Mike Lynch announces he is retiring from WCCO Radio
It's the end of an era for many in 'CCO Land, as our beloved "Doc Lunch" is hanging up his doppler and announcing his retirement. Mike Lynch has been with WCCO for 40 years, celebrating that milestone just on Tuesday of this week.
Lynch told WCCO listners Thursday morning with Dave Lee that the time had come to spend more time at home with his wife, Kathy. As Mike told us when he was considering retirement, "I won't have morning radio jet lag all summer!"
It was Steve Cannon, WCCO's longtime afternoon drive host, who first gave Mike his nickname, Doc Lunch. And it's Cannon who Mike credits with teaching him how to be a part of the 'CCO family.
Those listeners loved Mike back. Nobody had more fun connecting with them at the Minnesota State Fair, which always included a few 'group weathers' during which Mike would enlist the gathered crowd to help him give the forecast.
Mike also made famous so many hidden spots throughout the state. Believing that giving the current temp could use some personality, Mike started including landmarks. such as "Outside the Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais, it's currently 30 degrees!" to spice things up.
And nobody was better at keeping WCCO listeners safe during severe storms. "An eye on the sky and an ear on 'CCO" was Mike's rallying cry.
One of the highlights of Lynch's time on WCCO was in 1996 during a brutal cold snap. Lynch travelled to Tower, MN to see if we could set the state record for our coldest ever temperature. He was there when we broke the record.
More than just a voice on the radio, his true passion may lie in the heavens.
For over 40 years Mike has been teaching classes and putting on star parties through community education, nature centers, and other entities throughout Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. He's also written books on astronomy and stargazing. Mike also writes a weekly Starwatch column for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and more than two dozen other newspapers across the United States.
