subjects with some key element of the story (usually the name of some well-known person) held back until the end. The broadcasts always concluded with a variation on the tag line, “And now you know…the rest of the story.” On the majority of radio stations, it often served as a mid-afternoon drive counterpart to Harvey’s noontime News and Comment.⁶

Unique Story about a Farmer

Paul Harvey’s ‘So God Made a Farmer’ was used in the Dodge Ram Truck commercial titled ‘Farmer’ on February 3, 2013.

You can watch it here: So God Made A Farmer

7 Unique Paul Harvey Quotes

“We’ve drifted away from being fishers of men to being keepers of the aquarium.” ~Paul Harvey

“In small towns as well as large, good people outnumber bad people by 100 to 1. In big towns the 100 are nervous. But in small towns, it’s the one.” ~Paul Harvey

“It was self-serving politicians who convinced recent generations of Americans that we could all stand in a circle with our hands in each other’s pockets and somehow get rich.” ~Paul Harvey

“You can always tell when you are on the road to success; it’s uphill all the way.” ~Paul Harvey

“Self-government won’t work without self-discipline.” ~Paul Harvey

“Growth is the process of responding positively to change.” ~Paul Harvey

“The years don’t always add wisdom, but they do add perspective.” ~Paul Harvey⁵

Recommendation:

Though Tattered – Our Flag Still Stands Though Tattered – Our Flag Still Stands – Strength with Dignity

References:

¹ Unique synonym. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from 🔎 synonym of unique – Search (bing.com)

² Officer Harry H. Aurandt. Published by the Tulsa Police Department. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from Officer Harry H. Aurandt, Tulsa Police Department, Oklahoma (odmp.org)

³ Radio Legend Paul Harvey Dies. Published by ABC News on February 28, 2009. Written by Linda Zecchino and Dean Schabner. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from Radio Legend Paul Harvey Dies – ABC News (go.com)

⁴ Paul Harvey. Published on Wikipedia. Last edited on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from Paul Harvey – Wikipedia

⁵ 45 Paul Harvey Quotes Telling “The Rest of the Story”. Published by Everyday Power on April 29, 2021. Written by Stephanie Kirby. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from 45 Paul Harvey Quotes Telling “The Rest of the Story” | Everyday Power

⁶ The Rest of the Story. Published by Wikipedia on December 6, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from The Rest of the Story – Wikipedia

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