The Media Scrum

We haven't published an episode since April. Here's why, and the plans for Season 3.Support the show

This time on The Media Scrum we speak with Rep. Steve Handy, who represents House District 16 in the Utah Legislature. Steve's a six-term incumbent who just got tossed by delegates to the GOP Davis County Convention. He talks about that, and other things – including his 17 years at the Standard-Examiner and Deseret News, his dealings with reporters, his work on various legislation including clean-air initiatives and gun bills, and more.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This time on The Media Scrum we speak with Amy Joi O'Donoghue, a reporter for the Deseret News' Utah In-Depth team with decades of expertise and award-winning writing in police, government, land and environmental issues. Mark and I have known Amy since 1985, when we all worked together at the Standard-Examiner in Ogden. Amy's family lives in Weber County with their horses, chickens, Irish Wolfhounds and Jack the cat. Support the show

This time on The Media Scrum we speak with Jim Burton, longtime sports writer and columnist for the Standard-Examiner. Since leaving the Standard, Jim has dabbled in PR and marketing, and even did some editing at the Deseret News. But now he's enjoying work at El Monte golf course in Ogden. We sure enjoyed talking to our old friend, Jim, who definitely has some feelings and observations about journalism and where it's at now.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This time on The Media Scrum we venture outside the Utah media bubble and speak with Chris Carlson, who worked in network-TV news for 42 years. As an ABC News cameraman in Washington, D.C., Carlson had a front-row seat to history. In covering Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, Carlson logged scores of unique experiences. Over the decades he spent at the White House, Carlson witnessed many leaders of the "free world" from just 12 feet away, filming the nation's political history as it was happening. After retiring three years ago, he has self-published an eBook, “9/11 with POTUS,” that's available for purchase at your favorite online bookseller. We really enjoyed talking to Carlson, and we hope you enjoy listening.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This time on The Media Scrum we speak with Lori Buttars, longtime reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune. Lori covered the Olympics, arts and music, and all sorts of beats at the Trib. She's also been a “visiting professional” at Utah State University where, like yours truly, she edited the student newspaper when she was a student there. Back in 2007, Lori fled journalism for public relations as public information officer for the Weber-Morgan Health Department. We actually spend a fair amount of this conversation talking about local public health's response to the coronavirus pandemic, which we found fascinating. We sure enjoyed talking to Lori, and we hope you enjoy listening. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This time out things are a little different, since Mark had a conflict the evening of the interview, and I ended up speaking with our guest, the Deseret News's Jay Evensen, one-on-one. Jay is the DNews's editorial columnist and an editorial writer. He got his start in journalism at BYU, interned at United Press International in New York City, wrote sports in Oklahoma, and was a government and consumer affairs reporter in Las Vegas before landing at the Deseret News. We haven't talked to many folks from newspapers' opinion pages on The Media Scrum, so this was fun reconnecting with Jay – I hadn't communicated with him for years and years – and hearing how he got his start and what it's like to be the editorial voice of a newspaper's ownership. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This time out we're revisiting a conversation we had last summer with Mary Nickles, whose career at KUTV in Salt Lake City just passed the 30-year mark – and 30 years is forever in TV news. Mary has been the morning, noon and/or evening anchor on KUTV's various news programs for about 25 of those years. Not only is she a pro on the news set, but she's done health stories over the years that have actually saved lives – including her own. She talks about that, and lots more, on this episode. We had a lot of fun talking to Mary, and we hope you enjoy our conversation. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This time we're repeating an episode from March 2021 which has us talking to Cathy Free, who's been a journalist for 40-plus years for the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, Spokane Spokesman-Review, People magazine, Reader's Digest and, currently, The Washington Post. While Mark and I worked in Utah newspapering for decades ourselves, we never crossed paths with Cathy, but we were familiar with her byline. So, it was interesting to meet her via Zoom and to hear about her unquestionably impressive career path. It was a fun and interesting conversation; we hope you think so, too. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

