A Broadcaster And Maker Of Broadcasters Is Gone

When I went to what was Brown Institute on East Lake Street in Minneapolis in 1983, I met a few greats. First was Roy Finden, a former KDHL personality who then went to work for KSTP in the Twin Cities and was the guy I had to audition for to see if I could get into Brown. Dave Moore, legendary news man from WCCO, came into a class and talked. When I was getting close to graduating and looking for my first job I met Mike Kronforst.

Mike made sure we were learning "The Brown Sound." He made sure our resumes were the best and our audition tapes were free of flubs and gaps so that he and his team had the best chance of finding us work. I was actually supposed to go back in and fix my tape the day I got a call from a little station in Aitkin, Minn., that was interested in me.

Later as I went on to hire broadcasters both there and here I got to know Mike a little better. And they asked me to be a part of some panels to judge whether students were ready for graduation or not. I remember being amazed that it's not just about being good on air anymore. You have to know social media and websites now. And they actually offered degrees on some of their programs. Mike was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2009.

Now the school is history and so is Mike Kronforst. Mike passed away at age 71 after a battle with brain cancer. Here is his obituary from the Star Tribune.

Mike, I am sure, will organize all those voices in broadcasting heaven.