“I thought this was a suitable stage to retire” – 2024-03-31 13:02:28

On Thursday, February 29, Matti Rönkä woke up to an ordinary winter morning in Helsinki’s Tapanila.

However, the difference from other mornings was that Rönkä, 64, no longer had to step into Yle’s editorial office in the name of work, because Rönkä retired from his duties as a news anchor the night before.

According to Matti Röngä, people have come to talk more boldly in public places now that he is retired. Inka Soveri

Rönkä himself describes that his everyday life as a pensioner has not changed much, because his work as a news anchor was quite irregular. The working days were long and concentrated in the evenings, and for this reason it was not necessary to go to the workplace every day. Arkivapaat are therefore already familiar from working time.

– I have been able to be a party girl for decades and I will continue to do so from now on. However, when I look at the calendar, I notice that I don’t need to hurry or plan other expenses according to news anchoring, Rönkä tells Iltalehte.

Fast and clever

Rönkä admits that he has not yet internalized retirement.

– Of course, it also has the scary aspects, that you no longer see people of different ages in the work community, with whom you could have had different conversations. I’ve already thought that I’ll miss that thing, Rönkä reflects.

– Then there just has to be other networks. Of course, there is the risk that those other networks will just be their own bubble and differentiation will occur. It has been a privilege to be part of a working community with different ages and different people, he continues.

However, one thing has changed with retirement.

– I have lived in this region for decades and of course people know me as a villager and a resident of this region. I’ve noticed before in public places that people do recognize, but now in the swimming pool gym everyone came to chat: “Now you have time to chat, welcome to the group of seniors,” Rönkä laughs.

Rönkä was already out of news anchor work for a longer period of time last year due to knee surgery. The long sick leave gave an indication of what the retirement days could contain.

– At that time, I already had time to get used to the idea that I would retire. I came of age already at the turn of the year. In addition to that, big changes are coming at Yle. There will be a new studio, the layout and the way of storytelling will change. This is so that it would be possible to use the same materials online and on television.

– Such changes are processes that you should be able to approach with great passion and bend for your own vision. Yes, they are quite painful operations. I thought this is the right time to retire.

Yle told Röngä that he could work as a news anchor for as long as he wanted.

– Compared to my age, I was relatively fast and clever in those jobs. My wish, as well as Yle’s wish, was that we hold the presidential election again, because it is a great last big start.

A natural performer

The work of reporter and news anchor has been the result of Röngä’s slowly growing passion. There were no journalists at home or in the immediate vicinity, but an interest in performing and acting and moderate writing skills drew me towards a career.

With a good matriculation certificate, Rönkä got a place to study at the University of Helsinki at the Faculty of Political Science after high school. After a few years of university studies, Rönkä applied to Sanoma’s journalism school, and was selected. Before this, he had done summer jobs as a photo editor. Classmates at Sanoma’s journalism school included, for example, writer Jari Tervo, journalist and Röngä’s ex-spouse Suvi Ahola, and Yle’s editor-in-chief Jouko Jokinen.

– At that time, Sanoma’s journalism school was a great stroke of luck professionally, Rönkä recalls.

After two years of journalism studies, Röngä was offered a permanent job as a sports reporter at Helsingin Sanomat. Sports reporting was not Röngä’s personal wish, but due to his sports background, he was placed in a familiar environment.

– Sports reporting was an absolutely great opportunity for a young journalist. I got to travel, it gave me a lot professionally and it was fun!

Rönkä moved from Helsingin Sanomat to the editor of Helsinki’s Radio Ykkönen. Early mornings did not appeal to Rönkä, however. For this reason, Rönkä moved to Insinööriuutiset magazine’s editorial secretary.

Soon, however, the phone rang.

– MTV had noticed that my voice had disappeared from Radio Ykkö. They asked if I would like to try the job of a news anchor as a follower.

Rush years

This was the beginning of the so-called peak years. Rönkä worked for more than three years as the editorial secretary of Insinööruutiten and two or three nights a week as a news anchor for MTV. At the same time, Rönkä and his ex-spouse Suvi Ahola had two children, Rönkä studied for a university degree and played sports as much as he could.

– There was no time to waste money and my children’s beloved mother and I were an efficient duo. We had a good division of labor, so no one felt that they suffered from that situation, which I am proud of afterwards.

At the beginning of the 90s, Rönkä took another leap in his career. He became the news manager of Yleisradio’s TV news. Such leaps reflect Röngä’s character well.

– I’m not a dreamer, but I plan and hope for things. If something has interested me, I have strived towards it. As they say in sports, luck must be possible. In order for good luck to happen, you have to work for those things yourself.

For a decade, Rönkä held management positions until he realized that instead of leading, he wanted to perform.

– At the time, the retirements of Arvi Lindi, Eva Polttila and Kari Toivonen were on the horizon, so Yelle thought about where to get a gray-haired gentleman enough to be a news anchor. In that job, ageism goes the other way to some extent. Gray hair somehow increases reliability. With age comes experience and confidence.

– I stripped away the boss work and for the last 10-15 years I only did anchoring. It was without a doubt the right decision, Rönkä sums up.

The beard distinguishes

After management duties stopped, Röngä had time for his other passion, i.e. writing. Debut novel A killer looking man appeared in 2002. So far, Rönkä has published a total of 12 books. The latest work Onnen Kaukoranta will be published next autumn.

Before his first work, Rönkä had a discussion on Yle about his budding career as a writer. Rönkä himself was particularly worried about whether the detective stories would spoil his valuable career as a journalist.

Rönkä says that publicity or a career as a news anchor has not helped in any way in selling books.

– You can prove it from the sales figures. Book sales then boomed when recognitions for the books began to come from abroad as well. I’ve never been a Turkish celebrity either. I have not applied for publicity, but it has happened through work in a dignified environment.

– Especially in the beginning, I made it really clear if I went to something as a writer. I had a shaving bed then. I emphasized the difference between these two roles with a beard. The audience kept the roles really well separated in the beginning.

What next?

Rönkä plans to continue his career as a writer even after working as a news anchor.

– For me, being a writer is something that I can use to justify to myself that I exist in a meaningful way. The writing will continue, as long as health and other things stay in order.

In addition to writing, Rönkä hopes that he will be able to play sports in the future as well. Rönkä especially needs an honest dressing room life.

– However, I have old ailments that still bother me. But in the winter I went skiing a lot, before this interview I did a bike run and in April I will go to Ylivieska’s senior men’s volleyball championship. If I could do more things like this I would be really happy.

On the threshold of retirement, Röngä’s life also entered another new life phase. Röngä’s daughter Reetta Rönkä had her first child two months ago and Röngä became a grandfather for the first time.

Rönkä gently describes that he is ready to install the elf door next Christmas.

– Of course, it’s nice if you can somehow help and be involved in your grandchild’s life, Rönkä concludes with a smile.