We sincerely hope you've been having a terrific holiday season. We have, and that's the reason we're revisiting one of the earliest episodes of the podcast, from August 2020, with our friend Holly Mullen, because all the holiday stuff has taken up our time and that of our coming group of guests. Holly, bless her heart, was one of the first people we asked to be a guest on the podcast. She's a certified institution in Utah journalism. She currently serves as a member of The Salt Lake Tribune's board of directors. Holly's career has taken her around the country working for both legacy newspapers and alternative weeklies. In Utah, she's worked as a reporter, editor and/or columnist at the Deseret News, Standard-Examiner, The Salt Lake Tribune and City Weekly.  We got to know Holly at the Standard-Examiner in the mid-'80s, and we've remained friends ever since. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This time on The Media Scrum we speak with Maria Shilaos, host of Utah's noon news and the national desk anchor at KSL Newsradio, where she's worked since 1991. Maria was born and raised in Utah, graduating Olympus High School, and she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Utah.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This episode we speak with Dave Greiling, who was the Standard-Examiner's managing editor for a decade from 2003-2013. Dave grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and worked for newspapers in Rickford, Ill., Lansing, Mich., and Ft. Collins, Colo., before landing in Ogden, Utah. Any list of well-regarded and highly respected editors in Utah newspapering would include Dave, who served as a voice of reason, sound judgment and was a mentor to many reporters who came through Ogden during his tenure. Dave retired to Ft. Collins eight years ago, and we had fun talking with our old friend and daily lunchmate. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we speak with Bob Evans, who co-anchors the evening news at Fox 13. Bob's won numerous awards over the years for his work, and is one of those TV anchors who still reports his own stories. Bob grew up in Tacoma, Washington, and studied the violin on a music scholarship at BYU before switching to journalism. He is also, believe it or not, father to 18 children. Bob worked his early years in TV news in Boise, Spokane and Kansas City before landing in Salt Lake City, where he's been for decades now. He's a fun guy to talk to, and very passionate about journalism in this day and age. Support the show

This week we're repeating our conversation with Lois Collins, a longtime reporter for the Deseret News. Neither Mark nor I had ever met Lois, but we've seen her byline often over the decades and know our friends at the DNews hold her in high regard. It was a fun and interesting conversation, and we hope you enjoy it.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we speak with Sheree Josephson, former chair of the Department of Communication at Weber State University who has taught journalism and other communication classes at WSU for more than 28 years. She was recently honored with the Clifford P. Cheney Service to Journalism award by the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Mark and I used to work with Dr. Josephson at the Standard-Examiner in Ogden. She's also worked at Logan's Herald-Journal and the Colorado Springs Sun in Colorado Springs, Colo. So, sit back and listen to this former reporter, editor and current influencer of journalistic minds, Dr. Sheree Josephson.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we turn the clock back to December 2020 and our guest Lisa Roskelley. Lisa's post-college years, as you'll hear, included a sales job in California before starting as a reporter at the Standard-Examiner and then transitioning into a position as spokeswoman for Gov. Jon Huntsman, consulting, a run for the Utah Legislature and, most recently, managing Huntsman's 2020 gubernatorial campaign. It was fun to catch up with our old friend and colleague.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're repeating our September 2020 conversation with KUTV reporter Morgan Saxton, who near the start of her career worked with Mark at the Standard-Examiner. In retrospect, it's been quite a year for Morgan, who not long after this interview revealed she was expecting her first child and has since given birth to her beautiful daughter, Charlotte.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we thought it would be fun to repeat an episode from December 2020 with Calvin Grondahl, without a doubt the king of Utah editorial cartoonists. Cal began his career at BYU, was hired by the Deseret News and later fled to the Standard-Examiner in the quest for some freedom to draw what he wanted. Mark and I worked with Cal for many, many fun and eventful years at the Standard-Examiner, and remember those decades fondly. Cal's now retired, and has been for a number of years, but he shares lots of stories about what it was like to be the cartoonist who broke ground for all those who followed. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're repeating a fun and interesting conversation from February that we had with Stacey and Greg Kratz – who've had decades-long careers in Utah journalism, most significantly at the Standard-Examiner and Deseret News, but lots of other outlets, too, and you'll hear about those during our conversation. Mark and I got to know the Kratzes way back in the Land Before Time, and we've always had enormous respect for their talents and their personalities. So, we think you'll get a kick out of this one – we sure did.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we speak with Allison Barlow Hess, a BYU grad who reported at KSL for a dozen years, then spent another decade teaching budding journalists at Weber State University and, finally, since 2010 has been the school's director of public relations. Along the way, Allison spent two years as Utah Chapter board chair of the Society of Professional Journalists and was a longtime op-ed columnist for the Standard-Examiner.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we speak with Lynn Arave, who wrote for the Deseret News from 1979 to 2011, followed by stints as a freelance columnist at both the DNews and Standard-Examiner. Lynn's also authored and co-authored a number of books about various aspects of Utah history. We had fun talking with Lynn, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Support the show

