Masterclass: Media Matters

Kristen Weaver is a former television news anchor who has transitioned into the world of marketing and event coordination. I met Kristen when we worked together in Sherman, Texas at KXII. She then moved to Tulsa and worked at News on 6 for 6 years. She is now working in Frisco, TX as a marketing and events coordinator for the Frisco Economic Development Corporation.

Jordan Schaffer has a fantastic story to share as she rose through the ranks in television news to her current role as an Executive Producer for KTBS in Shreveport, Louisiana. Jordan started her career at KXII in Sherman, TX. She will share with us what she has learned over the years, and explain how her newsroom operates now with most producers working remotely.

Kevin Kerr is a graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He currently serves as a radio personality and the programming director for WGER in Saginaw, Michigan. His professional career actually started in the newspaper industry before moving into the broadcasting world. He worked at The Duncan Banner and also The Ardmoreite, before become the news director at an Oklahoma radio station. He spent several years in Wichita, KS; then Kalamazoo, MI; then LaPorte, IN; before arriving at his current station.With over a decade of experience in radio, he has a lot of valuable insight and information to share with us today.

Alan Clepper is an on-air personality at KOFM in Enid, OK where he’s been helping folks start their mornings since 1999. He also serves as the program director for KOFM, as well as KGWA. Both stations are part of Williams Broadcasting.With decades of experience in radio broadcasting, Clepper is known for blending country music by request with uplifting stories, community-information, and a friendly “guy next door” tone that listeners relate to.

Austin Pollack is a multimedia journalist at WTVF NewsChannel 5 in Nashville. Prior to Nashville,Austin worked at WLEX in Lexington, Kentucky. During his two and a half years there, Austin was honored with five Ohio Valley Regional Emmy nominations. He was named the multimedia journalist Regional Emmy winner for his work in 2023 and has many other awards for his work. Austin also spent time as a morning and noon anchor at WITN in Greenville, North Carolina and started his career at WDTV in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Austin has an incredible ability to craft a great story. In this episode he shares some tips on how he does it.

Senora Scott currently serves as the assistant news director at KSAN and KLST in San Angelo, TX. Senora started her career at KLST and KSAN, working as a producer, photographer, and news anchor. She then moved to the FOX affiliate and worked as an MMJ, eventually working her way up to senior reporter and eventually assistant news director. In 2019, she returned to KLST and KSAN where she currently serves as assistant news director. Senora is a published author, having recently written her first book titled, New to News: Navigating your Journalism Journey.

In this episode, we hear once again from each of this season's guests. What were the key takeaways from the content shared, and some of the biggest lessons learned during this season? We also look at some common themes that emerged during our conversations.

Devyn Shea is a digital news host at KOLD-TV in Tucson, AZ. Prior to joining the KOLD team, Devyn worked in East Texas at KLTV/KTRE television. She served as a digital news host for "East Texas Now" in that newsroom, before being asked to join the KOLD team to launch its digital streaming news platform. Devyn offers some great insight on the future of electronic news media.

Robin Marsh is an award winning journalist in the Oklahoma City television market. She was one of the first journalists on the ground on April 19, 1995, the day of the Oklahoma City Bombing. In this episode, Robin discusses covering this tragic event 30 years ago, and the stories that follow. She also offers wisdom to future journalists.

Amy Wilson is a former Miss Rodeo Kansas and Miss Rodeo America. She spent over a decade working with RFD-TV and helped launch The Cowboy Channel. She has served as the announcer at the Calgary Stampede and also interviewed many world champions. She currently serves as the Western Sports Media Director for Equine Network, the largest equine media company in the world.

Cody Gottschalk is a broadcast meteorologist in the Tyler, TX TV market. As a meteorologist for a morning TV newscast, Cody stays busy with constant weather updates. Not only does he share vital weather information on TV, but also on a streaming platform, websites, and through multiple social media platforms. In this podcast, Cody shares what it's like to work in the broadcast meteorology field.

Daniella Rivera is an award-winning investigative journalist working in the Salt Lake City, Utah television market. She shares why "focusing on the work" helps her get through the tough times in this industry. The stories and insight she offers in this episode showcase the reason journalism is so important to our society.

Joseph Perez is a news producer in the Houston, TX television market. He has worked in several markets across the country including Oklahoma City and Albuquerque, NM.

Jason Goodwin is an assistant news director working in the Tyler, TX television market. He is a veteran journalist, with many years of experience from stations across the country. His knowledge about the media industry, and how stations should be preparing for the future, offer significant takeaways for listeners.

Rachel Knapp is a National News Correspondent working in Washington, D.C. She started out in local television news working in Sherman, TX and also in Albuquerque, NM. Rachel has a wealth of knowledge to share about the news industry and her role in D.C.

In this episode of Masterclass: Media Matters, Dr. Jesse Schroeder shares the purpose of this podcast. We learn about his background in the media industry and the goals behind starting this podcast journey.