^{Photo Credit: Matthew Penning/for NPR Illinois}

What’s your current station/employer and position?

I am a reporter for NPR Illinois (WUIS-FM in Springfield) & ProPublica's 2019 Local Reporting Network.

How did you develop an interest in reporting or broadcasting?

I have always been interested in reading and listening to stories in whatever shape or form they may take. As soon as I could, I would read whatever was in sight front to back. Before I could read and write, my grandmother would transcribe stories I'd dream up and I'd illustrate the little books she helped me make. Journalism runs in my family. My grandfather was editor of the Chicago Sun-Times and before that, as students at Medill, my grandmother was HIS editor. I've had a somewhat meandering path toward a journalism career, but it seemed inevitable, and it doesn't feel like work for me to speak with people and help them tell their stories. 

What was your first broadcasting job?

Intern for NPR's Tell Me More with Michel Martin. It was the best possible start I could imagine.

Why do you love being a news broadcaster?

I love the ability to portray visceral feelings and sentiments through sound. I love the art of conversation and active listening; parsing out the surprising elements of a story, and the elements that are relatable on a basic human level. I've listened to public radio since I was a kid, and the diversity of coverage and voices especially draws me in.

What broadcast or story you’ve done makes you most proud?

I've been proud of stories related to the local arts scene because I think I have told them in a way that was not being done otherwise, and I'm an advocate in general for local news and the arts. I've broadened that this year with ProPublica's Local Reporting Network, now using investigative story-telling methods, and I'm also proud of the series we are working on, none of which would be possible without collaboration. I am grateful for the sense of camaraderie and for all the people who have shared their knowledge with me. I'm proud of any story that brings to the surface a marginalized voice or voices and makes our airwaves more inclusive and our audience think in a new way.

What’s the hardest story or broadcast you’ve had to do?

I've covered a number of vigils and those are always tough, it can be hard to try and keep your emotions on lock when the point of an event is to collectively mourn. Any story that involves survivors also comes with particular responsibilities that can be difficult to navigate. I am always seeking thoughts on how to be as compassionate as possible when pursuing those stories. I don't know if it will ever, or even should, become easy. 

What’s your most embarrassing broadcast moment?

One time, early in my career, I started voicing a story not knowing I was on air. So listeners got to hear me stumble through a feature script with no quotes or bites. I still have no idea how much they heard and I try to block that part of my memory bank out. I'll never voice in a live booth again, however!

Why did you join INBA?

I became a member through NPR Illinois, and it's been a great way to explore local issues and what we should be considering as journalists in Illinois. It's such a diverse state, and any time reporters can get together and talk shop while considering best practices is a service to the collective audience we serve. 

In our continuing effort to help you get to know some of your fellow INBA members, we present another edition of "Meet a Member."  This time, we feature Baylee Steelman, who's been a part of our organization since she was a student.

Tell us about where you work and your current position.

I work at the southern Illinois ABC affiliate WSIL-TV3 in Carterville, just east of SIU Carbondale. It’s market #88 with Paducah, KY and Cape Girardeau, MO. My position is to produce the half hour 5 p.m. newscast. I also report, and produce the 6, 6:30 and 10 p.m. newscast when needed. This is my first gig after graduating from Illinois State University in May 2018, so I just surpassed nine months on the job! I’m very lucky to work 9-5 Monday through Friday (more often than not) as a newbie in the industry.

I was hired at WSIL under the Wheeler family. Five months after I started, we found out we were being sold to Quincy Media, Inc. We have several INBA members who work for Illinois’ Quincy stations. The station will be transitioning into Quincy Media for at least two years. You’ll see a new set by the time the changes are complete. 

How long have you been involved in INBA, and what keeps you involved?

I joined as a member of S-INBA. I was a candidate for the scholarship two times. What keeps me involved are our members. I love the conversations we have together and value the individual characteristics of our members. Seeing everyone’s faces during the conventions inspires me to keep going. Everyone’s passion is sobering, and reminds me why I’ve wanted to be a “news lady” since I was 13.

Do you see yourself staying in Illinois for a good portion of your career, or do you anticipate moving on at some point, and why?

I have somewhat of a rough draft of a life plan, but we’ll see how that actually turns out. I want to leave the state and experience new places eventually. I want to broaden my horizons, but I don’t want to leave forever. I’m very wary of moving out of state within the next ~five years because I will very much miss my family, and Chicago. I don’t know what I want immediately after I decide to move on from WSIL, but that’s okay. I have plenty of learning to soak in here. If I don’t know where I want to go and what I want to do, I think that’s a pretty good sign that I need to stay and be mindful of the learning I’m doing here in southern Illinois. 

