Utica NY Radio: Matt Herkimer Retires After 51 Years

Matt Herkimer started in 1967, playing 45s on turntables. Then it became pushing buttons, and finally, mouse clicks.

Country WBUG personality Matt Herkimer, known by radio listeners as “Matt in the Morning,” has seen a lot of changes in radio during the past 51 years that he’s been on local airwaves. But for country music lovers here in central New York, he’s been a constant for more than half a century.

And now, Herkimer is turning off his mic for good, as he’s retiring from Bug Country 99.7/101.1 FM.

His previous gig lasted 25+years doing mornings on crosstown WFRG Big Frog 104.  Herkimer joined WBUG in 2014.

While it might seem impersonal, sitting alone in a studio, talking into a microphone, Herkimer says that what he’s going to miss most is connecting with listeners and the feeling that he might have helped them a little bit.

“This sounds a little disingenuous, but I will miss interactions with the listeners, the phone calls that I get, the appearances that we make,” Herkimer said. “It's always so gratifying to know that you made some kind of a difference. You made them laugh. You gave them some information that was important. So I think that probably is the thing that I will miss the most.”

Herkimer and his wife will split their time between their camp in Woodgate and their home in Florida, according to WKTV-TV.