Bob Beck
Retired News DirectorBob Beck retired from Wyoming Public Media after serving as News Director of Wyoming Public Radio for 34 years. During his time as News Director WPR has won over 100 national, regional and state news awards.
In addition to duties as News Director, Bob was the co-creator, host and producer of the news magazine Open Spaces, which has won 11 national Public Media Journalist Association awards. Bob has personally won four PMJA awards for reporting and five regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. He has also won numerous Associated Press and Wyoming Association of Broadcasters awards in his career.
Bob was given the WEA School Bell Award for education reporting and was honored by the Governor’s Council on Impaired Driving for his reporting. On the television side, Bob has been part of two Emmy Award-winning PBS telecasts.
In his career, Bob covered the legislature longer than any Wyoming broadcaster. Additional coverage as a reporter includes events such as the Mark Hopkinson execution, the Jessica Dubroff plane crash, the Matthew Shepard murder and a drunk driving crash that killed eight University of Wyoming Athletes.
Professionally, he served on the PMJA Board and has been state coordinator for the Radio Television Digital News Association and Project Vote Smart.
Bob taught broadcast news at the University of Wyoming for 20 years and twice was honored with a Top Prof award by the UW Mortar Board.
Around Laramie, Bob was active in community events. He co-chaired the 2009 Albany County United Way Campaign, served as President of the United Way Board, and has been involved with other non-profit organizations as a board member and volunteer.
Prior to coming to WPR, Bob worked as a News and Sportscaster at stations in Wyoming and Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Radio-Television from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and is a native of Wheaton, Illinois in suburban Chicago.
Email: btwo@uwyo.edu
Phone: 307-766-6626
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A former chief policy officer for former State Superintendent Jillian Balow is hoping to win the Republican nomination for the job. Casper native Megan Degenfelder has also worked in the energy sector. She says her goal is to connect the education community with all stakeholders, from parents to business leaders. She talked to Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck. -
A longtime Wyoming political observer says making up 20 points with less than a month before the state’s primary election is a very high bar for Congresswoman Liz Cheney. -
Six plaintiffs are suing to try to keep Wyoming’s trigger abortion law from being enforced. -
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A man who was recently attacked by a grizzly bear near Meeteetse said playing dead helped him survive. According to the Greybull Standard, the man was hiking at two in the afternoon when he suddenly was 15 feet from the Bear who attacked him before he could use his bear spray.
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Earlier this year Governor Mark Gordon appointed Brian Schroeder to become the new state Superintendent of Public Instruction following the departure of Jillian Balow. He is running to keep his position.