What advice would you give to current students?

• Don’t burn bridges. It’s a small world in news. Shockingly small. People will find out if you did something horrendous.
• Be on time. Being late is stressful.
• Take care of your body and pack a healthy lunch. Don’t go out to eat every day. If you’re a producer, your butt is in that chair and you aren’t burning off fast food. Feel good, write good. And don’t forget to drink water! Get up and walk around, stretch, and meditate if you need to. Being inside all day is an unfortunate transition from walking everywhere on a pretty campus.
• Asking questions shows you care, whether it’s structuring a rundown, or planning interviews for a story and wondering who the best person is to talk to. If you’re new, your managers should know there’s a learning curve for you. It’s also essential for communication. The answers could help others, not just you.
• Transitioning into post-grad life is one of THE hardest things I’ve ever had to do. You have to take care of yourself. Try all of the restaurants, read about your community’s history, go for a drive, go shopping, and exercise. News is an emotionally laborious job. When you’re comfortable, try and make a work friend.  Clean your house. Cook. Get off of your phone!! Take breaks from consuming content. You are your #1 priority. Work will suffer if you don’t love yourself. Buy a plant. 

What's harder: going on a job interview, or this member profile?

Well, considering I’ve had the TelePrompTer go out for a whole newscast, had a show go off air because the transmitter was struck by lightening, and had two local stories break 10 minutes before showtime, I’d say this interview was pretty chill. I’ll chat all day if you’re willing. 

One of the biggest benefits of your INBA membership is getting to know professionals in different markets, in different stages of their career, maybe even working in a different aspect of broadcasting or education.

In the latest entry of our "Meet a Member" series, we're introducing you to Lee Gaines, a reporter with WILL (Illinois Public Media), covering education and criminal justice. She's also part of Illinois Newsroom, a collaboration between NPR member stations across the state.

How did you develop an interest in reporting or broadcasting?

I needed a job. I was a freshman in college during the 2008 financial crisis. I previously wanted to be an actress but failed to get into any acting schools. I loved reading and writing. I was and currently am a much better writer than actress. Teaching didn’t appeal to me, and therefore journalism made sense. And then I fell in love with reporting. I feel so lucky to have found a job that I love doing every day. I was a print reporter for the first seven years of my career, and I transitioned into public radio a little more than a year ago.

What was your first job in journalism and/or broadcasting?

I was the sole reporter for a weekly newspaper in the suburbs of Boston. The paper was part of the GateHouse Media New England chain. I covered the very ritzy bedroom community of Wellesley, Mass. That’s where I got a taste for investigative journalism. The school district was rife with controversy, and I stumbled onto a good story at the right time. I look back at that experience as the inspiration for my interest and preference for investigative and hard news reporting. I realized through that experience how much I enjoy digging for information — pulling on a thread until a complex and nuanced narrative fully unravels. It is often a laborious process, but one I enjoy immensely.

Why do you love being a journalist?

It’s exciting. My entire job involves absorbing, processing and regurgitating facts, data, and personal stories. Then I get to transform all of that information into a cohesive and engaging narrative. It’s the perfect combination of critical analysis and creativity. I’m an extrovert, and I really enjoy one-on-one conversations with sources. I’ve met an incredible array of incredibly interesting people through my job. Some of those interviews are hard, but they’re necessary. I also think this work is important. I don’t think I could do something where I didn’t feel like I was contributing something to a community — whether that’s my town, the state, the region or the country. And there’s this indescribable thrill I feel when I’ve stumbled onto a story no one else has reported. It's intoxicating.

What broadcast or story you’ve done makes you most proud?

I’m really proud of the work I’ve done around incarceration and education in Illinois. I hope my stories examining the lack of state spending on books in prisons, barriers to higher ed for formerly incarcerated people, and the reporting I’m currently doing around the value of a college in prison program beyond recidivism rates as well as the state of educational programming in Illinois prisons will foster a better understanding of what access or lack thereof to education means for those convicted of crimes. That was a long sentence.

What’s the hardest story or broadcast you’ve had to do?

A few weeks ago, I drove to Des Plaines to visit a school district who had helped a couple homeless families get into housing thanks to a little known state law passed in 2017. As part of that reporting, I visited with one family who received assistance from the district, and spoke on the phone with another.

