Dave Lee to retire from WCCO Radio after 32 years
A longtime morning host on WCCO Radio News Talk 830 is retiring this spring.
In an emotional announcement Friday (listen below), Dave Lee, who has been with the station for 32 years, said he'll retire on April 30.
"I'm Scandinavian, I'm not supposed to get emotional," Lee said.
Lee, a North Dakota native, started his radio broadcasting career at 790 KFGO Radio in Fargo, North Dakota, WCCO Radio says.
In 1989, at age 28, he was the program director and afternoon drive host. That's when former WCCO Radio Program Director Jon Quick, who was scouting for new talent, heard Lee on the radio and hired him.
His first day on air with WCCO Radio was Sept. 30, 1989. He worked the weekends and was being "groomed" to take over for Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson, the longtime morning hosts, which he did in 1997, the station says.
"I'm not sure if it's 29 or 30 years, but it's been a long time here on the morning show. And I started, gosh, in '89 so I'm an old dog here," Lee said on the radio.
Lee said it's now time for him to retire, noting he's been having conversations about it for more than a year. It's not clear who will replace him.
He is looking forward to retirement, he said. And his wife, who was on the show Friday morning, said now he'll have time to get her honey-do list done. She also said he'll have to "carry on without me" some days as she still plays tennis and has her lunch dates.
While he was the voice of morning news on WCCO Radio years, he was also a sports broadcaster, doing play-by-play for the Minnesota Gophers and was a fill-in announcer for the Minnesota Twins, the station says. He still does play-by-play for the TV broadcasts of the Minnesota State High School boys and girls basketball tournaments and is the voice of University of St. Thomas football on WCCO Radio.
Lee has won three Emmys for his television work and has been named Minnesota's Sportscaster of the Year six times, WCCO Radio notes.
