Iowa Broadcasting Legend to Retire After Nearly 50 Years

Here's wishing the best to a Cedar Rapids broadcasting legend who is about to hang up his headphones for good.

I can totally see him finding a way to keep a casual hand in the business going forward but Randy Lee has announced his retirement at the end of May, after 46 years in broadcasting. He ran the show for the last 32 of those years at WMT-AM (and WMT-FM which doesn't actually exist anymore). But I consider him a friend and mentor because, in 1998, he hired me for my first job in radio. It was all I ever wanted and he was first the brave soul to let it happen.

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I'll never forget the time I spent working for and learning from him. Cedar Rapids (and Iowa) radio and its personalities, whether they've come and gone or stuck around for a while (I am almost halfway to reaching his tenure!) have been better because of him, and I've made a lot of friends and connections because of the break he gave me. I was an overnight weekend jock, meaning I myself am old enough to remember when you still had to enthusiastically work those ungodly hours to break into the business!

Randy Lee's retirement party will take place June 12 at Camp Courageous in Monticello. You can learn more from a write-up from Iowa's News Now.

Thanks for everything and best wishes to you and your family, who I hope you get to enjoy much more time with as you move on to the next chapter in your life.