Ross Mitchell — the 'Voice' of KOH Radio

Before sunrise, while much of Northern Nevada is still making coffee, getting children ready for school or heading out to work, KOH Radio's Ross Mitchell has already entered the day. For more than four decades, that deep, polished voice has been part of Reno's morning routine — and, in many homes, part of the family history. Since 1983, that voice has become familiar not only to Northern Nevadans, but also to listeners of major syndicated radio talk programs — and even in the opening intro for American rock band ZZ Top. Longtime program director Dan Mason says he is 'proud to have been along for the ride on this incredible journey. The events Ross covered are a history lesson for Reno. Forty-three years and counting is a big deal, and one we aren't likely to see again anytime soon. Ross Mitchell is KOH.' Quite an incredible journey for an 11-year-old kid from Fresno who began an imaginary radio career in his bedroom, with a microphone hung from a lamp and a tape player recording magazine commercials and make-believe radio shows. After receiving a communications degree from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Ross went on to perfect his childhood craft not only on Reno radio, but also by becoming an on-air announcing presence for a number of nationally syndicated shows, including the legendary all-night 'Coast to Coast' show with Art Bell, focusing on UFOs, ghosts and strange phenomena. Sitting down in my dining room with Ross, on his way home after his four-hour morning show, he tells me: 'I try to be a part of people's lives. When I'm on the air, I always feel like I'm talking to one person. I like to think I'm one of the listeners myself.' Ross says of coming to Reno for a job with KOH, 'I never intended to stay, and I've never tried to leave since.' He grew to love the area and says, 'It's been a great place to raise my kids.' He says of Nevadans: 'While Nevadans are very independent, they are also open-minded. It's a courteous state, and people help people here,' as evidenced by the outpouring of community giving to victims of recent fires in the region. Ross has lent his voice to many of those moments and causes, supporting local outreach to those in need, as well as veterans' and Rotary-inspired causes during his four decades here. He also used his on-air presence to make a subtle connection with a son who was serving abroad in an unknown location. Ross would mention weather reports where he thought his son was stationed, sometimes also sending coded messages that he acknowledged 'probably weren't proper.' But it was his son, after all. These days, he has earned the privilege of sending birthday 'shout-outs' to his grandchildren. And after working in various radio formats nationally, Ross is rewarded for all the sleep deprivation he has put himself through — despite 'not being a morning person' — by the messages he receives in return for the voice he has been to so many. He has become an enigma of sorts, and a lifeline, especially to many older listeners. A Sparks resident recently told Ross: 'I listened to you on the radio with my dad on the way to school, and I'm still listening.' He told me of a truck driver in Oklahoma with whom he rode in a taxi, and who recognized him as the late-night voice on the 'UFO show' that kept him awake during long-haul trips along I-80. His quick wit and humor are epitomized in regular fixtures of the show, like the Ross Mitchell 'Joke of the Day,' and the occasional innuendos he is inclined to drop. I remember the time, 33 years ago, when I did a daily political report for KOH and Ross mentioned, 'Hickey is all over Madonna,' referring to a risqué cardboard cutout of the singer I was reporting on at a local J.C. Penney store at the time. While KOH is known for having hosted radio talk shows featuring conservative political heavyweights like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity and others, Ross Mitchell's show is not particularly political, although he has frequently hosted Nevada politicians who line up seeking airtime on his program. Ross says that when he first moved to Reno in the 1980s, 'most of the Democrats here were more conservative. I always thought Democrats in Nevada would be moderate Republicans in California, where I came from.' Mitchell, like many Nevadans, says he judges 'issues on their own merit, not on either political party's rhetoric.' While he acknowledges people have been 'butting heads' since the beginning of time, he takes a more philosophical view of politics: 'We're in the same league; we're just on different teams.' Although he has done radio work for a number of conservative Republicans, Ross says he has liked — and voted for — a number of Democrats over the years. 'I really liked Dick Bryan, and he was the first Democrat I ever voted for,' he says. He also had a certain fondness for Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, who came to Reno to appear on his show numerous times over the years. Once, when Reid was leaving an interview with Ross, the radio host asked: 'If we agree on all that you say we do, why do you vote the way you do?' Ross says the Senate majority leader gave him a bit of a snarl, but continued to come on the show numerous times afterward. The two remained friends. Such is Nevada. Frequently, geography and statesmanship play a larger role than political partisanship. Mitchell calls radio 'theatre of the mind,' and he is right. Radio supplies the voice, rhythm and story, but leaves room for listeners to bring their own memories, images and judgments. In an age of screens that show us everything, radio still asks us to imagine. Radio gives the mind room. It supplies sound, voice, rhythm and story, but leaves enough unfilled space for the listener's own memories, emotions, images and judgments to enter. That is why a well-made radio program can feel less like being shown something and more like being invited somewhere. Compared with our digital 'smart' devices, which leave little to the imagination, a great radio host gives a listener's mind the option of filling in the blanks of the invisible images delivered. More than 40 years on radio in Reno have left a lasting impression on Ross Mitchell. How much of an impression he will leave on others — especially his family and longtime listeners — is something he has begun to think about. 'I want to be remembered for being ethical and honest and being a good father,' he says of what he hopes his legacy will be. Ross concludes: 'When I get up in the morning, I don't set out to be the best there is, but to be the best I can be.' Ross Mitchell's significance is not simply that he has spent more than four decades behind a microphone. It is that, through a changing Reno and a changing media world, he has made radio feel personal, local and enduring. Ross Mitchell has done all that. And thanks to the digital age in which we live, his voice and legacy will reside long after him in the minds and memories of all those who have heard it. Don't you think so? Contact Pat Hickey at tahoeboy68@gmail.com.