Ken Shulz to retire from WHAS 11

Ken Shulz announced that he will be retiring from WHAS 11 on May 21, 2008. Here's the story from WHAS 11:

Not many people survive three decades in this business, let alone three decades in one market at one station, but that is the legacy of Ken Schulz. Not only did he survive, he thrived and he made WHAS the place to turn for weather for many years.

But after 30 years on the radio and on TV Ken has decided to retire.

Ken joins the list of many well known, broadcast veterans in Louisville. He is an excellent meteorologist and a true professional. Ken Schulz will be greatly missed.

Ken’s last day will be May 21st, which will give us all some time to look back and share with our viewers highlights of his career.

Chief Meteorologist Ken Schulz started his career as a TV weatherman as an experiment. He’s painfully shy and didn’t think he could last 2 ½ minutes in front of a camera giving detailed weather forecast. Ken swears his debut was horrible. So bad that he literally burned all his first show tapes. Now, it takes him 2 ½ minutes just to say his name. He also doesn’t burn his tapes anymore, he microwaves them.

When he was just six years old, living in New Jersey, Ken knew he wanted to be a meteorologist. He was terrified of thunderstorms and needed to know more.

But he says his father’s reaction to the TV weatherman cinched the deal for him. Ken’s dad would yell at the TV nightly and ask, “What other job can you be wrong 50% of the time and still get paid?” Ken thought, “That sounds great to me….I need to look into this!”

He’s a graduate of Parks College of Aeronautical Technology at Saint Louis University. His parents never could believe he graduated with honors! He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Meteorology in 1974, and then entered the work force as an industrial meteorologist in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He moved back to St. Louis as an industrial meteorologist in 1976 before deciding to go into broadcasting and moving to Louisville and WHAS in September 1978.

He might have graduated in 1974 but his education never ends. If it isn’t Mother Nature teaching him new tricks, it’s all the advancements in technology that has occurred over the course of his career.

Tom Dorsey informs us that there will be more turnover at the station but in the meantime, Ken tells us that we are under a flood watch this weekend.