Eric Eskola
Almanac
co-host
Eric Eskola-and
his trademark scarf-can be seen each Friday night at 7 p.m. on tpt-2,
where he co-hosts the weekly public affairs program Almanac. Since
November 1986, his humor, wit and political insight have endured the good
and the bad, and endeared him to tens of thousands of loyal viewers throughout
Minnesota.
Eskola was
born in Duluth, Minn., graduated from Duluth East High School in 1971,
and from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1975. From 1971 to 1980,
Eskola worked at KDAL TV and Radio. For more than two decades, Eskola
has been a familiar voice on WCCO radio, starting off as a general assignment
reporter in 1980 and moving to government correspondent in 1985.
Eskola is
a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. In his spare time,
he enjoys playing golf, playing the guitar, and collecting guitars. He
resides in Minneapolis with his wife, Cathy Wurzer.
Cathy Wurzer
Almanac
co-host
Cathy Wurzer
was introduced to viewers as Almanac co-host in December 1994 on
the program’s 10th anniversary special. The then host of Minnesota
Public Radio’s "Mid-morning" program, Wurzer replaced Almanac
co-host Jan Smaby, who had been with the program since it began in December
1984.
Wurzer is
a Minneapolis native who attended Minneapolis South High School and the
University of Wisconsin-River Falls. After graduation in 1984 with a degree
in Broadcast Journalism and Urban Studies, Wurzer was hired as a political
reporter for KSTP AM radio. It was then that she met Eric Eskola. The
two were married in 1994.
From KSTP
AM, Wurzer went to KMSP TV Channel 9 in 1986 as a producer of Prime Time
News. In 1987, she accepted a position at Minnesota Public Radio, moving
up from morning and afternoon news anchor to host of the popular talk/news
program "Mid-morning."
In 1995
Wurzer joined the staff of tpt’s NewsNight Minnesota as a reporter
and later became co-anchor. She joined WCCO-TV in 1998 as a weekend anchor
and general assignment reporter. Wurzer rejoined Minnesota Public Radio
in September 2000 as a reporter and regional host of National Public Radio’s
"Morning Edition."
Wurzer thrives
on politics and horses. She gets excited at the thought of the Legislature
going in to session every January. She resides in Minneapolis.
Mary Lahammer
Almanac political reporter
Mary
Lahammer is a program host and political reporter for Twin Cities
Public Television. Since joining tpt in 1998 she earned unparalleled
access to the world famous Governor Ventura and followed him around
the world to Japan, China and Cuba. She has won several Emmys and
numerous other awards in several states for her anchoring, reporting,
producing and photography. Lahammer was named “Best Newscaster”
by City Pages Magazine in 2002.
Prior
to returning to tpt (where she interned during college) she was
an anchor/reporter for an ABC station in Wisconsin and NBC in North
Dakota. Mary is a native Minnesotan who began attending the University
of Minnesota's Honors College at age 15 where she went on to graduate
with Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude honors. She holds degrees
in Journalism and Mass Communications and Constitutional Law History
from the U of M.
You
might say Mary has been in training for her job since birth. She
learned the business under the wing of her father, an Associated
Press capitol reporter for more than three decades. Her State Capitol
office is now just around the corner from her father's former stomping
grounds.
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