Behind the Story

'It's a thing': Steve Klamkin reflects on radio career covering RI's biggest stories

Episode Summary

Longtime broadcast journalist Steve Klamkin appeared this week on "Behind the Story" to talk about his remarkable career covering some of the biggest stories in southern New England.

Episode Notes

Steve Klamkin over the years has covered high-profile criminal trials, including the one of Vincent "Buddy" Cianci after the FBI investigation known as Plunderdome. 

Klamkin is recognizable for being at the forefront of media scrums over the years. But he's also well-known for the unique signoff he's had at the end of news reports for WPRO radio: "Steve Klamkin, WPRO News."

"I don't have a big booming voice, I never have," Klamkin said Wednesday. "The signoff from my stories over the years — it just happened and I never gave it a thought. And then people started saying it back to me ... so I thought, 'I guess it's a thing.' Well, come to find out, it's a thing."

Klamkin recently entered semiretirement, but he's continued to report for Latino Public Radio, which now broadcasts entirely online. Klamkin said he's hard back to work, interviewing multiple people himself before appearing as a guest on the show.

"It's been great fun," Klamkin said.

Later in the show, Kim and Eli discussed the “Stories We Wish We Wrote.” They included:

Kim’s picks

Eli’s picks

Watch “Behind the Story” Thursdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the WPRI 12+ TV app.

It airs on TV (Sundays at 8 a.m. on FOX Providence and 11 a.m. on The CW Providence), and will be available on demand through the WPRI 12+ app and right here on WPRI.com.

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of the Boston Globe