| Clint Skutchan, Local Radio Host Leaving KFKA For New Position See letter below he sent LovelandPolitics.com |
I'd like to send out a huge round of thanks to Northern Colorado for your
support over the past eight years. It has been my pleasure to serve as a local
talk radio host over that time. It wouldn’t have taken place without an
immense amount of support from all the wonderful residents of our region.
After starting out as a simple intern eight years ago, I was lucky enough to
have stumbled into a morning show position just two weeks after graduation
from CSU. I have loved every minute that I have spent talking about the
issues of Northern Colorado since.
Aside from being in the right place at the right time, I have many to thank for
my successes in talk radio. I’d first like to start with the stations that gave
a young guy a chance to engage with the public via their airwaves. To all my
coworkers, who are too many to name here, it was a pleasure to have worked
along side such a passionate group of people.
One thing that makes local radio so great is that you are afforded the
opportunity to grow relationships with some of the regions best people. To
the Mayors, Council members, County Commissioners, State and National
representatives who have become friends in addition to being resources, I am
humbled to have made your acquaintance. To so many in the business
community who have both supported and contributed to my programs over
the years, I owe you a debt of gratitude that won’t soon be forgotten.
In this case, I have saved the best for last! To all the listeners over the years
that have listened and supported the concept and importance of true locally
focused radio, I say to you thanks! Your kind words and insightful phone
calls helped me to stand up for what I see as important and worthy of
discussion locally on talk radio. Your reliance on me to bring issues that
otherwise would have been ignored to the table got me through many early
mornings and compensated for the lack of pay. Without your support I
couldn’t have spent the last eight years growing exponentially my
knowledge of the region.
I am leaving the radio business behind with a feeling of pride that I have
contributed to a greater amount of local talk radio being done. My hope is,
those local talk programs will understand the importance of real local issues
and put the hard work in to deliver real local news. It’s about more than
ratings and doing what comes easy. It’s not about becoming a Denver
Radio clone! My fear is, unless the listeners hold stations accountable to
produce true local radio, I may be leaving behind a chasm for local issues of
importance.
I came to a decision that my abilities to better this region via radio, similar to
my opportunity for professional growth in radio, had hit a glass ceiling. It is
with this in mind that I look forward to the challenge of moving from regional
commentator to regional policy maker. I will tackle my new role in the region
with the same passion and principle understanding that local issues do matter.
In doing so, just as I did in radio, I will not compromise my values as I work
to better myself and the region.
Clint Skutchan former morning show host with KCOL & KFKA can be
reached at Skutchan22@comcast.net.
support over the past eight years. It has been my pleasure to serve as a local
talk radio host over that time. It wouldn’t have taken place without an
immense amount of support from all the wonderful residents of our region.
After starting out as a simple intern eight years ago, I was lucky enough to
have stumbled into a morning show position just two weeks after graduation
from CSU. I have loved every minute that I have spent talking about the
issues of Northern Colorado since.
Aside from being in the right place at the right time, I have many to thank for
my successes in talk radio. I’d first like to start with the stations that gave
a young guy a chance to engage with the public via their airwaves. To all my
coworkers, who are too many to name here, it was a pleasure to have worked
along side such a passionate group of people.
One thing that makes local radio so great is that you are afforded the
opportunity to grow relationships with some of the regions best people. To
the Mayors, Council members, County Commissioners, State and National
representatives who have become friends in addition to being resources, I am
humbled to have made your acquaintance. To so many in the business
community who have both supported and contributed to my programs over
the years, I owe you a debt of gratitude that won’t soon be forgotten.
In this case, I have saved the best for last! To all the listeners over the years
that have listened and supported the concept and importance of true locally
focused radio, I say to you thanks! Your kind words and insightful phone
calls helped me to stand up for what I see as important and worthy of
discussion locally on talk radio. Your reliance on me to bring issues that
otherwise would have been ignored to the table got me through many early
mornings and compensated for the lack of pay. Without your support I
couldn’t have spent the last eight years growing exponentially my
knowledge of the region.
I am leaving the radio business behind with a feeling of pride that I have
contributed to a greater amount of local talk radio being done. My hope is,
those local talk programs will understand the importance of real local issues
and put the hard work in to deliver real local news. It’s about more than
ratings and doing what comes easy. It’s not about becoming a Denver
Radio clone! My fear is, unless the listeners hold stations accountable to
produce true local radio, I may be leaving behind a chasm for local issues of
importance.
I came to a decision that my abilities to better this region via radio, similar to
my opportunity for professional growth in radio, had hit a glass ceiling. It is
with this in mind that I look forward to the challenge of moving from regional
commentator to regional policy maker. I will tackle my new role in the region
with the same passion and principle understanding that local issues do matter.
In doing so, just as I did in radio, I will not compromise my values as I work
to better myself and the region.
Clint Skutchan former morning show host with KCOL & KFKA can be
reached at Skutchan22@comcast.net.
LovelandPolitics.com
| Clint Skutchan, news director for KFKA radio, was host of KFKA's (1310 AM) morning talk show "AM Colorado" |