At Orange Media Network, amazing students come through our doors every day, where they join the student newspaper, TV station, radio station, magazines, creative design and marketing teams.
On the OMN Alumni Podcast, we talk to people who started their journeys at Oregon State University and OMN. We learn about their time at OMN, what they're up to now, and the things they learned along the way.
Making the call the previous day, with Cathy Marshall
KTVZ News Director and KBVR-TV alumnus Cathy Marshall joins me on the podcast this week. In this episode, she shares her approach to mentoring younger reporters, the changing face of local TV news, and being willing to hire people with no previous TV experience.
12 Jan 2023
Be Brave and Get in the Huddle, with Bill Reader
We're back for season 3 with a great episode for aspiring journalists. Pacific NW Magazine Editor Bill Reader talks with me about how it takes bravery to be a reporter. You've got to face your fear to ask the coach questions postgame, or develop a relationship with a source, or to be critical of people you cover. His experience covering sports for the Daily Barometer, Gazette-Times, Seattle Times, and now running Pacific NW Magazine has taught him valuable lessons about being a good journalist. It's a must-listen for young reporters.
3 Feb 2022
A lot happens between an idea and an RSS feed, with Sean Fox
We get meta this week on the podcast as I talk about podcasts with Sean Fox. Sean owns SF Productions, a podcast production business based on Los Angeles. In this episode we talk about what makes a good podcast and how he was inspired by his time in college radio at KBVR-FM. After the break, I debut a new game as I pitch a random podcast idea and Sean helps me develop it into a better show. This was a fun episode and I'm happy I got to reconnect with Sean.
20 Jan 2022
Flexibility is key, with Brian Rathbone
Flexibility is the name of the game right now, especially when it comes to covering high school sports during COVID. Sports reporter Brian Rathbone of the Bulletin in Central Oregon tells us this week how he prepares to cover games that might be cancelled last minute and how he adjusts his sports coverage. Later, he talks about his time as the sports editor of the Daily Barometer at OSU, covering Beaver sports, and some of his favorite memories.
6 Jan 2022
Throw yourself in and get involved, with Anna Weeks
We're back for Season 2 and talking with Anna Weeks, anchor and nightside executive producer for KOBI NBC 5 in Medford, Ore. Anna and I chat about covering wildfires in her neighborhood, moving from a reporter to leading other reporters, and avoiding being run over by a football team. Learn more about how Anna got her start in TV news and her advice on building connections to help your career.
9 Sept 2021
Music, Food and Leadership, with Kat Dykstra
Kat Dykstra of Heart Creative is our guest for the season one finale! Kat shares the secrets of making food look spectacular on-camera without resorting to fakeness, so the beautiful food you see is actually what you get! In the second half, we talk about her experience producing Locals Live, making hard decisions with bands, what she learned about being a leader.
2 Sept 2021
Adding to the to-read pile, with Darryl Oliver
Former Prism Editor-in-Chief Darryl Oliver takes me behind the scenes of the book publishing world, where he is an editorial assistant at Penguin Random House. We talk a lot about books in this one: reading them, editing them, and debating whether Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys were better detectives. Darryl also shares how he got involved with Prism Art & Literary Journal while at OMN.
26 Aug 2021
Vulnerability and Perseverance, with Polly Lisicak
Polly Lisicak joins me on this episode and immediately proves she should replace me as host of the podcast. After talking about her work as Video Production Director at "Feel Good, Human," Polly opens up about a tough time when she was a student at OMN, sharing what she learned about vulnerability and persevering through adversity. This was an emotional conversation for us as we both talk about growth, mistakes, setting your boundaries and challenging yourself.
19 Aug 2021
In the film room, with Marvin Lewis
UTEP Football Video Coordinator Marvin Lewis joins the podcast to give a behind-the-scenes look at how a college football team gets its videos and film for the coaches. He shares how he only gets to watch one quarter of a football game before he goes into video editing mode. Also, Marvin explains how football runs in his family, his time as Beaver News producer at KBVR, and building a close-knit team.
6 Aug 2021
Supporting young journalists, with Sean Bassinger
Sean Bassinger of Fuel Medical Group talks about transferring journalism skills into other kinds of media work, the challenges facing local newsrooms and the need for mentors for young journalists.
23 Jul 2021
Fighting inequality, with Lauren Sluss
Former Barometer Editor-In-Chief Lauren Sluss joins me to talk about her work with elementary school students as part of Americorps. She shares her research on inequalities and barriers in education, how they've been magnified by the COVID pandemic, and the support these students need. We also go into her time overseeing impactful coverage with the Barometer, how those skills have translated to her post-college life, and the struggles of getting kids to run in straight lines.
9 Jul 2021
Holding politicians accountable, with Roman Battaglia
Roman Battaglia is the political reporter for Delaware Public Media, and a former station manager for KBVR-FM. In this episode, Roman talks about adjusting to living on the east coast, building credible sources among politicians, and striving to improve his skills amid the day-to-day work of covering state government.
25 Jun 2021
Reporting through a hurricane, with Cassidy Wood
WOWK Sports Director Cassidy Wood shares her experience being one in a small number of women sports directors in the US, how she joined her first news job during hurricane season, and mental health for TV reporters.
11 Jun 2021
The view from the press box, with Josh Worden
Josh Worden joins the podcast to talk about his 18-part audio documentary series "Dynasty in the Woods" about OSU Beavers Baseball, shares his approach to play-by-play announcing for the WCL's Ridgefield Raptors, and how a botched replay call inspired him to get into announcing.
9 Jun 2021
A pivotal board game night, with Donald Orr
Donald Orr of Oregon Public Broadcasting joins Steven to talk about his journey from KBVR-FM to professional public radio, and how a board game night changed his life.
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