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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The National Museum of Military Vehicles will have its long awaited Grad Opening on May 28, just outside of Dubois. Dan Starks is the museum's founder and chairman. He joined Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck to describe the museum and why it's worth your time. -
Those who work with Limited Liability Companies (LLC) and personal trusts in the state say there is nothing to worry about. That despite some recent news articles criticizing Wyoming’s laws which some say allow bad actors to hide money. The discussion took place during a meeting of the Legislature’s Joint Revenue Committee. -
Following the 2016 election, many started to express concern about election security. That conversation was ramped up in 2020, even in Wyoming, where problems with voting irregularities haven't been documented. Lately, people in some areas of the state have pushed for hand counting of ballots, which is not currently allowed, but Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Buchanan said it's also not necessary. He joined Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck to discuss how safe Wyoming's elections are. -
This week the Wyoming Game and Fish Department released a report on the status of gray wolves in the state. While conservation groups have expressed concern about how aggressive hunting practices may be threatening wolf populations in Idaho and Montana, Wyoming's numbers are well above required population numbers. Game and Fish said that the state has a minimum population of 314 wolves, well above the 100 wolves and ten breeding pairs required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ken Mills is the lead wolf biologist for Game and Fish and he joined Bob Beck to discuss the numbers and their accuracy. -
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Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney will be among five recipients of this year’s Profile in Courage Awards for protecting democracy in the United States and around the world. -
Wyoming’s inflation rate in the final quarter of 2021 grew by 9.3 percent, the highest rate since 1981. According to the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division, a 22 percent increase in transportation costs led the way. -
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One bill that fell under the radar this year will make it illegal to use electronic devices such as phones, iPads, computers and GPS tracking devices to harass and stalk individuals. The Wyoming legislature overwhelmingly supported the measure that makes that activity a violation of the state's stalking laws. It took an incident in tiny Upton to get the bill passed.
