Community losing iconic voice of La Crosse, as WIZM’s Scott Robert Shaw set to retire

He’s been the voice of, not just WIZM and not just Mid-West Family, for 35-plus years. Scott Robert Shaw has been the voice of the La Crosse Community since 1989.

That’s when he was hired as a reporter at WIZM. After Wednesday, however, Mr. “As I See It with Scott Robert Shaw” is putting down the microphone. Retiring.

Shaw will join La Crosse Talk with Ken Cooper in the 6 a.m. hour Wednesday for a sendoff interview.

Shaw’s run with Scott’s Comment — inherited from Dick Record, who started the comment in 1971 — comes to an end after 21 years. Shaw’s time doing Rock Mornings — formerly Morning Sickness — on 95.7 the Rock with Brian Simpson and Jean Taylor, since 1998, will be up, as well.

Shaw has been a reporter, news director, program director and opinion commenter for WIZM for those 35 years but, what will be missed most, is simply Scott.

People got to know his views through As I See It, but really got to know the Clinton, Iowa, native as he dissected the news each morning on 95.7 the Rock.

“It was unique because Shaw was able to showcase his personality in a way that he doesn’t get to do on other stations,” Rock Mornings co-host Brian Simpson said. “I constantly, to this day, would get people that would tell me that they would chase Shaw around the dial in the morning, because they’d tune into us — because we’d goof around — and he’d have funny stories, the wild-crazy stories, on our show and we would talk about them. We would do funny bits.

“And they would follow him to the next station in the morning, because they knew he was going to do the news and they could get that story.”

Before getting to know that personality, though, Shaw came to WIZM as a reporter. Founder Dick Record remembers one of his first days on the job, basically on a “stakeout” with another reporter.

“They were huddled in a car on 16th Street South, because there was a murder across the street, and they sat there for hours,” Record said.

It wasn’t long after that, Shaw was running the newsroom.

“His experience indicated he probably could do the job and by god he did, for a long time,” Record said.

From reporter in the streets to the newsroom, Shaw has been the voice from 6-9 a.m. in La Crosse on all the Mid-West Family stations. Alongside him, another longtime reporter in the newsroom, Brad Williams.

“Soft spoken and easy going, that’s pretty much what he’s like,” Williams said of Shaw. “Knows his stuff. He’s very good on the air. Sharing the newsroom together during morning drive for many, many years. It’s going to be tough not to have him there.”

Running WIZM for these decades, Shaw has been instrumental in helping the community through things like Operation Poinsettia and Meals on Wheels.

But, also, when you’re the voice of La Crosse for over three decades, the analogies tend to age you.

“When you look at all of the time and effort he’s spent in serving the listeners, the public, trying to get the word out about — no matter whether it be politics or a story down the street, he’s been the voice delivering that information, for some people, their whole lives,” Mid-West Family general manager Brian Jackson said. “We’ve had lots of people reach out and say, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe I’ve been listening to Scott Robert Shaw since I rode the bus to school.’ And now their kids ride the bus to school.”

It wasn’t the only car analogy, but Simpson also expressed how big of a loss Shaw will be.

“Maybe you’re in high school and it’s on in your parent’s vehicle when they’re taking you to school, and you hear these three people,” Simpson said. “Then, all the sudden, here you are, 35 years later and this guy’s been with you, every morning — reliable — telling you the news stories and you get to know who that person is.

“So, I think that’s a big loss for us and a big loss for the community is that Shaw’s voice won’t be on the radio.”