A Phoenix neighborhood mourns the potential loss of its character.
In the wee small hours of the morning, when most of us are working on REM sleep, Morning Edition host and reporter, Dennis Lambert busily prepares the news and information KJZZ listeners hear as they prepare for the day. He’s been doing that for KJZZ listeners since 1996.
“While I realize the importance of providing listeners with updates on traffic, weather and breaking news, I really enjoy the ability to focus on complex, more obscure stories with in-depth coverage,” said Lambert. “That's not always possible in commercial radio, and I have KJZZ and its listeners to thank for that.”
Throughout his award-winning career, which he began in 1969, Lambert has covered everything from plane crashes to bribery scandals as well as late night and early morning legislative sessions. There have also been celebrity interviews, a few wildlife escapades with sand cranes and bighorn sheep and many adventures in between.
Lambert calls the impeachment of former Arizona Governor Evan Mecham the most memorable story he has covered. He was KTAR’s News Director at the time, and the station won a Peabody Award for its live coverage.
Lambert has won just about every award the Associated Press and the Phoenix Press Club had at one time or another. As a KJZZ reporter, he has won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award and several Associated Press awards. He won national Murrow and Scripps Howard awards for coverage of the Meacham impeachment.
He was honored in 2010 with the Order of the Silver Key from the Phoenix Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for 25 years of broadcast excellence.
A Michigan native, Dennis worked as a radio reporter in Lansing and Detroit before coming to Arizona in 1984. He has a degree in Communication Arts from Michigan State University.
An avid Arizona Diamondbacks fan, Lambert has been a member of the Sunday Hackers season ticket group since the franchise began.
Lambert has been married since 1969 and has two adult children and two grandchildren.
Contact Dennis Lambert at 480-774-8237, or dlambert@rioradio.org or by way of Twitter @KJZZlambert.
