Meet Carl
It all started in Elkhart...
Carl Dean Stutsman was born February 14th 1990 at Elkhart General Hospital, during an ice storm. Everything shut down for his birthday, or at least thats how his mother will tell it to anyone that will listen. He is the son of Douglas and Lana Stutsman. Douglas is a disabled Air Force veteran, retired delivery driver, cancer survivor, and graduate of Concord High School ('83). Lana is a retired healthcare worker that spent more than 35 years at Elkhart General Hospital, mostly in the physical therapy department, and she graduated from Elkhart Memorial High School (87'). Carl's namesake, his grandfather Carl Harrison was an EPD officer for 25 years, and a Vietnam War vet. Roger Dean, Carl's grandfather, served Elkhart as a United States Postal worker for more than 20 years before his retirement. Carl is actually the 4th generation of his family to have graduated from Concord, with family ties to the area dating to the 1800's.
Growing Up
At a young age Carl's first ambition was to be the starting QB for the Chicago Bears, but that plan didn't quite pan out. At age 13 he performed his first standup comedy act. Then at Concord High School Carl would start finding the parts of himself that would carry his career. With the Speech and Debate team Carl would qualify for the state tournament all 4 years in both disciplines, culminating in a State Championship for Radio Broadcasting in 2008. After graduation he attended Valparaiso University and IUSB to study radio and journalism.
Family Life
Carl and his wife Paige have been married since September of 2014. They met as friends in high school, and several years after would begin a long distance relationship while Paige finished college. They moved to Indianapolis after marrying, where they had their daughter Sawyer in 2016 before returning home in 2018. The Stutsman's are animal lovers, with a household of furry friends and several years working with local rescues as fosters and volunteers.
Career and Hobbies
Radio is where it began
In 2010 Carl got his first big job on the radio, but his passion for the industry went back even further. His first time on an actual broadcast happened at the historic Elkhart Truth building, in the fishbowl, with the WTRC morning show that included names like Alan Stryke, Gary Sieber, Paul Weaver, Bill Beck, and Heather Richards. In that studio he found a sense of communal purpose that he has been chasing his whole life. Their goal was simple; deliver the the news and serve the community well.
It seemed almost by divine intervention when Carl's first radio job would be with WTRC as it adjusted formats and rebranded itself. Carl would spend 4 years with WTRC and her sister stations doing every job from roadie to cohost. In 2014 Carl and his wife moved to Indianapolis and Carl began work for WIBC, Indiana's largest news radio station. In just under two years with the station he anchored morning and daytime news, cohosted news programs, and produced content for Network Indiana covering the whole state. While brief, his time with WIBC was formative covering protests and events in the capital and inside the statehouse during the Pence administration, including the infamous Religious Freedom Restoration Act debates. After leaving WIBC Carl would explore careers outside Radio, but returned home as a producer in 2018 for Farm Journal Media and AgriTalk in South Bend.
Carl would eventually return to his first employer in 2018 and take over as Program Director for Froggy 102.7 where he rebuilt the stations hometown roots, focusing on building community relationships with organizations like CAPS, The Boys and Girls Clubs, and The Humane Society of Elkhart County. He resurrected the Elkhart County Game of the Week and would call Football and Basketball for Froggy during his tenure with the station. Eventually, returning news side he continued his previous role with WTRC, he helped rebrand and launch AM 1340/101.9 FM as The Hart. The Hart, an Elkhart County focused station, included a daily show called On The Beat, hosted by Carl, that welcomed guests from all parts of the community. Guests included Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson, former Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, and legendary football coach Tom Kurth to name a few. Since his departure in 2021 Carl has had a few part time on air positions, but is not actively employed as a broadcaster.
The Blue Collar Life
Bills don't pay themselves and in between Radio jobs Carl never hesitated to pull up his sleeves. Carl spent a year with Carpenters Union 301 in Indianapolis as an apprentice learning framing and drywalling...and holds his OSHA 30 certification with pride to this day. Carl has also been an RV parts delivery driver, a line lead, a handyman, and an equipment operator. He has also been an Animal Control officer and currently works for an Elkhart born AV company that has clients around the country. Carl grew up in a working class household, and carries that perspective with him wherever he goes.
Hobbies
ADHD has made Carl's list of hobbies sometimes hard to nail down. In 2022 Carl began pursuing a career in stand-up comedy and experienced some minor success being featured in shows locally and the Chicago market. Comedy and Humor are a lense Carl uses to explore truth with influences like George Carlin, Lewis Black, and Patton Oswalt. Carl is also an outdoorsman who enjoys fishing and camping. He is also a diehard Chicago Bears fan, which is the quickest way to get his attention. Other hobbies include building and woodworking, podcasting, and golf.