Dale Connelly, a MPR radio host for  27 years, and MPR employee for 34 yrs, has been cut, broomed and tossed out by MPR. Dale, along with Jim Ed Poole (Tom Keith), did the Morning Show on MPR for 25 years. After Jim Ed’s retirement, Dale hosted a radio show on MPR-HD radio, called Radio Heartland, for approximately 18 months – but apparently the powers that be at MPR decided that there was not enough financial support to justify keeping the human element (read: live radio personality, i.e., Dale) with the program. 

 The Radio Heartland radio show will carry on, and the wonderful, unique music offerings will continue under Mike Pengra’s skillful direction, but Dale, who hosted a live program on Radio Heartland from 7-9am each weekday morning, has been shown the door. This whole business makes me sad and angry, as you can read in my post from today to Trial Balloon, the blog Dale started on Radio Heartland :

SNIFF! SIGH. SIIIIIGH. SNIFF-SNIFF. HANKY. TISSUES. SADNESS. SORROW. EXPLETIVE. SNIFF. GROWL. BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK. EXPLETIVE. BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION. BLAH-BLAH-BAH! SNIFF. SIGH. GROAN. SIGH. SNIFF. “YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE.” SOB, SNIFF.
Thank you, Dale, thank you, Mike for everything. Wonderful to hear your voice, Jim Ed. So long for now.

Posted by Teri in Zimmerman | June 4, 2010 8:32 AM

The nod to ‘Jim Ed’ is in the closing remarks because Tom Keith came to be with Dale as he did his final live broadcast today. The reference to “You Are My Sunshine” has to do with a rendition of this song that was sung and played by Peter Ostrushko when the Morning Show ended almost two years ago. The song  has come to represent to many MPR radio fans the voices, personalities, talents and humor of Jim Ed Poole and Dale Connelly. Now all that fun in the morning, all that sunshine, has been taken away, and I am truly, truly sad. Sigh.