Flathead media personality retires after 30 years

Some know her just by the sound of her voice. Others, from her email signature. But through one medium or another, Wendy Ostrom-Price has forged connections with thousands of community members over the course of her 30-year career.

Ostrom-Price is retiring this month after working in communications for three decades. She doubled as a radio talk-show host and the public relations officer for the Flathead Electric Cooperative. Her last day with the co-op will be Sept. 10.

"I'm incredibly fortunate to have had these two amazing careers," she said.

Working in media came naturally to Ostrom-Price, thanks to the legacy of her father, local journalism icon George Ostrom.

"The reporter part of me is just in my blood," she said.

George Ostrom was one of the most prominent members of the Flathead Valley media community for decades, writing a column for the Hungry Horse News, owning the Kalispell Weekly News, broadcasting on KOFI-AM for over 50 years and hosting a morning radio show on KGEZ.

He imprinted his passion on his daughter early on: Ostrom-Price recollected how her father used to take her to breaking news events during her childhood, sometimes waking her up in the middle of the night to go to the scene of a fire.

It was an electrifying way to share his interest in local events, and it seems to run in the family. Ostrom-Price said she ended up carrying out the same ritual with her son when he was young. Now, she's expecting her first grandchild in December.

"The show goes on," she said.

At one point, the father-daughter duo co-hosted a radio show together. That was an experience Ostrom-Price cherishes, and she knows how rare it is to get such an opportunity.

"I'm forever, ever grateful for that," she said.

Like her father, she also relished the excitement of her fast-paced career.

"No two days were the same," she said. "It was just so diverse. It was all very exciting."

As a reporter, Ostrom-Price got the chance to ride in a F-16 fighter jet, call a boxing match and interview thousands of people, including celebrities like Charlton Heston and Johnny Cash.

Her life followed the 24/7 news cycle, and for a while she enjoyed the spontaneity. She couldn't remember the number of times she had to depart from an outing with family or friends to go cover breaking news.

But lately, her exhilarating lifestyle started to feel a little too frenetic.

"It's very bittersweet for me, but I felt like I was approaching burnout," she said. "I knew I needed a literal change of pace."

She is especially wistful about letting go of her philanthropic efforts, which have evolved into one of her top priorities at the co-op.

Ostrom-Price started at Flathead Electric 14 years ago, and her role has changed substantially over that time.

When she started, she recalled, "it seemed like a natural progression for me."

Ostrom-Price had built a solid relationship with the co-op, interviewing the three former general managers for her radio show. She also had made regular calls to the electricity provider to check on outages, and Flathead Electric was a sponsor for her "What's Going On" talk show.

At first, she just moved from one end of the phone line to the other, fielding calls from people who wanted information about outages. But eventually she went on to be a major player in rewarding community initiatives through the co-op, such as the Roundup for Safety Program and the Pulse Project.

"I got to do a lot more fun things than I expected," she said.

Now, Ostrom-Price is looking forward to enjoying a little downtime. Eventually she hopes to continue working in the fields of writing and editing, but she said doesn't want to take on any more high-profile roles like the ones she's held for the past 30 years.

"The community hasn't seen the last of me," she said.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.