#MediaMonday – Loy Engelhardt
Today’s #MediaMonday comes to us from Loy Engelhardt, an Arizona Broadcasting Association hall-of-famer and the first-ever recipient of the Oscar Stauffer Sportscaster of the Year Award, presented by the Kansas State High School Activities Association. Loy has been in the media for 57 years, four-plus of those decades at KINO-AM in Winslow, where he is the owner and general manager of the station. He’s an icon. Loy isn’t just “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” – he’s actually had a street there named after him!
Loy, time to share:
Through the decades, Winslow has lost our local newspaper and daily circular; however, I am proud to say I have remained dedicated to providing Winslow and the surrounding community with multiple local newscasts daily as well as delivering the play-by-play of more than 100 local high school games annually. Over the years, KINO has employed more than 200 Winslow High School graduates, many of whom I remain in contact with today.
I grew up in an extremely small town in Kansas. Broadcasting was something I had always wanted to do. I got my start in radio in Manhattan, Kan. I was working in a clothing store and during the noon hour, there was a lady who wrote news for KMAN. There was a salesman for KMAN who frequented the clothing store and knew of my interest in radio. He got me connected to deliver the news at 12:45 each weekday. I later moved on to KSAL in Salina, Kan., and then went to KABI in Abeline, Kan., for seven years where I had an air shift and did the sports. We then heard about the Winslow property being for sale. The station was affordable, so my wife and I came to Winslow to look around. That was 44 years ago.
This is what I love. Despite a heart attack and stroke a couple years ago, I still work more than 40 hours per week. I wear numerous hats as a small business owner and broadcaster. Radio today may not be as hectic as it once was thanks to computers and automation, but I stay busy as KINO’s only full-time employee. Why? It’s because the merchants and listeners in Winslow and the surrounding community have afforded me my dream job!
Among my duties is being the voice of the Winslow Bulldogs for the past 44 years. Among those top highlights was the first year we were here. We started at the Arizona State University Activity Center, where the boys were playing and won the state championship. We raced across town to the Mesa Community College gym to broadcast the Lady Bulldogs’ games. Low and behold – they also won it. Both on the same night!
Another highlight is that I would have never imagined that I would have the honor of calling the play-by-play for both of our grandchildren as they played high school sports.
It’s been fun and it still is fun to come to work every day. Fun to be at the baseball, football and basketball games, but not so fun when the team gets kicked in the teeth. I probably take the losses as hard as the coach and the players.
I’ve been fortunate to have a very understanding wife who has been a great supporter. She’s made it all happen and allowed me to run amuck all these years.
As for Winslow, it’s the people. Going back to when we came in here all those years ago. Here’s somebody from the Plains, a nobody, and they took me in. The community still accepts me, and they have allowed me to come into their home all of these years. And then when the Broadcasters’ Association decided to take me into the hall of fame a couple years ago, it’s so humbling. When you look at the names that are on the list… what the crap am I doing there… there’s no way…
