After KOFI, Ostrom has plenty on his plate

Even though his polished tones no longer bounce through Montana's airwaves, longtime Flathead Valley newscaster George Ostrom has more than enough going on to stay occupied.

Ostrom left KOFI Radio last week after a dispute with management over broadcasting a court story that involved the radio station.

Ostrom, 79, said Tuesday he has plans for the publication of at least two more books, plus a DVD showcasing his photographs of Glacier National Park is scheduled for release this spring.

"I've never had a problem keeping busy," he said.

Ostrom is continuing to work on a book of humorous poems for children and another compilation of nature photographs taken in Glacier National Park - an enterprise for which he said he already has a publisher.

Farther on the horizon may be a collection of his work as a columnist for the Hungry Horse News and now-defunct Kalispell Weekly News, plus a book about his experiences as a soldier in post-World War II occupied Germany.

"I hope I can get that done before I kick the bucket," Ostrom said with a laugh.

A new installment of the DVD series "Seasons of The National Parks" will feature Ostrom's photographs of Glacier National Park. It is scheduled to be released this spring, according to production company Earth VideoWorks.

Titled "Glacier," the DVD will be accompanied by music from three-time Grammy Award nominated composer David Arkenstone.

Ostrom said he has been joking for 30 years about organizing his basement den, cluttered with some 50,000 slides already organized onto carousels and hundreds of books, papers, and files.

"Now I'm actually making some progress," he said.

Ostrom abruptly left KOFI Radio on March 3 following an argument with management over whether or not to broadcast a story about mail-fraud charges against former KOFI office manager Kent Etchison.

Ostrom has said station manager Dave Rae ordered him not to air the story or risk termination.

"I wasn't asked, I was told not to run that story," said Ostrom, stressing that he wasn't fired or forced to retire, but walked out. "It was a matter of my credibility."

The story first appeared in the Inter Lake on March 1 and subsequently was distributed by The Associated Press.

KOFI general manager Dave Rae had no comment on Ostrom's departure.

Etchison, 33, of Kalispell was indicted on Feb. 28 for fraudulently purchasing office supplies at the station's expense to obtain incentives from vendors. He has pleaded innocent.

According to court documents, Etchison - whose duties as office manager included ordering office supplies and managing the radio station's accounts payable and receivable - would purchase large quantities of office supplies in exchange for incentives offered by supply companies.

Between March 2003 and June 2006, Etchison allegedly ordered about $925,000 in office supplies, far more than the radio station could use. The orders were placed primarily to vendors that offered Etchison incentives, which over the years reportedly landed him a 19-inch TV, laptop computer, traveler's checks, gift certificates, gift cards and money.

The end of Ostrom's 53-year association with KOFI radio immediately was noticed in the community.

"So far, I haven't run into anybody who said they were glad I was off the air," said Ostrom, adding that he has received numerous notes and phone calls from listeners.

"KOFI news will not be the same without you," read one note. "So you don't know me, but I've been your friend for 50 years," read a second. And a third: "I've listened to and enjoyed you for years… I admire you for refusing to be muzzled."

Similar comments were posted by readers responding to the story of Ostrom's departure from KOFI on the Daily Inter Lake Web site.

Ostrom bought KOFI in the 1980s with a group of investors, expanded it to include an FM band, and then sold his share. He stayed on after the sale as news director.

"I helped build that station," he said.

Ostrom and Wendy Ostrom Price used to be a father-daughter news team at KOFI Radio. His daughter left the radio station last year.

Known as "The Voice of the Flathead Valley," Ostrom was inducted into the Montana Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2004.

He received the University of Montana's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2006.

Ostrom purchased the now-defunct Kalispell Weekly News in 1974 and built it into the largest-circulation weekly newspaper in Montana at the time. He sold the weekly in 1982.

The author of three books on Glacier National Park, Ostrom also helped write groundbreaking wilderness legislation in the early 1960s when he was a staffer for Montana Sen. Lee Metcalf. He also was a U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper.

Ostrom also is a member of the Over The Hill Gang known for its hikes in Glacier Park.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com