Jack Morrow

Jack Morrow had an extensive career in Indianapolis broadcasting, working at three different stations in town and he also produced the Indianapolis 500 radio broadcasts for several years.

Morrow was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 18, 1918. He graduated from Lockland High School and then Miami University.

In 1940, Morrow left Ohio and moved to Indianapolis. He began his broadcasting career at WIBC, a commercial AM radio station, which debuted two years prior, in 1938. His early music shows included “Hoosier Request Time.”

Two years later, in 1942, Morrow moved over to WIRE, working as a newscaster where he adopted the more formal name John, instead of Jack, Morrow. The next year, he moved again, this time to WISH radio for a five-year run.

Morrow returned to WIBC in 1948 where he would work for much of the rest of his career. He held many titles: announcer, news reporter, interviewer, disk jockey, color man for basketball games and program director.

Weekly, he hosted gospel concerts from the Cadle Tabernacle in Indianapolis. In the mid-twentieth century, the Cadle Tabernacle was one of the largest churches in the country with room for 10,000 people. The Cadle Tabernacle hosted evangelical broadcasts as far back as the 1930s, first on WLW radio in Cincinnati.

Morrow also hosted a music show at WIBC, and ranked second in the nation for on-air sales in the 1950’s. In 1956, Morrow was nominated for “Mr. Dee Jay U.S.A.” by the Grand Ole’ Opry.

From 1969 to 1978, Morrow was the producer of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race broadcast for the Speedway Network. He also worked on the FCC licensing for the Fairbanks Broadcasting Co. radio stations.

Morrow retired from WIBC in 1990 as the station commercial operations manager and public service director. He passed away on April 22, 2007, leaving behind a legacy of 50 years of contributions to broadcast, mainly at WIBC where he devoted the majority of his career.

Morrow is a member of the Indiana Broadcast Hall of Fame.

January 2025

By Lily Saylor