Susan Stephens is northern Illinois’ host of All Things Considered on WNIJ. She is also a reporter and former President of the INBA.

Stephens knows she was “bit by the radio bug” as a kid, and talks about her childhood interest in radio. In this podcast interview with INBA & WBBM’s Margaret Larkin, she talks about how INBA has always been an affordable outlet for learning, networking, and having fun with other broadcasters across the state.

Stephens says one of the things she’s learned throughout her award-winning career is, “just about everyone has an interesting story and the trick is getting it out of them.”

Whether you’re a sucker for radio, work in TV, or you’re still figuring out your place in broadcasting, check out this podcast for some valuable advice and anecdotes.

I want to start my first president's letter with a heartfelt thank you and congratulations to our newest past president, Laura Trendle-Polus.  Laura led INBA as president for 3 years and has unquestionably put our organization in a great position to be successful over the coming years.  Her hard work and dedication is contagious, and I only hope I can follow in her footsteps.  So, on behalf of everyone at INBA, a big thank you to Laura for her service as president!

INBA President Josh Morgan and Immediate Past President Laura Trendle-Polus at the INBA Fall Convention

Photo Credit: Lee Milner

I am thrilled to be working alongside a wonderful group of INBA members and a board who volunteers so much of their time to make sure INBA is as strong as ever. I do want to take a second to recognize one of our outgoing board members, Bob Roberts, who after 20 years of service to INBA, has stepped down as he moves with his wife to South Carolina.  Bob has been such an integral part of INBA over the years, especially with his expertise on FOIA/OMA.  His vast knowledge has helped educate and support journalists statewide in their fight to hold our governments accountable.  Bob, thank you for your dedicated service and passion for journalism.  You will be missed here in Illinois.

Thank you for everyone who attended the Fall Convention in Springfield.  We had a nice turnout and I thought the programming was both unique and thought-provoking. I was thrilled to see how many questions there were after each speaker.  The number of questions is always a good indicator of interest.  A gigantic THANK YOU to INBA Vice President Nora Baldner for putting this convention together!

It was a big week in Illinois for television broadcasters as the Regional Emmy Nominations were announced for the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.  Broadcasters, large and small, students and professionals, from across the state were recognized for their outstanding work over the last year.  Congrats to all of the nominees and good luck bringing home those beautiful statuettes on November 10!  The Mid-America Chapter just had their Emmy Gala a couple of weeks ago, and numerous students and professionals in the state were honored there, including our Recording Secretary, Jasmine Crighton's team at WIU.  Congratulations, Jasmine!

As for me, I am writing this letter from Baltimore, Maryland at the 2018 Excellence in Journalism conference.  This is one of the country's largest news conferences and the itinerary is full of great seminars and learning opportunities for people of all experiences and skill levels.  I look forward to reporting some of what was learned in my next report.

I think that covers a lot of what I wanted to hit on in my first report.  Now I look forward to getting to work for INBA as your president.  Thank you again for all of your support and I am so excited for what the next year has in store.