Boise Radio: KBOI's Paul J Schneider To Retire

Paul J Schneider

Every day, for decades, Paul J Schneider has awakened the Treasure Valley with his golden voice, quick wit, eye for the detail and affinity for sports.  Now, after over 51 years of media and radio broadcasting, Paul J Schneider has decided it is time to sleep in.

According to Schneider, “The last time I slept in was when I was on television and that is when I stayed up all night and THEN slept until 10:00am.”

Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, who has been a frequent guest on Paul J’s shows as a state legislator, Congressman, Lt. Governor and Governor, said, “I have appreciated Paul J Schneider’s wit and wisdom as a mainstay on KBOI for almost my entire career in government. I have enjoyed waking to his commentary and his thought provoking analysis of the day’s most pressing issues. I always looked forward to hearing his play-by-play calling duties for so many years as the ‘Voice of the Broncos.’  I especially appreciated his counsel and the great friendship we have developed over the years!”

Paul J moved to Boise and started his career at KBOI 670 AM in June of 1967, shifting exclusively to radio in 1976.  During the early years, Paul anchored the TV news and voiced the television replay of BSU football.  From there he was quickly ushered in as the radio play-by-play voice for Boise State football and basketball which he held from 1973 to 2008.  His radio career has spanned the encyclopedia of Treasure Valley history and during his career enjoyed one of the country’s largest radio audience shares as a part of “Dunn & Schneider” which aired from 1973 to 1993.  Since 2001 Paul J. has hosted “Idaho Talks Live” with Chris Walton and throughout his career, Paul J and his morning partners have been at the top of station ratings.

“I have been privileged to work with great morning show partners and to be on AM radio in its heyday.  I was able to call the Boise State games through their growth trajectory and when not all the games were broadcast live on TV.” says Schneider.

His storied radio career has seen plenty of benchmark moments, including but not limited to:  the first radio interview with President Richard Nixon in 1972 after Watergate; covering the prison riots at the Idaho Penitentiary in 1971 and 1973; and calling Boise State Football’s first trip to the Fiesta Bowl in 2007.

Paul J says, recalling these moments, “Boise and I grew up together through those benchmark moments.  My friend, baseball Hall of Famer, Harmon Killebrew, set up the interview with Nixon.  We called Nixon on his birthday and he made us promise to not talk politics, so we had him predict the Super Bowl.  Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl was a culmination of years of hard work and growth on their end.  The riots were a subset of the conditions, overcrowding and the need for investments from the city.”

Over 51 Years, Paul J has amassed several awards. Winner of over 50 Idaho State Broadcasting Association awards, Idaho Thoroughbred Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Citadel Broadcasting Legend Award, awarded Boise’s Key to the City in 2017, and most recently, a 2018 Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame inductee.