Ken Kobelka’s voice was heard by radio listeners for decades, but his biggest impact on the Manitoba sports scene might have been his volunteer work that put the spotlight on the achievements of top athletes and teams. 
 
In 1980, Kobelka went to his first meeting of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. He was soon asked by member Bob Picken if he’d help sell tickets for the association’s annual athletes of the year dinner. It evolved into positions as ticket chairman, president and then dinner chairman until 2011.
 
“I really don’t know if the dinner would have continued as long as it did without Ken phoning athletes, their families and sports organizations to buy tickets,” said longtime MSSA member Judy Owen. 
 
The dinners usually drew 200-300 people. The final one was its 60th anniversary in 2016.
 
Kobelka’s radio career began at CKDM in Dauphin in 1972 as an on-air announcer reading news and sports reports and playing music. In September of that year, he accepted an offer to work at CFAR in Flin Flon in the same role. 
 
Next it was off to Saskatchewan in 1973. He first worked at CFSL in Weyburn, then CJME and CKCK in Regina (1974-75). One of his career highlights was covering the 1974 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union in Moscow.
 
As a flight services specialist with Transport Canada, Kobelka moved around and picked up on-air side gigs for CFRA in Ottawa, CFPA in Thunder Bay and Thompson’s CHTM.  
 
After settling in Winnipeg in 1980, Kobelka did on-air announcing and then sports reports for CKRC/CKWG FM until 1987, covering mainly Winnipeg Jets games. During the same time period, he found additional work doing Jets’ reports and Grey Cup games for an American computer network service called The Sports Network until 1996.
 
Ken Kobelka was inducted into the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 1999.