Radio host Jack Harris reflects on career, life in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - If you've lived in the Tampa Bay area for a while, then chances are you know Jack Harris. He is a staple in local radio, bringing his humor and perspective to listeners bright and early on “AM Tampa Bay.”

"We bring them the news in the morning and we kind of talk about it and give it a different slant sometimes, so we've been pretty successful in staying afloat," Harris explained to FOX 13.

His career began in his home state of West Virginia.

"The guy that owned the radio station in my hometown of Logan knew my mother and said, ‘Bucky’ -- that was my nickname then -- ‘We want Bucky to come do news for us,’" Harris said.

He went into the Army and returned to radio. Around 1970, a job opportunity brought him to the Bay Area.

"Ended up coming down here and checking it out for a weekend,” he said. “I had never been here before and pretty well-liked it.”

But he had to make a name change. 

"My real name is William Harris but I had been nicknamed Bucky by my uncle. They said, ‘Oh we don't like that, we need something else.’ I said I worked with a guy named Jack. I said, ‘How about Jack?’ They said, ‘OK,’" said Harris.

Harris became so well-known and successful in local radio, he transitioned to television. Among his gigs, he hosted a talk show at WTVT in the 1980s called "Pulse Plus."

"Pulse Plus days, I loved it. That was fantastic. I've got a lot of pictures of people that I got to meet and interview and be with and everything. It was terrific," said Harris.

And "Pulse Plus" changed his life in another way. 

"That's where I met my wife," he explained.

He has had more notable moments in his broadcasting career than he can count. 

"First disco station disc jockey ever. I was inducted in the Tampa Bay Sports Hall of Fame, which, not being a sports guy, that's pretty funny. I've been nominated twice for the Radio Hall of Fame but haven't made it,” he said. 

And at 78 years old, he's not done yet. He said he wouldn't have his life and career in the Tampa Bay area any other way. 

"I love it. It's been incredible. Best thing that ever happened to me," Harris added.

You can catch Jack Harris on AM Tampa Bay on NewsRadio 970, WFLA weekdays from 5 a.m. until 9 a.m. 

2020 Tampa Bay radio legends series: 

- Radio host Jack Harris reflects on career, life in Tampa
- Tampa Bay-area radio host Mason Dixon shares his most memorable moments
- Local radio host Ann Kelly has been on airwaves for decades
- Ron Diaz, the ‘Godfather’ of local radio, started in Tampa Bay four decades ago
- Starting off as an intern, radio host Mike Calta has risen through the ranks