Illinois News Broadcasters Association

After being an anchor at CLTV for 25 years, Judy Wang joined WGN as a TV news reporter. The biggest takeaway from this interview is that if you want to get into the TV news business, stations need producers! She also talks about paying your dues, reporting vs anchoring, competition and stress, writing, interviewing, and more. This is from a livestream that Judy did with Margaret Larkin.

Quad Cities native Redrick Terry is a news anchor and host of "Real Conversations in the QC" and the business show "INSI6HT" at KWQC-TV6 in the Quad Cities. After graduating from Western Illinois University, he was an anchor and reporter at WHBF-TV in the Quad Cities; so far, he's spent his TV career in his home area. He talks about why he likes being an anchor, how he got into news, why college s...

After 45 years in radio news, Dave Schwan is at the height of his career at WGN Radio where he is also on the air with Dean Richards. He talks about anchoring and reporting in Chicago, why he loves doing radio news, hosting the Grant Music Festival concerts and jazz network for WFMT, his mentors, advice, writing, and more. This is from a livestream that Dave did with Margaret Larkin.

Maggie Hradecky has spent several years in TV news and is currently the news director at CBS affiliate WIFR-TV in Rockford. She talks about her long career including in Rockford TV stations WTVO and WREX, and the Rockford Register Star, Fox Chicago, WCIA in Champaign, and more. Maggie talks about writing for TV vs print, advice for getting into TV news, dealing with burnout, and more. Maggie was i...

After a successful TV news career in Canada, including at CTV National News, Ravi Baichwal came to Chicago to anchor news on ABC 7. He went from weekend anchor to now weekday evening anchor, and he talks about diversity, Canada, advice for getting into TV news, challenges he faced, perseverance, his documentary "Summit 72" and more. Ravi was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via Zoom in a livestream.

Former longtime reporter and graduate of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at University of Illinois/Springfield, Doug Cummings, talks about why starting at a small station is helpful for a media career and education, reporting for KCMO in Kansas City, and WMAQ, WGN, and WTMX in Chicago, approaching victims after a tragedy, what to do when there is a mass shooting, safety advice, and more. Doug...

Longtime award-winning broadcast journalist Michael Puente started his career in newspapers and is now a reporter for Chicago Public Radio WBEZ at their Northwest Indiana bureau, where he also fills in as host of the Reset show and reports from Chicago's Southeast Side and South Suburbs. He talks about writing, the editing process, how he puts together stories, balanced reporting, how he made the...

An established pro-broadcasting member of the INBA, Cisco Cotto started his radio career while he was a student at Western Illinois University, where he was on the air at Tri States Public Radio in Macomb, at WIUM and WIUW. After he worked at WBYS in Canton, Illinois, he joined WMAQ in Chicago as a reporter, eventually reporting and anchoring at WLS Radio and now WBBM Newsradio, where he is a morn...

Longtime INBA member Jeff Burnett describes his journey from Rockford, Illinois to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he is a news producer at 13News WTHR. He previously was a producer at 25 News WEEK-TV in Peoria and at WHAS11 in Louisville, Kentucky. As a student at Illinois State University, he covered politics for TV-10 under Laura Trendle-Polus' guidance (who is the "Laura" he mentions during the i...

A total legend in TV news: John Drummond is best known for covering mobsters and corruption for CBS TV in Chicago. He talks about starting out in radio reporting and eventually getting into TV, where he was a general assignment reporter. His renown led to being in the movie "The Fugitive" in the opening scene. John was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via phone.

In addition to spending many years in Chicago broadcast radio as a reporter and news manager at WXRT, WNUA, FM News, and WGN, Charlie Meyerson expanded his digital journalism experience at the Tribune Company, the Chicago Tribune, and Rivet. He now runs his own successful digital outlet called Chicago Public Square. He talked about writing, news gathering, opportunities in the changing media, advi...

Over the past several years, master reporter Phil Rogers has investigated and reported stories in Chicago and all over the nation and the world. He has been at NBC in Chicago since 1991 after working at WBBM Newsradio and at stations in Oklahoma. He talks about notable stories he has covered, why journalism is important, wisdom he has gained, why he loves being a reporter, advice for reporting, an...

