Illinois News Broadcasters Association

Paul Lisnek has been working in TV for several years, most recently as the political analyst for WGN-TV and anchor of the WGN-TV Political Report. He shares advice for interviews, effective communication, and staying focused. He also discusses how he remains neutral and why politicians think he is fair. Paul is actively involved with his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and talks about the...

For almost four decades, Dick Kay was the political editor at NBC 5 TV in Chicago, and after he retired, he hosted a talk show on WCPT Radio. Margaret Larkin interviewed him at WCPT more than ten years ago, where he talked about his career and why he liked doing talk radio. He was critical of how the news business and reporting changed over the years, and shared his opinions of corporate media. Di...

After spending several years in Illinois at WREX-TV in Rockford and WQAD-TV in the Quad Cities, Elizabeth Wadas recently became a lead reporter for NBC15 Investigates and a nightly news anchor at WMTV in Madison, Wisconsin. She talks about how she writes and reports stories, her interest in people and passion for news, her extensive experience in the Quad Cities, how she got into the media, and a...

In an inspiring and motivational interview, Shelbey Roberts talks about her experience as a morning and midday TV news anchor and reporter in Central Illinois at WMBD in Peoria. She talks about her career, which started behind a camera, perseverance, tips for reporting stories and getting into the media business, and more. Shelbey was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via Zoom.

Mike Miletich is a multimedia journalist, and has been working in TV news for a few years. He reports from the Illinois Capitol for Quincy Media, and has reported and produced news for Heart of Illinois ABC in Peoria. He talks about studying journalism in undergrad and grad school, and provides insights on what it's like to report crime and work in broadcast and digital media. He's on the board of...

Host of 10,000 Stories and reporter for KARE-11 TV in Minneapolis, Boyd Huppert talks about his stellar career, how to produce compelling stories, why he loves reporting, the importance of listening to people, advice for working in TV news, and much more. He conducted a storytelling workshop at the INBA Spring Convention in 2019. Boyd was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via Zoom.

Jeremy Ross talks about his TV news career, which started in Michigan and Wisconsin, and is now at CBS Chicago. He describes how to choose and put together good stories, his role models (including Boyd Huppert, who spoke at the INBA conference), advice for being an effective reporter, staying objective and sticking to the facts, what motivates him and why he's passionate about reporting, and a lot...

David Jennings has been working in news for more than 30 years, and is currently a news anchor at WGN Radio and the new media outlet, News Nation. He talks about what he's learned throughout his career, the most notable story he's covered, wearing makeup to host a TV business show at WebFN in Chicago, the rudest comment he's heard, and more. Because of social distancing, he was interviewed via Zoo...

Jim Moran is a long-time INBA member who has worked in Chicago, the suburbs, and Wisconsin as a radio news and traffic reporter and anchor at various stations including WLS Radio, WBBM, Star 105, and WGN. He talks about why he loves doing news, writing, asking the right questions, and a lot more. In addition to doing fill-in news reporting and anchoring in Chicagoland, he is the Community Informat...

Gary Wordlaw was a speaker at the 2019 INBA Convention, where he talked about the importance of the Black News Channel. He has worked all over the country in TV news and talks about how he got into the business as a teenager; being the first African American hired at a Chattanooga TV station; how his family, God, and the community helped him get through challenges; important stories for the Africa...

Bobby Oler reports and anchors the news at Heart of Illinois ABC in Peoria. He talks about his career in sports and news in Illinois, Missouri, and Montana, and describes how he puts stories together for news broadcasts. He also gives advice about video editing and how to persevere in the challenging media profession. He was interviewed via Zoom by Margaret Larkin.

Jennifer Keiper is an anchor and reporter at WBBM Newsradio, and she has also reported and anchored news at WLS Radio in Chicago and was Fox News Radio's first Midwest Correspondent. She has been a journalist for many years and has won AP and other journalism awards. Jennifer was interviewed outside Prudential Plaza in downtown Chicago by Margaret Larkin (wearing a mask and social distancing).

