Longtime KVPR 89.3 and 89.1 on-air host Marv Allen passed away on Thursday May 22nd. He was 80. He had been dealing with health issues for several years, but continued to do his weekday afternoon broadcasts of NPR’s All Things Considered until he formally retired just four days before his death, due to complications from bone marrow cancer.
Known for his deep baritone voice and his wry sense of humor, Marv was a fixture on the Fresno airwaves, and not just on public radio. In addition to his 19 years at KVPR hosting Morning Edition, Clearly Classical and All Things Considered, he had a long career in commercial radio and production. Marv began his career in radio while he was in his teens. He was a radio host, disc jockey and program director at a number of Fresno area radio stations dating back to the mid 1960s including KIRV, KMAK and KARM.
“Marv was truly one-of-a-kind, and a local broadcasting legend. His voice will be missed by thousands.”Joe Moore, KVPR
An obituary provided by his family sheds more light on his life away from the KVPR airwaves.
After graduating high school, he attended the William B. Ogden Radio Operational Engineering School in Burbank, California, earning the FCC First Class Radio Telephone License. His broadcasting career began at KYUM in Yuma, Arizona, where he worked as an announcer and engineer before being drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in Vietnam as a radio communication specialist. Following military service, Moore returned to Fresno and joined KARM radio.
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In earlier years, Moore was an avid scuba diver, skydiver, boater, and pilot. A licensed flight instructor, he built and flew ultra-light aircraft and found great joy in both work and recreation. Moore is survived by his spouse, Vickie Pearson-Moore; his son, Michael Moore of Fresno; his brother and sister-in-law, Edwin and Carol Moore of Elk Grove; four grandchildren; and four nieces and nephews with their families.
“Marv was truly one-of-a-kind, and a local broadcasting legend. His voice will be missed by thousands,” said KVPR President and General Manager Joe Moore. “Marv loved radio and loved working at KVPR. We would get so many listener calls and emails telling us how much they loved Marv, his voice, his sense of humor and his weather forecasts. This is a big shock and a huge loss for the station and our listeners.”
In addition to his work at KVPR and other radio stations, he also ran Studio B Productions, a local recording studio and was a commercial voiceover artist for a range of clients. He voiced and produced radio and television commercials, recorded audiobooks and other custom voice projects. In a world where many radio hosts claim to have the “voice of God” Marv truly did, literally. Several years ago, one of his commercial voiceover jobs was recording the entire New Testament for an audiobook version of the Bible. In 2017, the station celebrated "Marvelous Marv" by creating a bobblehead figurine in his likeness.
Share your Marv Allen story:
We want to hear your story about Marv. Download the KVPR app for iOS or Android for your smartphone and use the “Audience Feedback” tool to record a brief voice memo telling us your first name, city and your message about Marv and what he meant to you. Your audio may be used on-air. You can also email your comments to kvpr@kvpr.org.