![]() ![]() I had been with the NPR station at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock since 2009, serving as news director for the last 10 years. 30, 2022, capping more than three decades in radio. Looking forward to new adventures! /xX89UMJZXq 3, I’ll begin at as Senior Producer/ Director of Public Affairs. I won’t change my profile photo just yet, but after 34 years in radio, the last 13 at today I submitted my resignation letter. 3 as Senior Producer/Director of Public Affairs.Īfter accepting the job and giving five weeks notice to longtime employer KUAR-FM 89.1, I posted on social media about my career change. This is my first time working exclusively in television and video-related digital media, but I’m still using the journalism basics that are instilled after decades of being a radio reporter, anchor, editor and manager. I’m nearing six months of a new job at Arkansas PBS, greatly enjoying working in a new environment with a different set of challenges and the opportunity to try new things. It’s cool to read feature stories that you can’t always get from a national news organization.After 34 years in radio, now at Arkansas PBSīy Michael Hibblen | | About Me, Arkansas Week, News “I used to only look at national news, but it’s important to learn about what is going on in your community. ![]() “I would encourage people to pay more attention to local politics and local news,” Patel said. He also serves as a board member for the Society of Professional Journalists and encourages people to support local news. Outside of work, Patel enjoys watching basketball, either the Milwaukee Bucks or the UCA Bears, and playing video games. I think a lot of people forget the impact that Winthrop had on the state, and it’s interesting to share that history with our Arkansas listeners about a figure who gets overlooked sometimes.” “Getting to talk to someone who is an expert on what Rockefeller did for the state and who he was as a person is interesting. “I’ve always been a big fan of Rockefeller, and I love reading about history,” Patel said. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History at UA Little Rock, about his new biography, “Winthrop Rockefeller: From New Yorkers to Arkansawyer, 1912-1956.” Since starting at KUAR, Patel said his favorite story has been an interview with Dr. Steve Inkeep of NPR was always one of my favorite political reporters.” “I took a broadcast class at UCA, and I was always a fan of NPR. ![]() “While I started off in print, I knew that I would have to venture out of print with the way the industry is changing,” Patel said. Despite his experience in print, Patel has always been a fan of broadcast and figured he would wind up working in broadcast eventually. Since graduating, he’s landed positions at the Southwest Times Record and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The professor did a great job of talking about politics, and that made me interested in going into political journalism.”Īs a student, Patel also reported on a state legislator requesting syllabi from UCA, a report that won a second-place award for in-depth reporting from the Arkansas College Media Association. During my senior year of college, it was the 2020 election, and I had political reporting. “I did that my junior year and really enjoyed it. “I saw the student newspaper, the UCA Echo, needed staff writers, and they were open to volunteers who weren’t journalism majors,” Patel said. He got interested in journalism while working for UCA’s student newspaper, the Echo. He has good news instincts and is a strong writer.”Ī graduate of Little Rock Central High School, Patel attended the University of Central of Arkansas (UCA), where he graduated with a major in English and a minor in journalism in 2021. “He brings a strong journalism background to KUAR and is part of a steady expansion of the staff of the newsroom which will enable us to do even more original reporting. “We’re excited to have Ronak with us,” said Michael Hibblen, news director for KUAR. congressional delegation, local politics, and election coverage. Asa Hutchinson’s administration as well as the Arkansas General Assembly, members of the state’s U.S. Ronak Patel has joined UA Little Rock Public Radio as the new political and governmental affairs reporter for KUAR-FM 89.1, a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate. ![]()
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