Blue Lake’s Bonnie Bierma has decided to step away from the microphones at the end of the month. Bonnie has been on the air at Blue Lake for thirty-five years hosting music and news programs and producing “Choral Traditions.” She has also been involved with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp - hosting live broadcasts and playing in various ensembles. Many listeners have fond memories of “waking up with Bonnie” and love hearing her voice on the air. “Choral Traditions” has been the perfect start for many on a Sunday morning.
A west Michigan native, Bonnie studied music education and oboe performance at the University of Michigan. She spent some time working in Seattle and taught in the Alpena Public Schools for a few years. Returning to the Grand Rapids area, she was pulled into broadcasting. Buck Matthews remembers, "Thinking back to when she was brought to my attention by an old TV8 colleague, I had no idea that she belonged in broadcasting. The day Dave and I interviewed her we were bowled over by her potential. Voice, poise, personality, and a background in classical music performance. She was the gold ring." Retired General Manager Dave Myers added, "She was a perfect match for Blue Lake. The success of Blue Lake Public Radio is due in large part to her presence on the air. It is hard to believe that Bonnie has been at Blue Lake for 35 years and that she is retiring."
Over the years, Bonnie performed as oboist with the West Michigan Symphony along with many chamber ensembles and church orchestras in the region.
While we will eventually invite a new voice into the Blue Lake family, we will not be replacing Bonnie (it’s impossible). Over the next few months, we will be offering both hours of Pipedreams on Sunday mornings. Steve Albert and Klay Woodworth will be covering the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. airshift.
If you would like to send Bonnie a message, please send email to radio@bluelake.org with “Thanks Bonnie” as the subject. Our address is 300 E. Crystal Lake Road, Twin Lake, MI 49457.
