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. Dave was interviewed at WBBM by Margaret Larkin.

Dave Marsett: News Broadcaster and Minister

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 importance of digital media. Gabi was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via Zoom.

Gabi Guerrero: Multimedia Journalist at WEEK-TV and Heart of Illinois ABC

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 interviewed by Margaret Larkin via Zoom.

Jordan Elder: TV Multimedia Journalist in Springfield

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.

John Drummond: Legendary TV Reporter!

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 updated his personal safety handbook, Escaping the O-Zone, to help people take steps to keep themselves safe and prevent becoming a victim. All proceeds of book sales go to the Highland Park Community Foundation. Doug lives in Highland Park, where a shooter killed and injured several people at the July 4th parade.

Doug was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via a livestream on Zoom.

Doug Cummings: experienced reporter, safety expert on shootings, victimization

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.

Dave Schwan: WGN Radio News

After 17 years in TV news, including several years at MSNBC, Colleen King is now the Director of the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media and Clinical Assistant Professor in Journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She worked on shows including "Morning Joe," "Hardball with Chris Matthews," "Way Too Early," and "The 11th Hour with Brian Williams." She's done all levels of TV news producing and talks about why she went into academia, writing for TV, and offers advice. Colleen spoke at the fall INBA convention. This is from a livestream that she did with Margaret Larkin.

Colleen King: from MSNBC to Professor

Chicago native Beth Godvik is an award-winning producer and news writer at CBS Chicago, adjunct professor at DePaul University, and board member of the WGA East. She shares her insights from more than 20 years in TV journalism, a career that she loves. Beth was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via livestream.

Beth Godvik: Writer and Producer at CBS Chicago

After working as a producer for several years in TV, Reginald Hardwick became News and Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media, where they have just launched the new radio station Illinois Soul. He discusses what he's learned during his long career, why he cares about diversity in broadcasting, his personal and professional experiences with race and ethnicity, challenges and changes in the media, advice, and much more. Reginald was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via livestream.

Reginald Hardwick: Illinois Public Media

TV-10 news director Laura Trendle Polus retired from Illinois State University and moved to Chicago to become a news writer at WGN-TV. She talks about her teaching and TV experience in Illinois and Wisconsin, explains why the INBA is important, and offers advice for students and recent grads. Laura was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via livestream.

Laura Trendle Polus: WGN-TV writer

After graduating from Western Illinois University, Aaron Frye began his broadcasting career in Illinois. He worked in sports and news as a videographer and digital journalist, eventually becoming Director of Photography at WDJT-TV, CBS 58 in Milwaukee. Aaron talks about the cameras, lights, and drones he uses in broadcasting, how he works with reporters to cover stories, offers advice for getting into the business, and describes what is required to be a top-notch photojournalist.
This interview was edited from a livestream with Margaret Larkin.

Aaron Frye: Director Of Photography

As a Missouri capitol bureau reporter, Emily Manley reports for Nexstar TV stations in Illinois and Missouri, and nationally. She talks about her journalism experience, why she is passionate about reporting and how she got into broadcast journalism, how she balances her responsibilities and information, and her career trajectory. She also offers advice and insight for journalists and goes into detail about what her job entails. Emily is the vice president of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and often speaks to students about journalism.
Margaret Larkin conducted this interview via livestream.

Emily Manley: TV reporter

After starting her broadcasting career at TV-10 News at Illinois State University, Alex Corradetti was the morning anchor at WCIA 3 News in Champaign and is now an anchor on the CBS 58 Morning News in Milwaukee, where she also hosts Racine & Me on WMLW-TV. She talks about the importance of keeping a positive attitude, pursuing your dreams, learning all angles of the TV news business, effective storytelling, and more. Alex was interviewed by Margaret Larkin via livestream.

Alex Corradetti: TV News Anchor

"Sports is part of news," says Ron Gleason, who went from sports broadcasting to WBBM Newsradio, where he was an anchor then Director of News and Programming for several years. Before WBBM, Ron was Director of Sports and Programming at WSCR The Score, which changed the style of sports radio. He talks about management vs being on air, sportscasting and play-by-play; his long radio career that started in California, continued at WJOL in Joliet, then Chicago; why he loves radio; advice for getting a job; the end of news stations WMAQ in Chicago and WCBS in New York; radio before and during the Internet, and much more. Margaret Larkin did this extensive interview with Ron via livestream.

Ron Gleason: WBBM Newsradio, The Score and more

Putnam County native John Kendall started as a part-timer at WEEK-TV in Peoria, and has worked his way up to be the Assignment Manager. He started his journalism career at Illinois Valley Community College and Western Illinois University in Macomb. John talks about why networking is important, why he’s passionate about journalism, his writing and sports experience, how he got into producing news, how school helped his career, how technology has changed over the years, the importance of Leon Hendricks and other mentors, how journalism has changed, and more. This interview is from a livestream that John did with Margaret Larkin.

