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Bruce Thalhuber and Ron Cote said their goodbyes to K101-FM and KQAD-AM radio listeners Friday as the two wrapped up their final broadcasts.
They sang “Happy Trails” in their final hour on the air.
In early July, both announced retirements effective Aug. 2.
Thalhuber spent 33 years working at the Luverne station. He was originally hired in 1975 and left in 1982 to work in Worthington. He returned to Luverne in 1993.
“I came back with the idea to stay a few years,” he said. “I always liked radio. That’s what I always wanted to do.”
He also spent 18 years as the play-by-play announcer for Luverne High School sports.
Cote had multiple stints with the Luverne station as the station ownership changed through the years.
He was first hired in 1987 and worked three years. Cote worked part time from 1990 to 1998 and returned full time in 2008 for a combined 20 years on the air.
They were honored during a retirement open house Wednesday afternoon, July 31.
Alpha Media of Portland, Oregon, currently owns the Luverne station. Joel Vis has worked at the station since 2006. He became general manager on Jan. 1, after previous manager Steve Graphenteen retired.
Vis will help in the broadcast booth as the station interviews for another full-time on-air personality with future plans to add a second full-time announcer.
“The hard part is with guys like them (Bruce and Ron), you can’t just throw someone on the air,” he said. “You can’t replace Bruce and Ron. We have to look for someone to fit the role.”
Thalhuber was the program and sports director as well as the station’s operations manager.
Tuning into a small-town radio station is like inviting a neighbor over for coffee.
The next radio personality needs to know the area and its residents.
“You can’t just be on the radio,” Cote said. “You have to be a part of the community. You can’t find out things (and meet people) by just being in the studio or sitting in your La-Z-Boy at home.”
Thalhuber, however, knows that local listeners are also patient with new broadcasters.
He recalled his first few months on the air. “I was like everyone else — I sucked,” Thalhuber said.
Dozens of local residents have said they will miss hearing Thalhuber and Cote on the radio.
Both are planning on staying in Luverne.
Thalhuber’s initial retirement plans involve volunteering at various organizations before potentially seeking a part-time job.
Cote will continue to sing with his wife, Jane, at various local events and also work one to two days a week in an accounting position.
The station currently has two full-time on-air personalities, Max Hodgdon and Matt Dupuie.