Duluth Radio: Morning Host Pat Kelly To Exit KDAL

Pat Kelly

KDAL 610 AM has announced that Pat Kelly, also known as "P.K.," will be leaving it smorning show and his last day will be May 13.

Beginning May 16, Tom Hansen will be joining the morning show from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays, as well as working in KDAL's newsroom.

Kelly, a longtime radio and TV personality in the Twin Ports, has worked at KDAL since January 2013.

"Pat Kelly is a consummate pro and he will be missed. We wish him all the best as he tackles his next adventure," KDAL Brand Manager David Kuharski said in a statement.

The Duluth News-Tribune reports Hansen currently works in university relations at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and plans to teach broadcast journalism at UWS next semester. He said he'll continue his play-by-play broadcasts of local high school and college sports, which he's been doing for the past 27 years.

KDAL 610 AM (5 kw, DA-N)

"I have been fortunate to work in broadcasting for 31 years in radio and television in the Duluth/Superior market and the chance to join a heritage station like KDAL full-time is a wonderful opportunity. I hope to live up to those high standards that others have set over the decades," Hansen said of the announcement.

Hansen first began working in radio in 1985 in Pine City before moving to the Duluth-Superior market later that year to work as a news reporter at WDSM/KZIO. After working as the news director and sports director there, he worked as the sports director at KBJR-TV from 1991 until 2013.

"Bringing Tom on board is an example of how Midwest Communications is making a big investment into local news. Having a journalist and broadcaster like Tom onboard means that we can super-serve our listeners even more," Kuharski said in a statement.