×

Former Journal carrier creates Christmas Across The Lands

Berg

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Lafayette native who delivered the New Ulm Journal as a boy, worked for KNUJ Radio in New Ulm as a teenage announcer, developed, wrote and hosts a 12-hour radio show that will be aired locally Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.

Randy Sherwyn Berg, the son of Milo and Veronica Berg, created “Christmas Across The Lands,” that will run on KNUJ-FM SAM 107.3 beginning at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve and continue to 6 a.m. Christmas Day.

In it’s 19th year, “Christmas Across The Lands” features customs, stories, traditions, trivia and a great variety of music. It has aired across the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, the Philippines, England, Sri Lanka, Mexico, plus the American Forces Radio Network.

“He’s done a lot of research. It’s going to be a fun program to listen to with a lot of great music,” said KNUJ Radio General Manager Jim Bartels. “It’s fun for us to air a program produced by a local guy.”

Berg now lives in Fort Myers, Fla. where he owns his own radio production company, Christmas Across The Lands, LLC. His radio career took him far and wide across the U.S. and Canada.

As a teenager delivering The Journal, Berg’s mother Veronica worked at The Journal as a proofreader. His older brother Donan, worked as a night/weekend editor at The Journal.

“It gave me the chance to hang out upstairs at KNUJ,” Berg said. “Needless to say, not everyone was excited about this 14-year-old hanging out at night and on weekends, filling in sometimes on weeknights. It set the stage for me to get the KYSM Mankato radio gig as a night (disc) jock when I was 17. That was the Top 40 primo gig that kids my age in New Ulm listened to.”

Berg credited KNUJ General Manager Perry Galvin plus John “Skinny” Thomas and Mike Stark for allowing him to watch them on their shifts and working with him at a tender age.

“They were so supportive,” Berg said. “After about six months, Perry gave me a chance to be on the air at 15. One time, I did the Sunday Afternoon Parade of Old Time Bands. Many times, I did the “Down Memory Lane Big Band” in the evening. Not knowing anything about Big Bands, I went to the New Ulm Library and read up on them after junior high school classes.”

Berg remembered being on the air in Mankato from midnight to 6 a.m., then driving back to New Ulm High School for classes, then going to football practice, sleeping from 5:30 to 11 p.m. and doing it all over again.

In addition, Berg has many other fond memories of growing up in New Ulm, after his family moved here from Lafayette when he was 12.

“I loved going to Schell’s Brewery to see the deer. When I wasn’t working, I spent many Saturdays at Hermann Heights Park,” Berg said. “After my Sunday morning Journal route, I’d go to Tillman’s Bakery for donuts. Being a Journal carrier was great cause it gave me some cash to afford a go cart. Looking back, it taught me some important lessons in fiscal responsibility.”

Berg’s radio career took him to Rapid City, Amarillo, Baton Rouge, Rochester and finally Fort Myers

He said the concept of his radio show came to him in the 1980s while listening to other shows that were the same every year and because of his passion for Christmas.

The show comes in a contemporary version that features Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Johnny Cash, the Trans Siberian Orchestra, Air Supply, among others. The country version includes Luke Bryan, Trisha Yearwood, Blake Shelton, Buck Owens, and others.

For more information, visit christmasacrossthelands.com

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today