Darren Hellwege
Announcer/Producer"The Voice Of Columbia," Darren Hellwege has hosted NPR's “Morning Edition” for over 30 years on KBIA, and serves as host/producer of the “Thinking Out Loud” programs. The series has won a Missouri Broadcasters Association award and gives Darren the chance to "sit and visit" with interesting people from throughout Mid-Missouri and beyond. He also hosts the "Dvorak Diner" and “Vox Humana” on Classical 90.5 FM.
Darren is also a marketing representative for KBIA and Classical 90.5, helping businesses connect with their customers using public radio.
An avid Tiger sports fan, Darren serves as the P.A. announcer for Mizzou Wrestling and Gymnastics. As former KBIA Sports Director, Darren reported on Tiger athletics for more than 10 years. His reports from the 2009 NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball tournament were heard nationwide on NPR, he appeared on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” and was a regular guest with Chris Gervino on KOMU-TV’s Sunday night sports program and on sports talk programs in Kansas City.
Darren currently serves as president of the Board of Directors for ACT Services of Columbia. In the past, he’s been a member of the Columbia/Boone County Board of Health and the Boone County Mental Health Board of Trustees, the University of Missouri Campus Safety Committee, and he was a board member for the Central Missouri Humane Society and Rock Bridge Christian Church. Darren coached youth sports for several years with Boys/Girls Club of Columbia, Columbia Diamond Council and Columbia Youth Basketball Association. He’s also been active in community theatre, performing with Maplewood Barn Community Theatre, Theatre NXS, and MoHip. A Columbia Tribune review of a Maplewood production of "Oklahoma!" included the line "Darren Hellwege is no Fred Astaire."
Darren was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma and grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma where he attended the University of Central Oklahoma. Darren and his wife Bonnie have two grown children. Their son Kristian lives in Columbia and daughter Janie Lavelock lives in Kansas City with her husband Jake, and Darren’s beautiful granddaughter Clara.
Prior to coming to KBIA, Darren worked for public radio station KCSC (now KUCO) in Edmond and at Oklahoma City radio stations WKY and WWLS. He’s also worked for KFRU and KFMZ in Columbia and KWRT in Boonville.
Darren is an avid genealogist, and enjoys playing guitar, listening to all kinds of music, and - of course - sports. In spite of the team moving from St. Louis to Los Angeles, he remains a loyal Rams fan, and he is a 4th generation St. Louis Cardinals supporter.
Darren is on Twitter at @kbiamorning where he shares news stories, selfies, and dad jokes.
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KBIA's Darren Hellwege talks with Dr. Brian Mitchell, who will be on campus Oct. 13th to give a keynote address as the conference on Peace and Security in Africa and the African Diaspora. They discuss his topic, "Burying The Sins Of Our Collective Past: Why Rewriting And Covering Up Difficult History Doesn't Work." Mitchell is Director of Research and Interpretation at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL. -
KBIA's Darren Hellwege visits with Dr. Kathleen Preble of MU's College of Health Sciences about what's been learned about human trafficking in Missouri and nationwide and about myths and misconceptions that linger.
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KBIA's Darren Hellwege talks with Beth Shapiro of Skylark Bookshop about Thursday night's Ghost Stories readings with...Darren himself! It's part of this year's One Read program.
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KBIA's Darren Hellwege talks with Adam Saunders of the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture about their 14th annual Harvest Hoontenanny event.
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KBIA's Darren Hellwege talks with Joe Lamp'l about his upcoming visit to Columbia, he will do a demonstration at Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture and give the annual Jacquelyn Jones Lecture. Joe hosts "Growing a Greener World" seen on PBS stations nationwide, including KMOS-TV in Mid-Missouri (Saturdays at noon)
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KBIA's Darren Hellwege talks with Beth Pike of the State Historical Society of Missouri about this month's "History On Elm" presentation looking at the German heritage of our state and how it's affected our culture.
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KBIA's Darren Hellwege visits with Ron McNeil of The Fab Four, a Beatles tribute band playing the CRMU Amphitheatre in Jefferson City this Friday. Ron is a founding member of portrays John Lennon in the performance.
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KBIA's Darren Hellwege talks with Audra West, Director of Youth and Children's Ministries at Columbia's First Presbyterian Church about Vacation Bible School at the church this summer.
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In a discussion from 2011, KBIA's Darren Hellwege talks with the great Missouri historian Bob Priddy about his book The Art of the Missouri State Capitol: History In Canvas, Bronze and Stone.
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KBIA's Darren Hellwege visits with Dr. Joy Powell, director of the MU Repertory Theatre about their upcoming production of "Little Shop of Horrors."
