ELY — It’s 2 a.m. on a Saturday night, and most sensible people are asleep. But Steven Solkela, known for his one-man band performances, is standing on Chapman Street with his accordion, hoping to get the police’s attention for disturbing the peace.
He doesn’t succeed. Apparently, you’re allowed to disturb the peace in Ely.
The scene — part publicity stunt, part small-town theater — was orchestrated by Curt and Susan Laine during their run as Saturday night radio hosts on WELY 94.5 FM. For years, their show “Pure 80s Plus” was the soundtrack to weekend nights across northern Minnesota and beyond, drawing listeners from Montreal to Mississippi who tuned in for music, conversation, and the kind of genuine human connection that’s increasingly rare in our digital age.
Now the husband-and-wife team is trading microphones for notepads, joining the staff of the Timberjay to cover happenings in Ely. It’s a career pivot that makes perfect sense to anyone who knew their radio show. For the Laines, it was never really about the medium. It was always about the community.
While corporate stations rely on focus groups and market research, Curt and Susan kept handwritten files on every listener — birthdays, anniversaries, the names of their dogs. Hundreds of files, Susan recalls, meticulously maintained in boxes at the station.
“We made a whole list of all the dogs listening,” Curt said. “We knew the names of all of them, so we would do ‘Atomic Dog’ or ‘Who Let the Dogs Out,’ and we’d read all their names out: ‘This is for Knuckles, this is for Rexie.’”
The show attracted a devoted following that stretched far beyond its 30-mile broadcast radius. Every week, 50 to 60 listeners from Montreal would tune in online, arriving 20 minutes early and staying until the end. One fan in Eveleth could only receive the signal when his 1970s Ford pickup was parked crossways in his driveway — a precise arrangement he’d make every Saturday night to listen from his garage.
“We had friends come find us from Florida,” Susan said. “We went to Wisconsin and met our listeners there. People still text Curt to this day saying, ‘Hey, how’s the Professor?’”
The nicknames were part of the show’s charm. Curt was “The Professor,” a reference to his encyclopedic knowledge of music history and his nine official credits on Prince’s music videos from his earlier career. Susan was “Skirts,” and together they created something that felt less like a radio show and more like hanging out with friends who happened to have excellent taste in music.
What set “Pure 80s Plus” apart was the Laines’ genuine curiosity about their listeners’ lives and their determination to highlight the positive aspects of their community.
“We always shed a positive light on Ely,” Susan said. “When we moved here, our whole entire goal was to share love with every single person we met.”
The show became a lifeline for people across the region. Boundary Waters canoe guides would call in requests from remote campsites. Night shift workers found companionship during lonely hours. The Laines even performed their third wedding ceremony on the air, complete with a licensed officiant participating by phone and their dog, Spike Jones, in attendance.
Curt’s connection to Ely runs deep. A 1971 graduate of Ely High School, he grew up in a family that operated four businesses in town, including his father’s combination camera store, stereo shop, and record store. In the late 1950s and ’60s, it was the place where teenagers gathered after school to listen to the latest 45s — a real-life version of the record shop from “Hairspray.”
“You could come in after school and just listen to your music and have 10, 12 people in there moving around,” Curt said. “Sometimes they’d buy a record and sometimes they wouldn’t.”
That early exposure to the power of music to bring people together shaped Curt’s worldview and, decades later, informed the approach he and Susan brought to their radio show. When WELY went dark, the couple was devastated — Susan admits she “cried her eyes out” during their final broadcast.
But rather than retreat, they looked for new ways to serve their community. Susan continues organizing monthly themed bingo games that benefit the Boundary Waters Care Center. She’s also known locally for her custom cakes.
The next chapter
When the Laines saw the Timberjay’s advertisement seeking someone to cover Ely, Susan’s reaction was immediate: “Oh my gosh, this would be so awesome, because Curt and I feel like we have our finger on the pulse of Ely.”
It’s a natural transition for a couple who spent years chronicling their community’s stories, one phone call at a time. The skills that made them beloved radio hosts — genuine curiosity about people’s lives, an ability to find the compelling story in everyday events, and an unwavering commitment to highlighting the positive — translate perfectly to community journalism.
“There are fascinating people here,” Susan said. “It’s wonderful to be able to be the ones that shine the light on Ely.”
The Laines understand something that many larger media organizations have forgotten: Local news isn’t just covering events. It’s about reflecting a community back to itself.
“You just can’t let the winds of politics and news cycles steer you,” Susan said. “You have to find something in your own backyard to be living for. We can effect change right here in Ely.”