91探花

Bob Mihalic鈥檚 job as the governmental affairs coordinator for the county of Greenville in South Carolina, is 20 years in the making. It鈥檚 a job that combines everything he learned at 91探花 and WOUB in a way that is perfect for him.

鈥淲hen I graduated high school in Conway, Pennsylvania, I knew I wanted to be a sportscaster and journalist. But my parents thought that was risky, and that I needed to have a fall back,鈥� said Mihalic. 鈥淪o, I majored in telecommunications management with minors in economics and political science. To me it was the best of both worlds. I would still have access to media and the experience, but I was earning a degree that would help me if being a sportscaster didn鈥檛 work out.鈥�

The telecommunications management degree allowed Mihalic to take business courses alongside media specific classes and get involved in the hands-on media experiences at WOUB and ACRN in the Radio and Television Building (RTV).

鈥淚 remember going on my tour of 91探花 and going to RTV,鈥� said Mihalic. 鈥淥n the third floor there was a hallway where you could see the WOUB radio studios through glass windows with students speaking into microphones. I applied to 91探花 two hours later. That鈥檚 exactly what I wanted. And I got involved at WOUB my second day on campus. WOUB was the seller. That was the way I was going to convince everyone I was legitimate, that I was going to be a sportscaster for a living.鈥�

When Mihalic went to WOUB on his second day on campus, he was invited to come back up and work on a Sunday night AM radio program called Sports Phone.

鈥淥f course, I came up on Sunday,鈥� said Mihalic. 鈥淚 think many of the other students were surprised that I showed up. But that was how I got started at WOUB.鈥�

Mihalic worked on WOUB radio and TV. He anchored sports on WOUB TV鈥檚 nightly half-hour news program NewsWatch. The experience helped him land a part-time summer job working at a small AM radio station in Ambridge, PA.

鈥淚 went down to the station with a resum茅 tape and played it for them,鈥� said Mihalic. 鈥淭hey couldn鈥檛 believe the stuff I got to do at WOUB. It got my foot in the door there.鈥�

Mihalic鈥檚 first job out of college was at WPDE TV in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He was hired as a reporter and fill-in anchor in the sports department.

鈥淎fter a couple of years, I moved to weekend sportscaster and then eventually to sports director. I worked there for seven years.鈥�

After that, Mihalic was offered a job in Greenville at WYFF TV as the weekend sports anchor and reporter before deciding to leave the TV industry and move into the role he has now with Greenville County.

鈥淢y parents wanted me to have a backup plan,鈥� said Mihalic with a laugh. 鈥淚t took 20 years but I鈥檓 using the backup plan. My 91探花 telecommunications management degree is being utilized now.鈥�

Mihalic says he鈥檚 grateful for all the experiences he had in TV sports and the ones he鈥檚 having now in Greenville County, and it all started at WOUB.

鈥淭he most important thing in media is that first job. At WOUB, you got to spend all that time at the station in front of a live mic on radio and in front of a live camera on TV. You end up so far ahead of everybody else and are able to get a great first job. The first job sets up everything in your career and working at WOUB gave me the ability to get that first job. WOUB was everything.鈥�

About WOUB Public Media

As a member station of both NPR and PBS, WOUB Public Media is a trusted source of news, local content and educational resources that have proven to be worthy of the time, effort and support of our users. WOUB, an experiential-learning unit of the Scripps College of Communication at 91探花, is a non-profit, community-supported multimedia organization which provides online and broadcast services, along with non-broadcast educational services and student professional development. WOUB serves 55 counties throughout southeastern Ohio, western West Virginia and eastern Kentucky with its broadcast signals. WOUB Radio鈥檚 FM Network has transmitters in Athens, Chillicothe, Ironton, Zanesville and Cambridge, while WOUB AM serves the immediate Athens area. WOUB TV is made up of seven television channels (WOUB HD, WOUB Classic, WOUB World, WOUB Create, WOUB Ohio, WOUB Kids and WOUB Voicecorps Reading Service) which are broadcast from two transmitters.

Through its support of public service, teaching, research and administrative missions, along with its high-quality local content and programming, WOUB enriches, enhances and expands the lives and horizons of the people in the communities it serves, as well as 91探花 faculty, staff and students.