CLASS OF 2019
Steve Altmaier served the people of the Tri-Cities area for 42 years from KGFW and KQKY in Kearney.
His first on-air experience was as a Kearney High School junior. He co-hosted a Sunday afternoon Top 40 music show on the old KRNY station. As a college freshman, he had mic time at Kearney State’s KOVF campus station
Steve was hired at KGFW in December 1974 as a part-time evening and weekend DJ and moved to full-time after his May 1977 graduation. He was promoted to sports director in 1981 and later became the host for KGFW talk shows in the late 1980s, including “Talk of the Town” on days when he wasn’t on the road for Loper games.
Steve is known by many for his calming voice and demeanor, and became known as “The Voice of the Lopers.” He called more than 2,500 University of Nebraska Kearney athletic contests over a 24-year span, along with countless high school football and basketball games.
In 2005 he was named KGFW’s associate news director before becoming news director in 2007. The shift from sports to news allowed more family time.
But it was his passion for sports broadcasting that brought Steve his most recognition. He was named the Nebraska Coaches Association “Media Person of the Year” in 2005 followed by his induction to the UNK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
Steve retired in 2016.
