Gil Haar, born Eugene Gelhaar in Kansas City, MO began his career as a teenager doing radio theater in his hometown. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Northwestern University. Haar had stops in radio and television in Wyoming and a stint as a disc jockey for Armed Forces Radio on Okinawa while serving in the United States Air Force.
He came to San Francisco from Denver to work as a DJ at Top 40 KOBY in 1958, heard on various airshifts as “Al Night” and “Art Way”. When KYA and KEWB took over Top 40 radio in the Bay Area, Haar moved on toe Fresno’s KMJ.
When he returned to the Bay Area in 1966, he was hired as news director at KNEW, where he stayed until 1975.
Haar worked for NBC’s short-lived KNAI before it morphed into KYUU, then as a reporter at KCBS and finally News Director of “Magic 61” KFRC before retiring in 2001. In total, Haar worked in radio for over 50 years.
Haar was a longtime member of the Northern California Radio Television News Directors Association, serving on its board as secretary and vice president. He also served as president of the Northern California Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi.
Haar was widely-known for his newscast sign off: “That’s the news, so now you know.”
Gil Haar died in 2022 at age 92.