Poverty is a difficult subject to report on. It feels overwhelming. It’s hard to point to the root of the problem as well as who or what is responsible for that problem. I really labored over that story because I wanted to do it justice. Not for the schools so much as for the families I interviewed. Their stories were difficult to hear, and difficult to whittle down to a few sound bites for broadcast. I often wonder whether the four-minute public radio feature is really the best way to tell stories about human suffering exacerbated or caused by systemic inequities. So, yeah, that was hard.

What’s your most embarrassing broadcast moment?

I’ve screwed up a few All Things Considered broadcasts. Thankfully I’ve never cursed on air. The first time I hosted ATC I could barely read the scripts because my hands were shaking so much.

Why did you join INBA?

I think it’s a great opportunity to connect with editors and reporters in the field. It’s nice to be able to put a face to the voice and byline.

What’s your current station/employer and position?

I’m a reporter at Illinois Public Media. While I’m technically general assignment, I’ve designated myself as our unofficial health and science reporter. A portion of my time goes to reporting for Side Effects Public Media, a Midwest reporting collaborative focused on public health.

How did you develop an interest in reporting or broadcasting?

I studied chemistry in undergrad and grad school with the plan to become a chemistry professor and do research. Then I realized I hated doing research – even though loved talking about and writing about science. Long story short, I totally shifted gears and dove head-first into journalism and eventually got bit by the radio bug. With not very much prior audio experience, I landed a part-time opportunity at Illinois Public Media. Which led to a full-time producing position with The 21^st show, and about a year ago, my current job as a reporter.

What was your first broadcasting job?

I swallowed my pride and – after finishing my PhD in chemistry and masters in journalism – took a part-time, unpaid internship at Radio Health Journal in the Chicago suburbs. I traveled back and forth from Champaign with my 18-month-old son and crashed at my parents’ house for a few days at a time. I was a producer/writer, which meant I did interviews and wrote scripts that I passed off to the host to voice.

Why do you love being a news broadcaster?

There is so much power in hearing a person tell their own story, in their own voice. It’s my favorite way to consume the news, and I feel so privileged that I get to do this as my job.

What broadcast or story you’ve done makes you most proud?

This year, I met a family in Illinois that gave up custody of their son because it was the only way they could get him the expensive mental health treatment he needed. Sounds totally unbelievable, but this is a real thing that happens to hundreds, if not thousands of kids a year. I just finished working with NPR and Kaiser Health News to nationalize the story. The fact that this happens at all, anywhere, highlights a systemic underlying issue: that our country’s mental health system is woefully lacking. My story highlights a critical policy issue – in a way that will hopefully capture people’s attention.

What’s the hardest story or broadcast you’ve had to do?

Another family I’m in touch with is still in the thick of what feels like the darkest time of their lives. They’ve been lucky enough to help their son get treatment, but he still really struggles with his mental illness, which manifests in violent outbursts, self-harming, and suicide attempts. This is their everyday reality. The dad’s biggest fear is his son will end up in jail or dead, or be the next terrible news headline. It’s hard to learn about stuff like this. At the same time, like I mention above, it’s important to tell these stories so that people can be made aware of how the current system is failing kids and families.

What’s your most embarrassing broadcast moment?

I think the worst thing I’ve ever said live on air is the wrong temperature – I read the temp inside instead of the temp outside. But the experience I will never forget is the first time I ever did a live newscast. I don’t think I breathed the entire time because as soon as I was off the air, my hands and face were all tingly from lack of oxygen, LOL.

Why did you join INBA?

To network with other broadcasters at INBA Conventions.

In the latest entry of our "Meet a Member" series, we're introducing you to Kristin Crowley, Evening Anchor at WREX-TV in Rockford. As a side note, Kristin is returning to the anchor desk on Monday November 26 after several weeks away because of a serious car accident. Welcome back, Kristin, and we wish you well in your continuing recovery!

How did you develop an interest in reporting or broadcasting?

I enjoyed writing and wanted to pursue a career where I could make writing the focus. 

What was your first broadcasting job?

I was hired as a producer for 103.5 KISS-FM in Chicago when I was a sophomore in college (following an internship). However, my first TV news broadcasting job was a PA at FOX News in Chicago after I graduated from college. 

Why do you love being a news broadcaster?

Aside from writing every day, I love learning something new and being educated about what's going on in the world around me. I also love that no day is ever the same, so every day I feel like I get to do something new. 

