Jim Bohannon

Early life and education Bohannon was born in Corvallis, Oregon, and raised in Lebanon, Missouri. His broadcasting career began KLWT in his hometown of Lebanon, Missouri, in 1960, where he worked for a dollar per hour. One event in 1964 helped set the tone for Bohannon's later career and ability to think on his feet. Presidential candidate Senator Barry Goldwater made a campaign appearance in Springfield, which KWTO was covering by live remote broadcast. However the Senator was running late, forcing the young Bohannon to ad lib on air for over an hour to fill the time. As he told Inside Radio in a 2003 interview: "I called on everything I had in reserve. I was ad libbing and making comments about the campaign. It was like being dumped in the middle of the English Channel and told you needed to learn how to swim. That sticks out as a time I was given a big test." Another highlight for Bohannon while working in radio in those early years was taking three busloads of fans from Springfield to Kansas City, Missouri, to see The Beatles in concert. Assigned to the Army Security Agency (ASA), his four years of service included a tour of duty (April 1967 to April 1968) during the Vietnam War with the 199th Infantry Brigade. After completion of his Vietnam tour Bohannon was assigned to the Washington D.C. area until discharged in 1970. and a daily Westwood One radio feature called The Offbeat, which aired as a part of both The Jim Bohannon Show (as its final segment) and America in The Morning (near the end of the first half-hour). His talk show resumed broadcasts the following Monday with Rich Valdés as host, airing as The Jim Bohannon Show with Rich Valdés until January 2023, when it was renamed Rich Valdés America at Night. Valdés left the show in November 2025 and was succeeded by McGraw Milhaven.

Personal life

Jim married his first wife, Mary Camille Skora (who generally went by "Camille"), in late 1970. In 1976 the two began hosting the morning program at Washington, D.C.'s WTOP radio. However, the station owner did not want the show to be labeled as a "husband and wife team", so Camille had to adopt the pseudonym of "Laura Walters". The next year the two moved to middays at WRC, now as "The Bohannons". In 1980, the pair left the Washington area to work mornings at station WCFL in Chicago. At the time of the move, Camille was quoted as saying: "People ask how we can be together so much, but my answer is that we're making up for the first five years when I was a DJ at night and Jim did news during the day and we never saw each other." However, the couple eventually divorced. Camille went on to become a noted broadcaster, with a long career at the Associated Press and United Press International.

Bohannon and his second wife Annabelle attended high school together but lost touch after graduation. Said Bohannon of her, "I just worshipped her in high school, but she dated the football captain and I didn't make any time with her."

As hobbies he enjoyed reading science fiction, playing tennis and the trombone, something he had done since high school. He was a staunch supporter of the Jerry Hoover scholarship at Lebanon High School, serving as its honorary chairman. The scholarship is named in honor of Bohannon's former band director and is awarded to a student who will be attending Missouri State University and participating in the instrumental music program. Bohannon also did much work with the Smithsonian Associates. He remained close to his Missouri roots however, often mentioning his hometown of Lebanon, the trout fishing at nearby Bennett Spring State Park, and even once broadcasting an entire week of his shows from the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield. He died in Seneca, South Carolina, on November 12, 2022, at the age of 78.