This week we speak with Randall Carlisle, who, before he retired a few years back, had been a TV news anchor in the Utah market on and off since 1980 – that's four decades, people. Randall started at KUTV, but spent the most time – two decades-plus – at KTVX. We think you'll find this episode to be revealing and blunt: Randall talks openly about his addiction and recovery, and about what it was like to be a top talent in local-market broadcast journalism. We had a great time talking to Randall, and we hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.Support the show

We've been running some repeats this summer because we are human beings who take vacations and have other things happening in our lives. Plus, this gives us a chance to reintroduce some of our favorite episodes in case you haven't yet heard them. This week we're repeating our conversation with Amy Donaldson, longtime reporter for the Deseret News who moved over to KSL to work in its popular podcasts sector. We talked to Amy in April about the career transition and her many years covering news and sports and all sorts of journalistic endeavors. We pick up the conversation after some initial technical hiccups on our Zoom call. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week at The Media Scrum we mark our one-year anniversary. It's amazing, but we've been doing this for 52 weeks. Now, that said, we've repeated a few episodes this summer because we've been vacationing and had other events in our lives pop up, but we've gone a year, so far, when lots of other podcasts fizzle out after only a few episodes. We'd like to thank those of you who have been listening, and especially those guests who've consented to be interviewed. It's been so much fun catching up with old friends, and meeting new ones. With that in mind, it's only appropriate that we repeat that very first episode: Our interview with Wendy Ogata, not only one of the best journalists we know but one of the best human beings we know. This interview was the only one we've done in-person – about a week or so before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown – at Wendy's home. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week's guest is Paul Murphy, Don's friend and fellow journalism student and practitioner at Utah State University. After graduation, Paul began his broadcast journalism career in Texas, then returned to Utah and worked at KTVX for more than a decade. After that, he jumped into government service as Director of Communications and Policy for the attorney general's office, where he was for a dozen years. And he's done plenty since, which we talk about. We had a great time chatting with Paul, and really hope you enjoy the conversation.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we speak with Cathy McKitrick, who retired a couple of years back from the Standard-Examiner in Ogden. Before that, Cathy worked for several years at The Salt Lake Tribune. Now in semi-retirement, Cathy is involved with The Utah Investigative Journalism Project and other organizations that aim to keep journalism alive and well in the Beehive State. Like a lot of our guests, Cathy's route to the newsroom was unorthodox but has paid off for the people who read the news, because she's a talented and dogged reporter. We had a lot of fun talking to Cathy, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.Support the show

This week we have a conversation with Scott Schwebke, an investigative reporter for the Orange County Register in California. Scott went to California from the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, where he covered city government and other beats. He's also worked at papers in Virginia, North Carolina and Colorado. He's covered everything from natural disasters, plane crashes, crooked cops and politics to providing readers an eyewitness, award-winning account of the execution of a death-row inmate. We had a lot of fun talking to Scott, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're repeating our January conversation with Dennis Romboy. Dennis is a University of Utah grad who began his career at the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, but soon left for the Deseret News, where he's worked for decades right up to the present day. Dennis has covered all sorts of beats during his reporting career, but is probably most well-known for his stories about politics. He's an interesting guy who's had an interesting career and, as you'll discover while listening, he's traveled the world doing the thing that he loves. We had fun catching up with Dennis, and we hope you enjoy listening.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

