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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Former Wyoming Public Radio reporter Savannah Maher has taken a look at a pair of cases that were considered poaching in Wyoming. They both had different outcomes. The recent story for High Country News is called "Who does the state of Wyoming consider a poacher?" She joined Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck to discuss the article, starting with the case of former tribal game warden Clayvin Herrera who faced charges after asserting a treaty right to hunt on unoccupied land in the Bighorn National Forest. -
Republican U.S. House candidate Harriet Hageman is a Fort Laramie native who received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wyoming. She decided to enter politics and ran for governor in a crowded race in 2018. While she considered running against Gov. Mark Gordon, she decided to run for federal office instead. She spoke with Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck. -
Wyoming’s five Republican U.S. House candidates will have their first face to face debate Thursday night in Sheridan. -
A long time advocate for abortion rights in the state said she will be looking at a new strategy as Wyoming's abortion trigger law comes into play. -
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The Wyoming State Forester says he is expecting a bigger than average fire season. Bill Crapser joins Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck to discuss that and the fact that the number of available firefighters is diminishing. -
Following the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, those in Wyoming are wondering what happens next. During the last legislative session, Wyoming lawmakers passed a so called "trigger bill" that bans abortions in the state except in the case of rape, incest, or the possibility of death or serious bodily injury for the mother, which likely would have to be certified by doctors. -
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon is seeking re-election, saying that he has a number of things he still wants to accomplish. It's been a tough four years with the pandemic and the ups and downs of Wyoming's economy. One issue that's concerned people is his apparent opposition to Medicaid expansion. His concern is about spending state money on the program. Gordon says he's working on making insurance and healthcare more affordable for others. -
Crapser told Wyoming Public Radio that the biggest area of concern is the southern part of the state.