After starting out on the air in sports radio at Tribune Media, Lauren Lapka became a TV news reporter at KODE in Joplin, Missouri, then anchored and reported at KSN. She worked at KVAL-TV in Eugene, Oregon before returning to Chicago to be an anchor at WGN Radio. She shares lessons she's learned, why she loves broadcast journalism, gives advice, and a lot more. This interview is from a livestream...

Before she became the Kane County Public Information Officer, Julie Mann worked for a few decades in radio news, starting out as an intern at WGN Radio, then as a reporter in Kane County, an anchor at WMAQ, and an anchor and reporter at WBBM until she became the Managing Editor there. Julie was interviewed by Margaret Larkin in a livestream, and this is an edited version of that interview.

Reporter and local host of All Things Considered, Sue Stephens has been working at WNIJ and WNIU public radio stations for several years, and has won various journalism awards. She is sincerely interested in people and is very passionate about covering interesting stories, and capturing compelling audio, all over northern Illinois. Sue was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via Zoom.

A graduate of Southern Illinois University and a Chicago native, John Dempsey stayed in Illinois for his entire reporting and anchoring career. He worked for several years at WLS Radio after working at WBBM Newsradio, WJOL in Joliet, and in public radio at WSIU in Carbondale and WBEZ in Chicago. He also was a TV reporter in Chicago at WFLD/Fox Chicago. He talks about broadcast writing, what he's l...

For several years, Max Armstrong has been covering important agricultural issues in Illinois, the Midwest, and throughout the country. He is the Director Of Broadcasting for Farm Progress, is the host of Farm Progress America, Max Armstrong's Midwest Digest, and This Week In AgriBusiness. He also was a Business/Agri-Business Broadcaster for over 30 years at WGN Radio. He is popular on Ag Twitter (...

After spending her entire life in Illinois, Michele Rave has just started a reporting job at Univision in Dallas-Fort Worth, where she is also a multimedia journalist. Before becoming a Spanish-language reporter, she was an English-language multimedia journalist and producer at WIFR-TV, and a multimedia journalist at WTVO-TV/WQRF-TV in Rockford. She talks about why she loves TV, how she went from...

Pat Cassidy retired from WBBM Newsradio after several successful years of anchoring news in the morning there and at WMAQ, WBMX, and other radio stations. He talks about what he learned, his success, notable stories, and the most embarrassing mistake he made on the air. Margaret Larkin interviewed him at WBBM a couple of days before he retired in late 2021. This podcast also includes parts of an i...

As a multimedia journalist at ABC and FOX TV stations in Springfield, Illinois, Jordan Elder has covered various local stories and talks about reporting, writing, pitching, social media, and video editing, and gives advice for getting into the media, how she got into TV, why she loves being a journalist, her hometown Kansas City, her educational experience in Arizona, and more. Jordan was intervie...

In East Peoria, Gabi Guerrero is a multimedia journalist at Heart of Illinois and WEEK-TV. She talks about how being from a small town has helped her reporting, how COVID and the media are perceived in Central Illinois, how her goals have changed since she graduated from Illinois State University, advice for getting into the media and persevering, why she wants to go into management, and the impor...

Bob Kessler has just become the Midday News Anchor at WGN Radio. He talks about his career, including working at Voice News Network, Rivet, WGN Radio, and The Ramsey Lewis Morning Show; how he got from producing to being on the air, the importance of airchecks, dealing with changing circumstances, and how Zen Buddhism helps his work. Bob was interviewed outside by Margaret Larkin in downtown Chica...

After spending several years in the corporate world, Yvonne Boose joined the journalism profession, currently as an Arts and Culture Reporter for WNIU and WNIJ radio. She talks about her work experience, writing, and what it's like to live and work in the far western suburbs/exurbs. Yvonne was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via Zoom.

INBA board member Rich Egger talks about how the radio station "paid the price" for reporting on issues with the administration at Western Illinois University, why it's important to report the truth, why he likes working in a small market, some interesting stories he's reported, what makes a good story, and why he likes living in Macomb. Rich was interviewed by Margaret Larkin at Illinois State Un...

After 20 years, Dave Marsett is retiring from WBBM Newsradio. He has worked in radio for half a century as a news director, reporter, and broadcaster at stations including WYSL in Buffalo, New York. He talks about how he became a minister during his radio career, why he likes anchoring, tips for broadcasting, the first time the news was used to make a point by the people in power, bias, and more....