
Wednesday's news that Lee Rayburn and The Morning Newswatch were departed from the local air waves was sad news for the Tompkins County community. A bastion of local news and talk, Morning Newswatch was also a haven for local organizations, politicians, musicians, and artists to reach out to the community and talk about what local people care about.
Lee is a gentle and generous interviewer putting people at ease and helping them sound their best. Both Karen (my other half, personally and at the Lansing Star) and I both appeared on his show numerous times, and his genuine warmth and enthusiasm for what we do was evident each time. He made on-air interviews fun, even for people who were nervous about speaking on the radio, making sure all the points a guest wanted to touch on were covered. He had a way of putting folks at ease.