Matt
Shafer Powell, WUOT's News Director, was born and raised in Western
Michigan, near Grand Rapids. Like many of those who eventually
worked in radio, he spent an inordinate amount of time as a boy
with a tape recorder, a microphone and 45's stacked an inch high
on the record player. His dreams of being on the radio became
reality at the age of 17, when he convinced the News Director
at a Grand Rapids radio station to let him work for free. Later,
while working toward a broadcasting degree at Central Michigan
University, he discovered the thrill of the audio production
process; in the years since, he's worked as a producer of commercials
and as an audio engineer, creating soundtracks for videos and
films.
In public radio, he's found the perfect confluence of
his interests in storytelling, news, writing and audio production.
He joined WUOT in November of 2002 after heading up Michigan
Radio's West Michigan Bureau. A self-described "sports geek",
he also enjoys writing fiction, playing guitar and spending time
with his wife and three children. Among his guilty pleasures,
he lists hockey fights, white socks with sandals and the BeeGees'
disco-era stuff.
http://twitter.com/MShaferPowell
STATION TOUR
Take a photographic tour of WUOT's studio