It's summer, and between vacations and work and just being lazy, we don't have a new episode every week -- which gives us the chance to remind you about some guests from the past year you may not have heard. This week we're repeating our interview with Chris Hicks, who spent decades reviewing movies for the Deseret News, KSL radio and television, and KUTV. Chris recalls how he got into the news business, and tells lots of stories about what it was like being a film critic in the 1980s and '90s. It's a fun one, because Chris is a great human being and was really, really good at his job. Hope you enjoy it.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week at The Media Scrum we have a conversation with Pat Bean, who had five kids by age 25, then talked her way into a newspaper career, where she worked for 37 years. She's currently writing a memoir, tentatively titled “Between Wars” – that's her title because she says her first significant bylined story was an interview with a mother whose son had been killed in Vietnam and one of her last pieces of journalism was an opinion column urging President Bush not to send American troops into Iraq during the wake of 9/11. Pat has worked at several newspapers, including those in Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Ogden and Logan.Support the show

This week we have a conversation with Mary Nickles, whose career at KUTV in Salt Lake City has passed the 30-year mark. 30 years is forever in TV news, and Mary has been the morning, noon or evening anchor on KUTV's various news programs for almost all that time. Not only is she a pro on the news set, but she's done health stories over the years that have actually saved lives – including her own. She talks about that, and lots more, on this episode. We had lots of fun talking to Mary, and we hope you enjoy our conversation.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week on The Media Scrum we have a conversation with Becky Cairns, who worked for decades as a reporter, feature writer and editor at the Standard-Examiner. Becky's one of those talented, no-nonsense, no-drama journalists and newsroom colleagues that everyone admires and that readers love. It was fantastic catching up with Becky, and we hope you enjoy our conversation.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're repeating one of our most popular episodes: An interview with Randy Hollis of the Deseret News, who retired not long ago after celebrating 50 years of sportswriting, sports columns and editing at the DNews and Standard-Examiner. Randy has stories to tell, and it's nothing but fun to hear them. But he gives us a peek at the serious side of the work, too. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we have a conversation with Joe Bauman, a longtime reporter for the Deseret News who covered the environment, science and courts beats, along with lots of other news, and who has some really terrific stories to tell about his decades in journalism and living everywhere from the East Coast to the South Pacific. We hope you enjoy it.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're talking to John Youngren, who worked with Mark at the University of Utah's student newspaper back in the early 1980s, then again after John was hired as a sportswriter at the Standard-Examiner. John's had an interesting and varied career in journalism – for example, he also wrote a TV column for the Standard-Examiner and The Salt Lake Tribune – and we had a great time talking with our friend and former colleague.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week's episode of The Media Scrum podcast has us talking to Doug Wright. Now, the word “legend” is often abused – and maybe we've done it a time or two on this podcast – but Doug is an actual legend in Utah broadcasting. He started spinning Top 40 hits but wound up at KSL doing full-service radio and later transitioned to news. He started “The Movie Show” with our friend Chris Hicks about 40 years ago, and it's still running with our other friend Steve Salles. Doug semi-retired from KSL radio and television awhile back, but is still hosting the news-talk show “Sunday Edition” each week. We had a great time talking with Doug. We hope you enjoy it.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week Don is vacationing, so you're in for a real treat: We're repeating one of our most popular episodes. First of all, we had a guest co-host – Wendy Ogata, who was our first victim on this podcast – and our guest is none other than Terry Orme, whose career at The Salt Lake Tribune was pretty remarkable. As you'll hear, Terry began working there out of college in the late 1970s as a “copy boy,” but before too long was writing concert reviews and became the paper's film critic. After that, Terry began a climb up the editing ladder at the Trib, culminating with him as editor and publisher, and guiding a newsroom that would be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on sexual assaults at Brigham Young University and other universities in the Beehive State. So do yourself a favor, sit back and listen to Terry talk about Utah newspaper journalism over the past 40-plus years, and his role in it.Support the show

