By Lori King, host of Sword and Pen
It was three years ago when I took a chance and responded to a tweet by MVJ seeking a podcaster to take over the Sword and Pen.
I was a huge NPR nerd (still am). Instead of listening to music between my photojournalism assignments at the Toledo Blade newspaper, I listened to audio interviews by Terry Gross and Robin Young (just to name a few). Knowing where the future was heading with the popularity of podcasts, I was also teaching podcasting in my multimedia classes as an adjunct university instructor.
So, I responded.
Hosting and producing the Sword and Pen has been one of the most satisfying ways to tell a story. There is nothing like chatting with like-minded military veterans who love journalism as much as I do.
But now it’s time to bid you all farewell because I am now gainfully employed … once again! I am the new editor-in-chief at the Toledo Free Press, a nonprofit, hyperlocal online newsroom that will challenge me like never before. Of course, we will have at least one podcast … probably two!
Navy veteran, KUOW producer/announcer & MVJ member Jason Burrows, pictured here at the mic.
This month’s podcast goes out to all of you radio folks out there. I hope you enjoy listening to my final Sword and Pen as much as I loved sharing the mic with my guest, navy veteran and radio producer/announcer Jason Burrows, of KUOW, an NPR affiliate in Seattle. KUOW is an NPR affiliate.
As with all the Sword and Pen guests over the years, he has quite a story to tell.
Listen as Burrows talks about:
- how he broke into radio on the USS Abraham Lincoln
- following his heart when he quit a secure fulltime job with benefits with a barge company for a less secure part-time radio job with no benefits
- his roller blading podcast that lasted five years
- valuable tips, tricks and advice for anyone wanting to break into podcasting and radio
As I begin my new journey as a newsroom leader, I end this blog post as I ended my Sword and Pen episodes.
You’re dismissed.
