Henry Lake returning to KFAN after 5-plus years on radio in KC

KFAN Radio alum Henry Lake is coming back to the station after more than five years on sports radio in Kansas City.

Lake will be back on KFAN within a few weeks, "joining all of our hosts in regular appearances and hosting a college basketball show," said program director Chad Abbott. Lake will also fill in when hosts are away, Abbott said.

Lake said in a lengthy note Tuesday on Twitter, "I'm grateful to be finalizing my return to hosting and other responsibilities." He first signed on with KFAN, 100.3 FM, in 2003 before moving to KCSP, 610 AM, in Kansas City in 2013.

"It's where I began and am happy to return," Lake wrote He did not disclose specifics about what his duties at the sports talk station would include and when his new gig begins.

Lake, who is black, said in a telephone interview that "sometimes people of color get left out of the conversation," pointing out that the Twin Cities broadcast market "lacks diversity" in its on-air talent. "I knew I wanted to come back for that reason."

Abbott said KFAN has two people of color, both black, who are currently getting airtime: former Gophers basketball player Trent Tucker and former Gophers football player Ron Johnson.

While describing his time in Kansas City as "so much fun," Lake added that he's excited to return to the Twin Cities, where "I want to do a lot of community work in a time now where there is so much work to do. I look forward to connecting with various different organizations and charities."

Lake also wrote that he had inquiries from other stations going back several months before deciding on KFAN as his next employer.

Abbott said Lake is back in the Twin Cities as part of his return to the education field. Once that part of Lake's life is firmed up, Abbott added, then he'll get back behind the microphone.

Lake, a 1991 graduate of Minneapolis North High School, said he intends to be a mentor to young people through various organizations.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482