On the latest episode of the INBA Podcast, Margaret Larkin talks to Mark Maxwell, who covers Illinois and Missouri politics for KSDK-TV in St. Louis. He previously was Capitol Bureau Chief at WCIA-TV in Springfield. He talks about his career in TV news, how he develops sources, covering politicians and news gathering, challenges, what he’s learned, and more.

The last time former INBA president Steve Scott was interviewed for the INBA Podcast (five years ago!) was when he was at WCBS in New York. After WCBS stopped operations, he became a news anchor at KCBS radio. He gives us an update about being an alum of San Jose State, working in San Francisco, covering news, doing PA announcing for the Golden State Warriors and other NBA teams, the importance of joining an organization, and more. 

The INBA is debuting a new podcast series, INBA Podcast Bite, a short-form audio feature designed to help broadcast journalists generate ideas and do their jobs better.

Our inaugural episode runs for 14 minutes and features INBA board member and WNIJ reporter Yvonne Boose talking with Ryan Denham, content director for WGLT. Ryan served on a task force that helped the Illinois Supreme Court design new rules for Extended Media Coverage, which allows reporters to bring cameras and recording devices into courtrooms. EMC is now an option in all 102 counties. Ryan walks us through some tips to effectively use EMC to cover trials and other court proceedings in your county.

The Bite format adds to the INBA’s longstanding podcast feed, which has been filled for several years by INBA member Margaret Larkin, who conducts long-form interviews with Illinois-connected journalists about their careers.

Our goal for the Bite format is to pass around the hosting duties to an array of INBA members to offer tips about covering popular issues in the news, share guidance on emerging trends and technology in the industry and highlight good work happening around the state. The other goal is to keep the episodes short — 15- to 20-minute bites of information you can consume quickly and move on with your day.

Have an idea for an episode? Want to host an episode? Contact INBA President Jason Piscia at jason.piscia@inba.net or text him at 217-414-1033.

After more than 40 years, Craig Dellimore retired this summer from WBBM Newsradio, where he was Political Editor and a reporter in Chicago and the Illinois state legislature. He started in New York at Columbia University, then worked at WNYC and WCBS. Before he moved to Chicago, he worked at the Associated Press in Washington, D.C. This is from a livestream that Craig did with Margaret Larkin. Margaret also interviewed Craig in 2018, when he shared various stories and challenges he encountered.

On the latest episode of the INBA Podcast, Margaret Larkin talks with Justin Kaufmann, who works in Chicago news for Axios as a reporter and writer. He talks about his broadcasting career at WBEZ Public Radio and WGN Radio, getting subscribers and communicating with listeners, being on the air, deadlines, getting more exposure, dealing with challenges, journalistic discipline, writing, producing, and more.

After growing up in Chicago and watching his dad, Lester Holt, report news on WBBM-TV, Stefan Holt went into TV news as a reporter and anchor. He is now an anchor at NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV in Chicago, and he talks about his career in Florida and New York before coming back home. He also talks about what he learned from his dad, bosses, and on-the-job training, why journalism is important, writing, being flexible, flying planes, and much more. This interview is from a livestream that Stefan did with Margaret Larkin.

In the latest episode of the INBA Podcast, Margaret Larkin talks to Joe Donlon, an Emmy-award winning journalist who anchors weeknight newscasts at CBS 2 Chicago. Prior to that role, the St. Louis native spent several years anchoring news at KGW-TV in Oregon before coming to Chicago to work at WGN-TV. Donlon discusses his professional journey, his Chicago Unscripted podcast, how to be effective on the air, why writing is important, how experience helps develop your skills, structuring a story, reporting and anchoring, changing technology, why ambition is important, working in cable and local news, and much more.

Molly Jirasek was first interviewed six years ago at the Illinois News Broadcasters Association convention when she was Assistant News Director at Heart of Illinois ABC in Peoria. Now she is News Director at ABC57-TV in South Bend, Indiana. Molly says that she is hiring and explains what she looks for in an applicant. She also offers advice for recent college grads, including demo reels, necessary skills, attitude and passion, how to get experience, and more. This interview is edited from a livestream that Molly did with Margaret Larkin.

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.

To learn how that is just 50 minutes from where I live right now, and how that is helping to shape the environment and the world that we’re in right now. And how to cover opioids, the election–how we can better ourselves in election coverage and just anything else in general.

I know it’s been beneficial to me since I’ve joined INBA because I learn from great journalists who are there. And not only just that: it gets you to meet more people outside of your newsroom. You’re from Chicago; I’m from down here in Peoria; Rachel and Emily, down in the Saint Louis, Missouri area. You’ve got Greg from WREX who just left; he was just up in Rockford, and Maggie [Hradecky] from WIFR. 

There are a lot of people who I probably would have never met if it wasn’t for joining INBA–who I’m able to speak with and ask how things are going in their newsroom and what’s working for them that maybe I can bring down to Peoria; we can put it in effect there and see how it goes, how it helps.

Margaret Larkin: I’m glad that you shared your passion with everybody and with me because it definitely comes through.

John Kendall: Thank you, Margaret, for allowing me to do that and allowing me to be part of your podcast here today. Hopefully somebody will be able to learn and if anyone has any questions, they can always feel free to reach out to me and never be afraid to call us at INBA; we’d be more than willing to help them out there as well.