ST. LOUIS — If you consumed any kind of St. Louis media over the past 20 years, Steve Savard is a name you likely know well.
Whether it be on the airwaves of St. Louis television, or over the radio calling St. Louis Rams' games, Savard has become a St. Louis staple.
Savard was part of a round of layoffs in September at his longtime station of KMOV where he served as one of the station's lead anchors. But he'll return to the St. Louis media scene in January, on the radio.
Savard conducted his first TV interview since departing KMOV with 5 On Your Side Sports Director Frank Cusumano, as part of the return of 5 On Your Side's Sports Plus show on Sunday nights.
You can watch Savard's entire interview by clicking here.
Since the layoff, Savard has been enjoying his time away from working in media. He said he's appreciative of the time he got to spend on St. Louis television.
"I had a great run. I don't regret anything at the station for 26 years. But I will say this, it hasn't been hard for me to turn the page. Peace came to me very quickly," Savard said.
"It's been a nice break, it really has. It's been refreshing. The layoff hit at a good time. There's nothing better than St. Louis in September and October. I got the chance to play more golf than I've played in a long time," Savard said. "I've enjoyed my downtime and taken my time about what's next, and so we're going to embark on a different journey starting tomorrow at KFNS. I wouldn't say the door has closed on local TV news. If not here in St. Louis, maybe somewhere else."
Around town, Savard said he's been struck by the number of people who have stopped to offer a kind word.
"People have been so nice. I mean, just the response has been great," Savard said. "99.9 percent of the people have just been very very nice and asking me what's next and wishing me the best, and I certainly appreciate it."
So what is next for Savard?
On Monday, he'll start a new gig at 590 The Fan KFNS with a radio show called "Middays With Steve" from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. every day.
"I want to have fun. I'm going back to my sports roots, and I think sports is an escape and entertainment for a lot of people especially in this day and age of 2021 now," Savard said. "I want it to be a mix of fun and information, and some opinion. I don't want to be overbearing with my opinion. I don't want to be someone who says things that I don't believe in just to get people talking or buzzing. That's not me, that's not who I am."
Of course, many people will always remember Savard as the radio voice of the Rams for the majority of their time in St. Louis. He said those teams of the early 2000's created some truly special memories for him in his career.
"It wasn't just the excitement about being that close to the game of football. Because I got kicked to the curb at age 24 after my second training camp with a busted neck and one year on injured reserve. So for me I got back to be close to the game, and so it was a little bit about that, but it was about how good the product was, how turned on the city was, and it was about a great group of people I had to work with," Savard said. "All of that came together, and it really was a special time, especially back in the early 2000's driving down highway 40 to go to the dome knowing whatever unfolded was going to be memorable."