After 53 Years, Mr. Pellonpaa Is Finnished
Michigan’s Yoopers Tuned In Faithfully for a Finland Fix
Carl Pellonpaa has hosted ‘Finland Calling,’ a Michigan-based Finnish culture show, for more than 50 years. Now the local legend has decided to call it quits. Photo: Anne Steele/The Wall Street Journal
ISHPEMING, Mich.—On Sunday, Carl Pellonpaa is marking the end of an era in television history with two words: “siinä kaikki”—that’s it.
After 53 years and more than 2,650 straight weekly episodes of hosting “Finland Calling,” Mr. Pellonpaa will cap a career that far outpaces David Letterman, Johnny Carson and “Saturday Night Live.” Some might say he is Finnished.
Mr. Pellonpaa isn’t some yokel with a program on...