CPR’s Mike Lamp Calls It A Career
• Colorado Public Radio announced longtime Morning Edition host Mike Lamp will retire Friday, Sept. 12, closing out a remarkable 44-year career in radio and television journalism.
Lamp has been a trusted voice on CPR since 2000, guiding early risers across Colorado with calm, steady reporting and a welcoming presence.
Lamp’s path to a career in journalism began in high school, where he fell in love with working on the student newspaper. He went on to study print journalism in college, but soon realized his true calling was broadcasting. “I think what really drove home to me the power of radio and the way a single human voice can really grab you and put you at the scene was the clip they played in every first-year broadcasting class: Herb Morrison describing the landing and ‘Oh, the humanity!’ — the destruction of the Hindenburg,” Lamp recalled.
Lamp’s first paid radio gig was overnights at a Country station in Flagstaff, AZ. From there, his career spanned commercial radio, television and eventually, public broadcasting. After nearly four years at public radio station KNAU/Flagstaff, Lamp joined Colorado Public Radio in the spring of 2000. “I have felt good about being someone who wasn’t panicked, who was able to say how things were and not necessarily more than that,” Lamp said. Through heavy moments, he added, “you hope that you are a voice of stability and the opposite of panicking or frantic.”
“Mike will be missed in the mornings on CPR News,” said Kevin Dale, Executive Editor of CPR News. “His steady, calm, authoritative voice welcomed listeners into the day for 25 years. He is curious, understands how people might need to be eased into the day and, even so, when the news demanded it, he was powerful and to the point. That combination of skills is rare. We’ll miss him, and we know our listeners will too.”
Lamp recently reflected on the unique rhythm of early-morning news work in a conversation with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner.
Colorado Public Radio will air a special tribute to Mike Lamp the morning of Friday, Sept. 12. [Mike Lamp Photo: Hart Van Denburg / CPR News]
