By Mani Souphom – R & J Broadcasting | December 4, 2025
Warroad, MINN. – A five-decade broadcasting career came to a close this week as Warroad native Daniel (Dan) DeMolee signed off the air for the final time on Nov. 30, 2025. DeMolee, a familiar voice across northern Minnesota, retires after 50 years in radio and more than two decades of military service.
DeMolee began his career in the early 1970s at KRWB in Roseau before joining the Air Force, where he split his time between military duties in Minot, N.D., and part-time work at KKOA. He later filled in on Air Force radio and television news. His radio stops included KMLH in Marshall and KCAJ, now Wild 102, in Roseau.
He went on to become one of the original founders of KKWQ, better known today as Lake Country KQ92, helping launch its signal on 92.5 FM in 1988. Reflecting on his long-running career, DeMolee often said, “Radio is imagination.”
DeMolee described what first inspired him to pursue broadcasting, giving us some insight on radio history, and shared an early memory from the formation of KQ92:
Throughout his career, DeMolee witnessed dramatic shifts in the industry. From technology changes to staffing models, he said several developments have reshaped how local radio operates. He touch on which of these he thought had the greatest impact:
Among the thousands of interviews he has conducted, DeMolee said one stands above the rest: a conversation with Ken Berry, a former New York firefighter, following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001:
For aspiring broadcasters, DeMolee offered simple, straightforward advice shaped by his years behind the mic:
In addition to his broadcasting career, DeMolee served 25 years in the military, including deployment to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom from 2004 to 2005. Off the air, he has remained deeply involved in community service. He serves on the Zion Lutheran Church Council and Property Committee and works as the gambling manager for VFW Post 4930. He has also volunteered with Cub Scouts and 4-H.
DeMolee and his wife, Laurel, have four children: Jackie, William, Austin and Layla. They have also hosted exchange students from Sweden, Russia, the Czech Republic and Germany. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, ice fishing, woodworking, tinkering with old tractors and traveling, and anticipates doing more of this in retirement.
Listeners across the region have long heard DeMolee anchoring the noon news hour on KQ92 and KRWB, covering elections, and filling in on weekends. As he steps away from the microphone, he offered parting words of gratitude to the community he has served for decades:
DeMolee’s last day on air marked the end of an era for northern Minnesota broadcasting, closing a chapter defined by consistency, service and a deep love for radio’s impact on his community. We here at KQ92, KRWB, and R & J Broadcasting thank Dan for his many years of service, and for graciously sharing the legacy he built with us.