Lee Lonsberry, a former producer for Doug Wright who served until recently as the communications director for U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, sat down to answer questions about hosting his new show on KSL NewsRadio.
What’s the new show going to be about?
“It’s going to be current-events driven. We’re going to keep an eye on politics, business and education and more,” Lonsberry said.
“If it touches the lives of Utahns, we’re going to be looking into it. We intend to become the place where Utahns can go for an authoritative understanding of the issues impacting their lives,” he said.
The name of the show, he said, will likely be announced on the first live day, Wednesday, Dec. 11. The show will air Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
“Lee researches stories like a street reporter and has the larger-than-life personality of a talk host. We’ll understand stories better, look at them differently, listening to his new talk show,” said Kevin LaRue, program director for KSL NewsRadio.
From 2011-2015, Lonsberry was the producer for “The Doug Wright Show.”
His first job as a producer for a radio show was for his dad, Bob Lonsberry, on station KNRS, broadcasting for 13 years from Salt Lake City.
Bob Lonsberry hosts two radio talk shows. One show airs on WHAM (AM) in Rochester, N. Y. from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (ET). The other airs on WSYR (AM) in Syracuse, N.Y. from 3 to 6 p.m.
But this is son Lee Lonsberry’s first foray into hosting a radio show.
“It’s a great responsibility, and that is not lost on me. I’m terrified and thrilled,” he said. “Overjoyed and petrified.”
On his show, Lonsberry said, as a new parent, he wants to hear from parents. And from students and other listeners who have an opinion.
“Is the education you’re receiving worth the money you’re spending on it?” he asked. “Is it worth the payments you’ll be making far into your professional career?”
And he wants to hear from business owners.
“Are the regulations under which you operate conducive to the mission of your business?” he asked.
What was it like working for Rep. Rob Bishop?
“The life of a congressional aide is intense. The advice you give contributes to a vote cast by a member of Congress. And that is nothing to take lightly. That carries with it a certain amount of stress and anxiety,” Lonsberry said.
Bishop said this about Lonsberry’s new radio show:
I’ve already been listening to the Lee Lonsberry Show for nearly five years. Lee did a fine job as an aide in Washington, but he was born to be behind a microphone. Debate and banter in our office was always elevated when Lee was involved. He was fearless in his duties as communications director. He ensured the message was clear and powerful. Our office’s loss is Utah’s great gain. I look forward to being a guest on the show someday.
Lonsberry describes himself as a “young conservative” whose political views mostly align with Bishop’s.
On the impeachment of President Donald Trump, Lonsberry says, “There’s a lot of pageantry, and members of both parties are guilty. There’s more a desire to grab headlines than get to the truth.”
Lonsberry was born in western New York and graduated from Brigham Young University in 2010.
He is a marathon runner and returns to Utah with his wife (who he met while working at KSL) and newborn baby daughter.