After being ousted in Alpha Media’s sweeping nationwide layoffs, Randy Van Roekel has found a new radio home in Newton, IA. Van Roekel has joined M and H Broadcasting’s KNIA and KRLS as a local news and sports reporter.
The stations cover stories from around Newton, including Knoxville, Pella, and Indianola. While he will not be tied to a specific station or morning show, Van Roekel will manage and write content for Newton. The hire represents an effort by M and H Broadcasting to fill the gap left by the replacement of local content by syndicated broadcasts at Alpha Media.
Van Roekel was previously the news director of Alpha’s KCOB and is a longtime voice for the Newton High School Cardinals. That play-by-play commentary will now stream online, along with select basketball games.
KNIA/KRLS Senior General Manager Jim Butler told the Newton News, “The more that happened the more excited I got and wanted to see if there was something we could put together,” Butler said. “The next thing was to sit down with Randy, because that was kind of a hitch pin, too. We wanted somebody that knew the town and was well known in town. Randy’s got a fantastic reputation.”
