‘A treasure and a pleasure,’ — Dreger retires after 40 years on the air

In late 1984, Clayton Dreger had little experience as a broadcaster. He had provided CFAM radio in Altona bonspiel reports as part of his role on the Morris Curling Club’s board of directors, but had yet to nab a position.

Those reports caught the ear of the station’s decision makers, who soon offered the then 24-year-old a job, which he has stayed in ever since.

“I had no idea where CFAM even was,” Dreger said with a laugh, noting Al Friesen, who was both the program director for CFAM and president of the Southern Manitoba Super Curling League heard his reports and was impressed enough to offer the job.

“I told him I was working construction in Winnipeg but I wanted to get into radio, I just don’t know how. He said, ‘we’re looking for somebody.’”

Dreger signed off his final radio broadcast on Jan. 7, 2025, 40 years to the day he started. He’s connected the region’s sports fans to their favourite athletes throughout that time, serving as Golden West’s sports director, organizing coverage across multiple southern Manitoba markets and has enjoyed every minute of it.

In his time in radio, Dreger has gone from typewriters and tape recorders to all in one phones to record audio and write stories.

“It’s amazing how much growth the company has seen during that time frame,” he said.

That enjoyment came with a toll. Living in St Norbert, Dreger would get up at 2:30 in the morning in order to have sports reports ready at radio stations across Manitoba, including Steinbach’s AM 1250.

A few days after his retirement, he was trying to get back on a normal sleep schedule, proudly sharing he was able to “sleep in,” until 8 a.m. Jan. 9.

“It’s different, that’s for sure,” Dreger said, laughing.

“The plan now is to stay awake for as long as we possibly can and hopefully sleep late.”

He’s been planning for months to make Jan. 7 both his first and last day at the radio station, saying “I’m just a numbers guy,” adding working 39 years wouldn’t have been as meaningful.

“When you look at what we do in the sports business, it’s continuous 12 months of the year,” Dreger said.

“There’s never a break, so I said let’s do it on the 40th anniversary, that way it’s something to celebrate… It’s been a treasure and a pleasure.”

While there was no favourite team or sport to cover, Dreger said he always loved talking to high school athletes, sharing a story of when a volleyball player asked him when their interview would go on the radio because, “my mom’s going to want to listen to it.”

“Whenever I think of that it just gives me shivers,” Dreger said.

“‘My mom’s going to want to listen.’ High school sports have always been so much fun, they really, really have.”

Dreger said his final day had plenty of emotions, sharing he was “sobbing,” in his good-bye article published on Steinbach Online.

“I miss my work family,” he said.

“That was the hardest on Monday and Tuesday, was knowing when I walked out on Tuesday, that’s it, it’s come to an end… You meet and work with so many great people.”

As for what’s next for Dreger, he’s already counting down the days to golf season, as he lives just a few minutes away from his home club in St Norbert.