John Kendall: WEEK-TV Assignment Manager

At WLS-AM in Chicago, Scott Childers anchors and reports news, traffic, and fills in for show hosts. He's spent several years in radio and talks about his reporting at the DNC and RNC, traffic reporting for various stations, how traffic and news require similar skills, writing and broadcast styles, and more. This interview was part of a livestream that Scott did with Margaret Larkin.

Scott Childers: Award-winning broadcaster

John Kendall is the assignment manager at WEEK-TV in Peoria and is on the INBA board. This is from a livestream that John did with Margaret Larkin. (Entire transcript at inba.net)

Margaret Larkin: the INBA...how did you get involved with that?

John Kendall: Tanya Koonce was a big part of why I became part of INBA. Also Mike Miletich and Jeff Burnett. I think I knew of INBA back in college, but I really never did much with it. But I kind of knew a lot of our newsroom was part of it, and I talked with Tanya a little bit about it. She was another one that I have learned a lot from, and when she was with us at WEEK. I'm glad to call her a comrade and a friend. But she and Mike were like "Hey, the meeting's in Bloomington. Why don't you come over for the day?" And I came over to the meeting and met a lot of people that I didn't know, but a few that I did.

I was able to learn and grow from there and was able to network. I was nominated for the board by Jeff out of the blue. And I'm like, "I'm not even a member yet. I'm here as a visitor." I lost out on the board, but I felt like I was learning a lot.

And during the group gatherings and just throughout it I was just speaking to people I was meeting with, yourself included, and H [Wilson] and Rachel [Lippmann] and Emily [Manley], who are all part of the board. And things kind of went by, kind of happened, and some people left the board, and Rachel called Tanya and said, "If John's still interested, we'd be more willing to have him on the board to fill out a term."

And Rachel, Tanya, and I spoke over the phone, and I felt more than honored to be part of the board to help fill a term. I was recently reelected to the board because I feel being on the INBA board and a member of the INBA itself helps the new generation and not just a new generation, but us journalists as a whole, to learn how to become better at our craft.

We always ask, how can I be better at my craft? INBA allows us to do that at the spring and fall meetings. Here we had Maggie [Vespa] speak, and we learned about opioid overdoses and why they're causing a major problem, not only here in Peoria but across the state. The meeting we were at in 2022 in Bloomington, we were talking about electric vehicles and the way electric vehicles are now part of every day life, not only here in Illinois, but the world.

That was just so helpful, being able to understand and ask questions, not only to professionals who work with you every day, but professionals who work at other stations. We're also asking the same questions. I've been able to become good friends with a lot of people through INBA, and that's just helped grow me as a better journalist and as a better person as well.

I've learned a lot from those people and how good journalists do their job. Emily Manley and Rachel Lippmann in Missouri, how you do your job nowadays up there in Chicago. And I can see my good friends Mike and Maggie, who are INBA members as well, and how they and others help college kids.

And it's not only just networking. You submit your stuff, in the spring meeting, not only for SIMBA awards, but you also can get your stuff looked at by a professional. Where else can you do that? You bring your stuff on a resume reel and they say, "Hey, that right there looks pretty good," or "I would maybe take that out." And that little 20-minute interaction with them can maybe be the difference of you waiting 6 to 8 months like I did to get a job, compared to, "Hey, I like your stuff; here's my business card; why don't we talk when you graduate."

Margaret Larkin: so obviously, you're saying that you think it's still beneficial for people to join.

John Kendall: I think it's beneficial to join 100%. You know, the conventions are very informative and you learn things, like at the recent convention when we did the Emiquon trip, how we learned about the watershed. I covered something like that 20-plus years ago up in Hennepin when they were doing the water life.

John Kendall on joining the INBA

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 News Broadcasters Association and was interviewed by Margaret Larkin at the INBA Spring Convention in Normal, Illinois.

Molly Jirasek: Assistant News Director at Heart of Illinois ABC WEEK-TV

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 in TV or radio, the importance of journalism, and more. Lisa was interviewed in the WBBM newsroom by Margaret Larkin. See the video of her at WBBM at https://vimeo.com/119333619

Lisa Fielding: anchor and reporter at WBBM Newsradio

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 TV and radio are different, and more. Jordan was interviewed by Margaret Larkin in the studio at WGN.

Jordan Bernfield: anchor and reporter at WGN Radio plus TV and radio sports

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 University of Illinois at Springfield. Abdul was interviewed by Margaret Larkin at the INBA fall convention in Urbana.

Abdul Hakim Shabazz: IndyPolitics.org, political commentator, reporter, talk show host

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 African American community; why he is glad and proud to be part of the Black News Channel; the South, telling deeper stories, staying objective, and a lot more. He was interviewed in his Tallahassee, Florida office by Margaret Larkin (who was in Chicago) via Zoom.

Gary Wordlaw: Black News Channel, Vice President of News and Programming

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 Zoom by Margaret Larkin in Chicago.

David Jennings: WGN Radio and News Nation anchor

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 more. He was interviewed via Zoom by Margaret Larkin in Chicago.

Illinois News Broadcasters Association

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