Iconic KWAL duo talks telethon over the years
Photo by CHANSE WATSON Shoshone News-Press reporter Josh McDonald interviews Paul Robinson, George White, Peggy White and Keri Alexander to kick off the Dave Smith Christmas Fund Telethon. The group shared several laughs reminiscing about past radiothons back at KWAL.
OSBURN — To kick off the Dave Smith Christmas Fund Telethon on Tuesday, the Shoshone News-Press had the opportunity to sit down with the longtime former hosts — retired KWAL operators Paul Robinson and George White.
Robinson and White were integral to the event’s success for the previous 20 occasions, but after KWAL’s closure earlier this year, the event needed at new home. During their interview, both Robinson and White stressed that they were thrilled that the Shoshone News-Press had stepped up to the role of host.
“I was really happy to hear that the News-Press picked this up. Dave Smith was a person who cared deeply for the people of this Valley and he was a close friend of ours,” Robinson said. “When we were asked 21 years ago, we jumped at the chance to get involved and be a part of Dave’s generosity toward the people of this Valley.”
On the SNP’s end, the event was a new spin on an old-style event where the radio aspect would be absent, but newer technology would be used to compensate for the lack of AM radio.
Publisher Keri Alexander was pleased to be a part of the event and really took it on as a way to help those in need, but also as a way to honor KWAL’s involvement for the previous two decades.
“It’s so exciting. Part of me was sad that KWAL wasn’t going to be able to do it anymore,” Alexander said. “It was an honor to pick the event up and a fun challenge. We really want to do as great a job as they did at KWAL.”
Shoshone County Clerk Peggy White also sat in on the discussion and told a few funny stories from over the years, which just went to show how much fun the event is and how much support from the community it has received (for more on those stories, check out our live video interview with Paul Robinson, George White and Peggy White on the Shoshone News-Press Facebook page).
The former radio hosts also honored the memory of Don McPeak, a longtime KWAL employee that tragically passed away earlier this year.
Over the years, McPeak had been a huge part of making sure everything on the studio’s end ran smoothly.
“Don McPeak was a tremendous loss for us and the community,” Robinson said. “He really enjoyed working on this.”
Robinson spoke further about his pride in this event, highlighting how, “every single penny of every single dollar raised stayed in Shoshone County to help the families in need here.”
Alexander backed that statement by highlighting the urgency in making sure the event never goes away.
“We love our community and we couldn’t let this go,” Alexander said.
To see this interview and others from the telethon, visit the SNP’s Facebook page.