Dale Says Goodbye, But Not Farewell

After nearly 34 years on the WYRK morning show the time has come. I'm not leaving the radio station, I'm stepping away from the morning show to do other things here.

It was about a year ago that management asked me what my plans for the future might be and I expressed how difficult it sometimes is to wake up at 3:30 in the morning and drive to the station in the worst of weather. Often I'm out even before the snowplows have cleared the way.

Plus I'm stepping away because I can. Because the two I've been working with on the show now are two of the most talented people I've ever worked with. They obviously can handle the work load, so not much will change.

What I'll miss most is Clay's humor. Even on the Monday morning following a galling Buffalo Bills loss Clay had the ability to make me laugh. There is no one I've work with in my career longer than Clay and it's been amazing to see him grow from a teenage intern to one of the most respected broadcasters not only in Western New York but in the the country. The bar for him is as high as he wants to set it.

I'll be back on occasion to do fill-in work and you'll still see me at events like the Taste of County, our acoustic shows, the Erie County Fair and other summertime events, plus Bills and Sabres games.

This is a career I chose before I was even a teenager and it's hard to just walk away. The old saying is if you can get paid for a hobby you'll never work a day in your life. That's been pretty much the truth for me. When it stops being fun, that's when I'm done.

Doing a little quick math and allowing for vacation time and holidays I figure that in the nearly 34 years I've been on the morning show that works out to more than 8,000 broadcasts. I just hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.

I would like to acknowledge the various people who have been part of the WYRK morning show over the years. The mention of each one brings a smile to my face, the things that were said and the moments we shared.