He retreated to what he knew, opening an ad agency and recording studio that he continues to operate out of his house. He does voice-over work for clients around the country and is a local spokesman for, among others, John Paras Furniture and the University of Utah Credit Union. It keeps his voice in the air and face on the screen.

"I'm still stopped 10 or 12 times a week in the supermarket or the mall by people who say, 'You're the news guy. I see you every night,"' says Riesen.

He made a second foray into politics three years ago, when Democratic Party leaders approached him about taking his high-profile looks and well-known name and challenging incumbent Republican Susan Lawrence for the House seat in District 36 in the Olympus Cove area of Salt Lake City.

A rookie campaigner at age 63, Riesen agreed, walked the district twice, lost 25 pounds, and won by fewer than 250 votes in what had been a Republican stronghold as long as anyone could remember.

He remembers looking at his wife, Glenda, on election night and saying, "Now what do I do?"

Well, for one thing, fly to Denver a year and a half later and cast one of Utah's official votes to nominate Barack Obama for the presidency.

For the record, he says attending a convention is a lot easier than covering one.

"I'm enjoying this phase of my life," he says. "I did the other phase for a long time and enjoyed that too. But other than when I'm at a sidewalk cafe, thinking, 'That would be a good story,' I don't think about it much."

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Lee Benson will be filing columns daily from the Democratic National Convention. You can e-mail him at benson@desnews.com.