Veteran CTV Lethbridge broadcaster Terry Vogt retiring after 5 decades in news

CTV Lethbridge senior reporter Terry Vogt, left, in the early days of his career, left, and in the later years, right. Vogt is set to retire after 49 years of reporting in southern Alberta.

CALGARY -

After a nearly half-century career telling the stories of southern Alberta, CTV Lethbridge news director and senior reporter Terry Vogt will sign off this fall, when he is set to retire.

Vogt called it a privilege to witness southern Alberta history firsthand.

“It has been an amazing journey, where I have had a front row seat to most of the major events and happenings in southern Alberta over the past 49 years," he said.

"I have been fortunate to have so many tremendous co-workers and colleagues who were supportive, fun to work with and willing to share their talent and knowledge."

Last year, Vogt received the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Lifetime Achievement Award, having previously won the RTDNA Ron Laidlaw Award in 1989 for continuing coverage of cults and teen suicide in Lethbridge.

In 2012, he was part of the team that won the RTDNA's Bert Cannings Award for best newscast in a small market for both Prairie and National categories.

"Terry is a journalist who has the respect of his peers, he is known for his integrity and compassion. He is a good person who found his way into the right career path and all of us benefited from that," said Jeff Little, CTV Calgary's director of news and public affairs.

"He has been a mentor and friend to hundreds of journalists over the years."

Vogt has been passionate about covering local issues in southern Alberta as he grew up in Picture Butte, where he was later inducted into the Palliser School District Wall of Fame.

CTV Lethbridge staff in 1987, Julia Young, left, Terry Vogt, Lisa Lammi and Derek Debolt.

He attended Lethbridge College, becoming a Distinguished Alumni in recognition for his work in radio and television.

Vogt started his career in 1972 as a DJ at a small station in Crowsnest Pass, Alta., before moving into news reporting. He joined CTV Lethbridge when the station launched in 1984, and has been a familiar face there ever since.

Despite repeated attempts to lure him away to larger markets, and to CTV’s national broadcast, Vogt has chosen to remain in Lethbridge, making him one of the most trusted news voices in southern Alberta — and a beloved presence in the newsroom and the community.

"Terry is the kind of guy that people can watch on TV every day and feel like he is their brother, uncle, someone they went to school with or best friend,” said CTV's Dory Rossiter, who joined the station in 1990 and has worked with Vogt for 30 years.

"He was, and is, the calm voice in the room, the kind voice in the room, and one of the nicest people I have ever met … Bottom line, I will miss him like crazy.”

Vogt says he will miss reporting and covering southern Alberta, but the job has meant even more than that.

“The thing I will miss most, is talking to people, hearing their stories, and being able to share that with the community,” he said.

Terry says he plans to spend more time with his kids and grandchildren, as well as his hairless Sphynx cat, which, in typical Terry compassion, he adopted after covering an animal hoarding story last year.