KPCW Senior News Director Leslie Thatcher announced her retirement Monday, Sept. 14. Thatcher said she’s been fortunate to have a long, rich and rewarding journalism career in the community she loves.
Her career at KPCW began in 1990 with a rotary phone and an electric typewriter. While journalism has changed a lot since then, she said the importance of telling stories that matter to the community has not.
“I leave KPCW with pride in a job well done and enormous gratitude for the people who have trusted me with their stories,” she said. “I’m confident the talented, young reporters will carry forward the important work of the station.”
Thatcher is the last employee on the payroll who was hired by station founder Blaire Feulner.
She has been the voice of the early morning news and information since 1995 and has hosted and produced KPCW’s “Local News Hour” since 2008. A Parkite since 1980, her knowledge of the community has guided her to ask the questions on everyone’s mind. Over the years, she became known for being tough but fair.
Bob Richer served on the Park City Council in the 1990s and the Summit County Commission in the 2000s. Those offices made him one of Thatcher's regular guests on the "Local News Hour."
He said Thatcher has always been an insightful news reporter and interviewer, whose toughness helped get to the truth on some of the community’s biggest issues.
“Most importantly, she's been a part of our community, and she's contributed in many ways to making Park City and Summit County a better, more informed place to live, work and play,” Richer said.
Richer previously served on the KPCW Board of Trustees.
Current KPCW Board of Trustees Chair Larry Rose said he’s been listening to Thatcher longer than he can remember. Like many community members, he’s relied on her for vital information about the Wasatch Back.
He recalled a morning in 2020 when he and his wife, Gail, woke up to a rumble in their house. She thought it was a garbage truck, but Larry thought it might be an earthquake.
“I suggested that we turn on KPCW immediately, and within seconds, Leslie had explained to me exactly what it was,” Larry Rose said. “Thank you, Leslie. It was indeed an earthquake.”
Thatcher is also known for her work on KPCW’s “The Sundance Reel.” She has led and co-produced the program since 2009, sharing stories about filmmakers and industry professionals during the Sundance Film Festival.
She is a multi-award winner from the Utah Broadcasters Association and was honored by the Utah State Board of Education. She was named as the Park City Rotary Club's Professional Citizen of the Year in 2015; the Park City Board of Realtors honored her with its Community Service Award in 2018.
KPCW Executive Director and CEO Juliana Allely appreciates the pivotal role Thatcher has played at the station, carrying it through 36 years.
“I think part of why KPCW is so trusted is it’s a voice, a real live human you are hearing in the moment, asking the tough, insightful questions of our elected leaders and community nonprofits,” Allely said. “That voice has been Leslie.”
Allely said she’s excited to celebrate Thatcher’s accomplishments and contributions as well as what is ahead for KPCW and its news team.
In retirement, Thatcher will continue enjoying all Park City has to offer.
“After all these years of being an early riser, I'm looking forward to seeing if sleeping in really is all it’s cracked up to be,” Thatcher said.
Thatcher will be the voice of locals’ mornings through the end of the year, before hanging up her headphones and turning off her alarms.
KPCW will host a community send-off celebration later this year.
The search for KPCW’s next “Local News Hour” host will begin soon.
