Can’t sleep. It’s four o’clock in the morning and I’m as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve.
That’s because in less than an hour, I’m going to begin another chapter in my long association with Keloland Television. The recorded voice you’ll be hearing from now on introducing all the news and weathercasts, as well as all of the station ID’s and various promotions, will be mine.
A few weeks ago, I got a call from Paul Farmer..Keloland’s director of marketing and creative services. It seems Deb Donahoe, who has been the long time “Voice of Keloland,” was moving out of town. He’d been auditioning people from all over the country to replace her and then thought of me…figuring viewers might like to hear a familiar voice. “Would you be interested in stopping down to record a few things?” Paul said.
Well, I couldn’t get there fast enough and a couple days later he called back to say that the job was mine if I wanted it.
So, now I join the ranks of a privileged few who can lay claim to the title of station announcer for Keloland TV.
The first off-camera voice I heard on KELO was Dave Dedrick. I forget exactly what he said but it was something like; “First with the best in the upper Midwest, this is KELO Television, Sioux Falls.” Little did I realize then how often I would hear that voice in the years to come not only as a colleague but a dear friend. Oh, how I miss hearing it today.
Besides Dave, a guy named Murray Stewart shared the announcing duties in those early years…as did Bill Wigginton and Leo Hartig. In fact, a lot of the personalities on KELO Radio did double duty voicing commercials and announcements for TV. Back in the seventies, some of us in the newsroom, including Dedrick, Joe Cooper, Brian Bjerke and I took turns recording “The Book” ..which was the daily log of commercial tags and other announcements. I remember a couple that used to give me fits; “Super City Shopping Center” rarely came out right the first time and, for some reason, I also got tongue-tied trying to say “Sony dealer in Onida.”
Eventually, Mark Johnson handled most of the audio recording responsibilities until Deb came aboard in 1998.
So, not only am I lucky enough to have this blog on Keloland.com but I now get to stop down to the station a couple times a week..say hi to all my old friends and then pull up to the microphone again…without having to wear a tie.
I now realize what Dave Dedrick meant when he was always saying, “Life is good, my cup runneth over.”
Here’s a short video clip from the recording booth:
http://video.keloland.com/kelo/082410dougvoice.flv
Congratulations Doug….it’ll be wonderful to hear you “back on the air”…. And congratulations to Nicole Winters…. Wow…what a super job she is doing…I hope KELO can keep her…she is certainly “big time” quality…delivery and appearance. She is just plain GREAT. GP
Congratulations Doug!! It will be nice hearing your voice again. Life is good!!
Outstanding! Heard your spots this morning, and you haven’t missed a beat. Reminded me of James Earl Jones on CNN!
Ahhh, a voice we can trust in. The management was wise in using your voice instead of bringing in an ‘outsider’. It is recognizable and trustworthy, and you can’t put a price on that in this day and age. Congratulations Doug…hope you’re there for a long, long time!
This is great! Thanks for sharing the clip. Love hearing your voice.
I knew I recognized The Voice yesterday morning, and this morning at 6 a.m., it clicked! Welcome back to the airwaves, Doug! It’s good to hear a familiar voice. And I agree with gp; Nicole Winters is a great addition to the news team! And Brian Carstens with the weather; it just doesn’t get much better than that for the early morning folks!
CONGRATULATIONS DOUG!! WILL YOU STILL BE ABLE TO BE A WINTER SNOW BIRD? ISN’T IT GREAT TO BE NEEDED?
How exciting!!! What a perfect fit.
May the lips of a thousand camels greet you and your household with warm camely kisses at the dawn of each new day. My family is so delighted that you will be back. Me and my sisters Fatima, Nonfatima, Lofatima, and Transfatima will be gathering around our t.v. to watch, listen and plan. It will be good to have a fine neighbor on the air and be a credit to our community.
Death to the infidels.
Allah be praised.
Perhaps when I drive by your house and wave, your wife will turn to you and ask, “Who was that mosqued man?”
Your friend.
Ahmal
Congrats, my friend. An excellent choice by KELO.
Doug, you are the “Walter Conkrite” of Kelo-land. They could not have picked a better person for the job.