What broadcast or story you’ve done makes you most proud?

My investigative reports on Rockford's superfund site which were both nominated for Regional Emmys. 

What’s the hardest story or broadcast you’ve had to do?

When I had to anchor an election night alone because we were in the process of hiring a co-anchor. I had to tackle all the cut-ins, stay on top of the developing results and anchor all the newscasts. 

What’s your most embarrassing broadcast moment?

During a serious anchor read about politics, a fly in the studio landed directly on my nose. When I left that station, my co-workers put together a gag-reel for me and put that clip front and center. 

Why did you join INBA?

I think it's important to be part of a group of journalists in this business. The broadcast industry is small and it helps knowing your colleagues and collaborating with them on ideas in the business.

One of the biggest benefits of your INBA membership is getting to know professionals in different markets, in different stages of their career, maybe even working in a different aspect of broadcasting or education.

So we're going to be introducing you to your fellow INBA members, in a series we're calling Meet A Member. First up is Mike Miletich, 10 p.m. news producer for Heart of Illinois ABC, a Quincy Media station under the same roof as WEEK-TV in East Peoria.

How did you develop an interest in reporting or broadcasting?

From a young age, I knew I wanted to help inform the public. My parents listened to WBBM throughout the day and came home to watch the nightly news on NBC (WMAQ). It was kind of a ritual at my house and nobody went to sleep without knowing what happened that day. I was glad to see several universities in the Midwest had degrees specifically for students interested in news. Illinois State University was one of my first choices. After walking down to the lower level of Fell Hall, I knew that ISU would become my second home.

What was your first broadcasting job?

I started working in broadcast within the first month of going to school at ISU. I was a DJ and news reporter for ISU's student radio station, WZND. ZND was the perfect place for me to learn and grow before starting my major classes with TV-10. I spent time as a reporter, producer, anchor and specialty show host. My experiences at WZND and TV-10 helped me land my first paid job at WGLT in early 2016. I covered town/city council, school boards, and the McLean County board. Some of my best lessons in broadcast writing came from the brilliant minds of Willis Kern and Charlie Schlenker. I am forever grateful for everything they taught me during my time at GLT.

Why do you love being a news broadcaster?

I love being a news broadcaster because every single day brings new experiences. There is never a dull moment if you work in a newsroom. I could have a newscast ready to go 10 minutes before show time and everything can be shuffled with breaking news. This is a high-energy business and I love working under deadlines. 

What broadcast or story you’ve done makes you most proud?

My favorite broadcast since starting at HOI is probably our team coverage of President Trump in Granite City. We had live shots and VO/SOTs throughout the entire day and ended our coverage with an in-depth PKG. Our team, both in Granite City and back in house, put in amazing work that day. I was extremely proud of our PKG for the 10 p.m. newscast. I was able to cut and edit our main anchor's PKG while he drove home from Granite City.

What’s the hardest story or broadcast you’ve had to do?

The hardest story I had to cover was a celebration of life for Army Sgt. Josh Rodgers. Rodgers was killed from small-arms fire in Afghanistan in 2017. Hundreds of people welcomed his body home to Bloomington on May 6, 2017. I covered the funeral and procession for WGLT. I will never forget Kevin Rodgers, Josh's father, taking a moment to thank the community for raising his son. "This man was just as much a product of this community as he was our child. We hope you all take pride in the man you helped mold and, for this, we owe you all a debt of gratitude." There was not a dry eye in that church.

What’s your most embarrassing broadcast moment?

My most embarrassing broadcast moment was forgetting Bob Daiber's name during an interview. I was covering an event hosted by the McLean County Democrats. State Sen. Andy Manar was there to explain his education funding model to members. I was only assigned a story about Manar's education plan, but realized I should also cover the gubernatorial candidate nobody knew. While I conducted the interview as a kind gesture, I felt terrible that I forgot Bob's name. From that point, I always made sure to have names memorized with faces.

Why did you join INBA? 

I joined INBA as a student member at ISU. Laura Trendle Polus told me I would love the organization and make amazing connections before I graduated. INBA conventions became little vacations for me because I was able to get away from the classroom and talk with professionals in the field. It was honestly amazing to know this organization could put me in the same room as some of the best broadcasters I looked up to growing up, like Bob Roberts. I hope to stick with INBA throughout my entire career. This organization is extremely special to me.

Got someone you think we should interview next? Contact Brian Moline.