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Koenig’s calls reach new audiences

Roy Koenig, new venture, steele county times, owatonna live, kowz
Veteran sports broadcaster Roy Koenig, left, will join Owatonna Live, KOWZ-Radio and Steele County Times beginning Sept. 1. Shown with Koenig are Johnnie Phillips, sports editor of the Times, middle, and Scott Limberg, owner of Owatonna Live. Staff photo by Rick Bussler
By
Johnnie Phillips, Sports Editor

Owatonna sports fans and members of the community alike will have more opportunities to tune in to Roy Koenig’s broadcasts this year as “The Voice of Owatonna” is expanding his reach by partnering with KOWZ Radio, Owatonna Live and the Steele County Times.

Koenig, a native of Hibbing, first came to Owatonna right after the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 and has established himself as a fan-favorite Owatonna sports broadcaster and personality.

“I want to thank KRFO right off the bat. They hired me way back when, even though I came in a little bit green to the job,” said Koenig. “But when I started, I didn’t think about one day being known as something like “The Voice of Owatonna.” I was just happy to have a job and be doing sports play-by-play.”

Koenig’s love of sports broadcast dates back to his early days, and where he began perfecting his craft may come as a surprise.

According to Koenig, although he was not really involved with organized sports as a youth, he had a love for sports video games and began practicing his calls by emulating what he would hear.

“It probably sounds pretty funny, but when I would walk on my paper route I would actually practice calling play-by-play from my sports video games. When I got older, I inquired with some people in media – using letters in those days – and continued to work toward a path in the industry.”

After attending the University of Minnesota for a year before finishing school at Brown Institute, Koenig began his media journey in Madison, S.D.

After two years of working in South Dakota, Koenig landed the opportunity to become the sports director at KRFO Radio, and the rest is history.

In his career, Koenig has done play-by-play for roughly 2,500 Owatonna High School sporting events across football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, wrestling, hockey, baseball, softball and lacrosse.

The 32-year veteran of the Owatonna broadcast booth said he is thankful to have had the opportunity to continue doing what he loves and for being able to work with great talents the likes of Doug Fischer, Tom Breuer, Dan Weisbrod and Jim Herzog.

“No game is exactly like the last game. There’s something new in every game that you go to. A different storyline, an incredible play you’ve never seen before… it’s special every time.”

Koenig’s dedication to Owatonna sports earned him his recent notice of induction into the Owatonna Sports Hall of Fame, set to take place on Sept. 16.

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