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 effort to build a medical facility with enhanced medical services in Fremont County took a major step forward. Monday, the Riverton Medical District announced that it received a $37 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant that will be put towards the effort of creating a locally owned and governed health care facility. -
A former chief policy officer at the Wyoming Department of Education announced she is seeking the position of State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Republican Megan Degenfelder said she wants transparency and a voice in education matters for parents. -
The state’s new economic summary report shows that while some industries have recovered, the 56-hundred mining industry job losses have not been replaced. -
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Thanks to American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and increased revenue, the Wyoming legislature took a crack at addressing a longtime problem in the state: the lack of mental health care services. Lawmakers voted to put millions of the federal dollars into the effort. -
A new report shows that a federal agency killed thousands of wild animals in 2021. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program killed 404,000 wild animals in 2021. -
COVID-19 numbers have dropped substantially, as have other things, such as hospitalizations due to the virus. Recently Governor Gordon ended the public health emergency. State Health Officer Doctor Alexia Harrist joined Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck to assess the situation and discuss the past couple of years. -
The University of Wyoming has promoted an assistant coach to lead the Cowgirls basketball team. Athletics Director Tom Burman hired Heather Ezell to be its new head coach following the surprising announcement that former Head Coach Gerald Mattinson is retiring. -
Governor Mark Gordon allowed Wyoming’s new redistricting law to become law without his signature last Friday. Gordon said he didn’t sign the bill noting that it was out of deviation in some places. -