Michele Fiore is a reporter at Fox 32 (WFLD-TV) in Chicago and AP award winner, and has spent many years in radio and TV news, including WBBM Newsradio, WMAQ Radio, and CLTV in Chicago, WAND-TV in Springfield, and WTMJ Radio and TV in Milwaukee. She talks about her career, why teamwork matters, what makes a good story, the difference between TV and radio, and more. Michele was interviewed by phone...

Steve Scott has been in New York for several years at WCBS after spending several years at WLS Radio in Chicago. When he lived in Illinois, he was president of the INBA. He talks about what it's like working and living in New York during the coronavirus pandemic, what makes a good story, why writing is important, advice for getting into journalism, and how he finally got his college degree (it onl...

Rob Martier reports and anchors news at WLS Radio in Chicago, where he also covers the University of Illinois' Fighting Illini teams. He did news at WGN Radio before he went to WLS. And before working in Chicago, he spent many years in Canada, where he reported and hosted sports shows at Montreal CJAD 800 Radio. He was interviewed by Margaret Larkin at the WLS studios, in the NBC Tower in downtown...

Jim DeRogatis has been writing about music for several years, and he's recently become even more famous through his investigative reporting about R Kelly, in addition to being the co-host of Sound Opinions. He talks a lot including his long career, how journalism has changed, his writing, fact-checking, perseverance, reporting, and more. He was interviewed by Margaret Larkin at Columbia College Ch...

Rob Hart is a reporter and anchor at WBBM Newsradio in Chicago, and previously was on the air at WGN Radio, WLUP The Loop, and WTMJ in Milwaukee. He talks about how to tell a compelling story, what makes a good radio guest, what he thinks of journalism, advice for getting into the media, and more. Rob was interviewed by Margaret Larkin at the WBBM studios in downtown Chicago.

Abdul Hakim Shabazz does a lot in media: he is on the air at WIBC radio and WRTV-TV in Indianapolis, Indiana, WVON radio in Chicago, and is also the editor and publisher of IndyPolitics. Org. He hosted a morning radio talk show in Springfield, Illinois and has covered state politics in Indiana and Illinois. He is an attorney and also got a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the Unive...

Andrea Darlas has reported and anchored news for radio and TV for several years, and spent most of her career at WGN Radio in Chicago. She is the Senior Director of Constituent Engagement for University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and was the keynote speaker at the INBA fall convention. She was interviewed by Margaret Larkin at the Illini Center in downtown Chicago.

Jordan Bernfield does news and sports at WGN Radio in Chicago, in addition to doing sports for ESPN and BTN. He gives advice for getting work, especially in a big market, and talks about dealing with competition, what it’s like to do sports and news, his writing, reporting, and anchoring the news, the importance of digital, why it’s important to have different skills and to be versatile, how doing...

H Wayne Wilson has been working in Illinois media for several years, mostly in Peoria. He talks about getting his start in radio at WIIT at the Illinois Institute of Technology, his experience in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War as a translator, and his career in radio and TV, including: working at WSIU radio when he was a student at Southern Illinois University (SIU), WMBD in Peoria, WCBU pu...

Lisa Fielding is an anchor and reporter at WBBM Newsradio, and she has won numerous journalism awards, including Associated Press awards presented at the INBA. She talks about why she likes doing reporting and anchoring, why she got into journalism, working in television, how to face challenges, how to write and succinctly tell a story, the difference between TV and radio, advice for getting work...

Molly Jirasek talks about her TV news career as an assistant news director and reporter, how she got interested in journalism, what an effective pitch is, how to interview people by a deadline, how areas in Indiana and central Illinois have changed, how she decides on what stories to cover, the role of digital media in current news, video editing, and more. She is a board member of the Illinois Ne...

Edwin Eisendrath is the 2018 Illinoisan of the Year, nominated and voted on by past INBA presidents. He was the CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times and has had a long career in Chicago. He was an alderman in Lincoln Park, regional director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a public school teacher, and has done consulting. He's a Chicago native and talks about why the city is so gr...

Two amazing students were interviewed at the INBA Spring Convention. Marcellus Angel is a student at Western Illinois University, and is going to be very successful in his future pursuits, which include directing, producing, voicing, and acting in film and TV, including cartoons, comedy, and horror. He is an Executive Producer at News3 WIU-TV and a Tri-States Public Radio Reporter. He talks about...