This week's episode of The Media Scrum has us talking to Lois Collins, a longtime reporter for the Deseret News. Neither Mark nor I had ever met Lois, but we've seen her byline often over the decades, admire her writing style and know our friends at the DNews hold her in high regard. It was a fun and interesting conversation, and we hope you enjoy it.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're talking to Julie Williamson, our friend and former co-worker. Don met Julie at Utah State University when both were on the staff of the Utah Statesman, and they later worked together at the Standard-Examiner before Julie decamped for the Deseret News. Julie is a copy editor, which newspapers need but few have nowadays.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we talk to John Kowalewski, the executive director of marketing and communications at Weber State University. John used to be our colleague at the Standard-Examiner, but before that, he worked at NBC News in Washington, D.C. John's one of those guys everyone enjoys working with and who is well-respected because he's just so good at what he does.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're talking to Doug Gibson, who prior to becoming the Standard-Examiner's editorial page editor was a reporter and writer at numerous publications from Ely, Nev., to Boston, Mass. Both of us worked with Doug for years, and we had a good chat with him about newspapers, magazines, blogs and all sorts of topics. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're talking to Amy Donaldson, longtime reporter for the Deseret News, who's recently moved over to KSL to work in its very popular podcasts sector. We talk about that and her long career covering news and sports and all sorts of journalistic endeavors.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

Today we're talking to Chuck Wing, who is Managing Editor for Cross-Platform News and Director of Photography at KSL-TV and the Deseret News. We know Chuck from way back in the 1990s when we worked with him at the Standard-Examiner, but as his impressive title indicates, he's had quite a career. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're talking to Cathy Free, who's been a journalist for 40-plus years for the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, Spokane Spokesman-Review, People magazine, Reader's Digest and, currently, The Washington Post. While Mark and I worked in Utah newspapering for decades ourselves, we never crossed paths with Cathy, but we were familiar with her byline. So, it was interesting to meet her via Zoom and to hear about her impressive career path.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're talking to Jeff Haney, former newspaper reporter and editor for the Standard-Examiner and Deseret News, who's now the Director of Communications for the Canyons School District. We've always admired Jeff's skills as a reporter and writer, and it was interesting to catch up on the subjects of news and information. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're talking to Laurence Shaw, who joined the Standard-Examiner's features desk back in the early 1990s. Larry is a talented writer who left Utah after a couple of years spent newspapering for a lifelong series of adventures that have taken him around and around the globe. The conversation picks up with his latest passion, wildlife photography near his Seattle home, but then spans the decades of his travels and life as an editor, writer and, well, you name it.  Support the show

Today we're talking to Vanessa Zimmer, who joined the Standard-Examiner's features desk back in the mid-1980s. “VZ,” as we've always called her, is a talented editor and writer, and we hope you have as much fun listening as we had talking with her.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week's a little special because we're interviewing a married couple – Stacey and Greg Kratz – who've had decades-long careers in Utah journalism, most significantly at the Standard-Examiner and Deseret News, but lots of other outlets, too, and you'll hear about those during our conversation. We got to know the Kratzes way back in the day, and we've always had enormous respect for their talents and their personalities. So, we think you'll get a kick out of this one – we sure did.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week we're lucky to speak with Mitch Shaw, who ended his reporting career just days ago, ironically, after almost a decade and a half at the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah. We talk to Mitch about what it was like to pursue newspaper journalism during an age that's seen shocking declines in revenue and staffing. But we also talk about what a pleasure it can be to work in a newsroom with interesting, engaged and fun people.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

This week is something a little special, since we convinced Calvin Grondahl, the dean of Utah editorial cartoonists, to sit still for a chat. Cal began his career at BYU, was hired by the Deseret News and later fled to the Standard-Examiner in the quest for some freedom to draw what he wanted. He's the author of many cartoon collections -- both Mormon humor and Utah humor -- including “Freeway to Perfection,” “Utah and All That Jazz," “Utah Sex and Travel Guide,” “Marketing Precedes the Miracle,” “Music and the Broken Word,” “Faith Promoting Rumors” and “Sunday's Foyer.” Cal's now retired, but he shares lots of stories about what it was like to be the cartoonist who broke ground for all those who followed.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

Today you're in for a real treat, because we have a guest co-host – Wendy Ogata, who was our first victim on this podcast – and our guest is none other than Terry Orme, whose career at The Salt Lake Tribune was pretty remarkable. As you'll hear, Terry began working there out of college in the late 1970s as a “copy boy,” but before too long was writing concert reviews and became the paper's film critic. After that, Terry began a climb up the editing ladder at the Trib, culminating with him as editor and publisher, and guiding a newsroom that would be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on sexual assaults at Brigham Young University and other universities in the Beehive State. So do yourself a favor, sit back and listen to Terry talk about Utah newspaper journalism over the past 40-plus years, and his role in it.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)