SASKATOON - Regular listeners of CJME and CKOM will be saying goodbye to John Gormley later this month.
Gormley announced on his radio show Wednesday that he is leaving after 25 years on Rawlco’s stations in Regina and Saskatoon. His final show is Nov. 24.
“Well, the day is finally here,” said Gormley in making the announcement on the air Wednesday morning. “Time flies by quickly. So quickly.”
The new host will be introduced on Gormley’s show Thursday morning. That host who Gormley dubbed the new "voice of Saskatchewan," will take over starting on Nov. 27.
The news of Gormley's departure is likely to produce shock waves in both media circles as well as political ones, with Gormley's show being a focal point for conservative viewpoints in the province.
In his on air remarks on Wednesday, Gormley noted that it had been 48 years since he got his first job in radio. Since then, Gormley had also been a Member of Parliament for Battlefords-Lloydminster and had practiced labour law in Edmonton before returning to Saskatchewan to launch the new Rawlco news-talk format in 1998.
Gormley said he was hesitant to call this "retiring", but plans to continue to work in labour law, and to spend more time with his family. He also plans to stay based in Saskatchewan.
“I’ve been blessed beyond words and honoured to have had the opportunity to host this radio show for those 25 years, and to work with so many remarkable people and you, the listeners, who have brought me into your lives for so many years," said Gormley to his listeners Wednesday.
“So what’s the announcement today? I’m stepping away.
"I’m not big on long goodbyes. I want to say thank you for sharing your lives and your passion and for permitting me to have a front-row seat in the incredible place that is Saskatchewan. The best part, though, of all of this has been with you, your thoughts, your hopes, your dreams, played out every morning on this radio.
"And the amazing opportunity over the years at hundreds of events across Saskatchewan to have met you personally, to have visited with you and your families, taken selfies, autograph books, watched you model your Angry Gormley Listener T-shirts, and to have had you in my life. All of this touched me profoundly, and it’s been an honour to have shared this time with you. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
