One of the most recognizable voices in Milwaukee radio is leaving the market at the end of the month.
Karen Dalessandro has been on the air in Milwaukee for more than 20 years and is currently the host of 96.5 WKLH’s afternoon drive show. She’s moving to Phoenix to be afternoon host for classic rock station 100.7 KSLX.
“It probably seems like moving to Arizona in the dead of winter was a no brainer,” Dalessandro said in a release, “but the truth is, it’s incredibly sad saying goodbye. I love Milwaukee and have watched it grow over the last two decades. It is an amazing, vibrant city full of good friends and great memories. Milwaukee will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Dalessandro started her career in 1981 at a small station in Michigan while still attending radio school. She moved to Milwaukee in 1998 when she was offered the opportunity to become morning host on country station WMIL-FM. She was, at the time, the host of one of only a handful of female-led morning shows in the nation. Awarded Broadcasting Personality of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2001 and 2015, Karen was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2017 she moved to afternoons on WKTI-FM and in 2019 joined WKLH-FM as afternoon host.
In 2020 Dalessandro was named a WBA Local Broadcast Legend. She will be recognized Aug. 26 at the WBA Summer Conference at the Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan.
Her last day on the air will be March 26.
