Thursday, December 28, 2017

Eau Claire Radio: WIAL Morning Host George House Retires

George House
Longtime Radio Personality George House, 57, retired Tuesday after 40 years of broadcasting morning shows on local stations — most of his career at Country WAXX 104.5 FM, with the final five years on HotAC WIAL I-94.1 FM.

“I’ve been blessed — that I’ve done one thing in my career and I loved doing it,” House said.

House graduated from Eau Claire North in 1979, and it was there his interest in radio began, reports The Leader-Telegram.

“I was fortunate; we had a radio club,” House recalled. “They were able to get secondhand equipment. We had turntables, we had cartridge machines, and really good microphones. We got to do a morning radio show, 7-7:30 a.m., before school started.”

Even though he was still in school, he landed a weekend job on the radio with WIAL and WEAQ.

“I was living my dream as a high school junior,” House said.

Over his career doing the morning show for WAXX country music station, he and his on-air partners won four “broadcaster of the year” awards. He credits his wins to his willingness to talk about his life, whether it was short stories about his wife, Diane, his love of the Green Bay Packers or fishing.

“My listeners have heard stories of my wife and kids for 25, 30 years,” he said. “They connected with the life I’m living. I’m not just a voice on the radio.”

He added: “They invite you into their homes and into their cars — that’s actually very intimate.”


Among his career highlights was taking a ride with the Blue Angels when the pilots visited the Chippewa Valley. He also wrote a short song in 1986 when the Packers were having a bad season titled “Where Are You Now, Vince Lombardi?”

“It caught on locally, and then it got played nationally,” he said.

A few years ago, House decided to take a step back. He gave up the duties as programs director but continued to be an on-air talent.

When House realized he was finishing his 40th year in broadcast, he decided it was time to call it a career.

“I’ve always been in the same building,” he said. “It’s been a blessed career; it’s been a charmed career.”

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