HI DOUG, CONGRATS TO YOU.I REALLY ENJOY YOUR BLOGS. I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO READING THEM. NICE HEARING YOUR VOICE BACK ON THE AIR. THEY COULDN’T HAVE PICKED A BETTER PERSON. TAKE CARE
I am very happy to hear your voice on the air waves again. I may be biased but you are truly one of a kind and i am privlaged to call you Dad!
Love you
Patty
I just turned the TV on and heard what I thought was your voice. I reversed the broadcast so I could listen again, and headed directly to the KELO website to see if it was really you! Congratulations! It sounded like “home” to hear your voice on KELO once again!!
Grew up watching you Doug, and the familiar voice is a nice throwback… love your blogs too, I check keloland.com every day for them! Congrats!
It was good to hear you back today. The old voice was constantly causing my fillings to loosen. My favorite old KELO ID was “Watch the Big Ones, KELO-TV, Channel 11, Sioux Falls” After I’d been doing the book for about a year, I’d pick an ID spot just before sign off when everyone including most of the guys in the control room were sleeping and encourage everyone to “Watch the BIG ones”. Nobody ever said anything. It was a small victory.
Hey Suzan….I forgot to remind you to remind the Cornhusker administrators to be sure and hire lots of grief counselors when the SDSU Jackrabbits arrive! Yes, our homegrown Jackrabbits will have a tough game against Nebraska’s high priced, out-of state ringers, but ….Well, that’s why they play the game.
Oh no, Grouse. Do I already hear the excuses for a Jackrabbit defeat?! Patty will be going to the game and I’m not sure where her loyalty lies! She says she’ll wear red, but will have her Jackrabbits blue under it, closest to her heart…what does that tell you? I guess she gets a victory no matter who wins!
I don’t know where ahmal al edel came from but I hope he stops by often. Thanks for the laugh.
Doug, welcome back to the airwaves in Kelo-land. It will be good to hear your familiar voice again.
However, like some of the others, I worry that you’ll be tied to Sx Falls and who will take me traveling? Hope there is a way for you to do both. Imagine your agent negotiated that into your contract.
i agree with Mike C.
I heard you and heard you yesterday on TV…not having internet at home I hadn’t been current on my blogs. It was like old times and I must say comforting to hear your voice on the air again! What a perfect choice for the job!
I wouldn’t compare Doug to Walter Cronkite or James Earl Jones. I was thinking more of Stewie on Family Guy. Or, maybe even closer, Homer Simpson.
Amahl al edel? But Al Edel (who was anchor at KSFY) passed on in 2005.
Grouse talking about the old Station IDs got me thinking. Why not put the old ones in the rotation? Mix it up.
Charlie, that’s a great idea. It’s time the young geniuses at all the stations figured out what part of a cap faces forward and brought back those things that are near and dear to a viewer’s heart. Thank God that they had the common sense to bring Doug back. It’s so good to finally hear an old school guy like cousin Doug tell us that it’s time for the 6 o’clock snoose. The 10 o’clock snoose announcement is a bonus. Investing Tip: Buy stock in Copenhagen snoose. It’s gonna sky rocket.
My listening skills are good !! I recognized Doug’s voice as the announcer the other night before the 10:00 p.m news. Welcome back — they couldn’t have hired a better voice in the area.
AHH! “The Book!” Neil Shurts and I took turns at it in the early 70′s (“First with the Best!”) usually after we got off the air as radio jocks. Your familiar voice is a great choice for KELO-LAND Doug. Great to hear you!
I grew up watching you, Stive and Dave as A kid glad to see you are still working with kelo wish you the best
Congrats Doug!!! You were enjoyable on the news, then you retired. I didn’t know about keloland blogs till tonight when i saw your eye on keloland. And I think it’s awesome that you’re the new voice for everything at kelo. I’m going to start reading your blogs and the blogs of others at keloland and do my best to comment on them. Keep up the good work Doug. And i’ve seen you at the Alpine Inn a few times, do you like eating there. Keep up the good work!!
Hi Doug,
Congrats. I once did the “book” and the regional saturday nite news on keloland tv.
Went on to report from the UN for ABC news for a decade. I have very fond memories also of my 8 to sign off shift on radio. Whatever happend to Niel Shurts?
All the best.
Tom Osborne