In this series, we're catching up with some of the past UNCW/WHQR Graduate Fellows. First up: Peter Biello!
PETER BIELLO
What is your job title and role now?
All Things Considered host and reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio
What was your position at WHQR and how long were you here?
I started at WHQR as a UNCW Graduate Intern reporter and then in 2008 became WHQR's Morning Edition host.
What school were you in and what was your degree?
UNCW's MFA in Creative Writing
What do you remember most about your time at HQR?
Working with Catherine Welch (now Asst. News Director at WFAE) and Megan Verlee (now Features Editor at Colorado Public Radio) in my first year at WHQR was such a fun, informative experience.
Any funny or exceptional memory or experience you can share?
Funny memories: dressing up in yellow ponchos with the newsteam during Tropical Storm Hanna. I think we also played a knock-off game called "Stop, Stop, I've Almost Got It" when Carl Kassel came to visit, though I may be misremembering that. I remember, on election night 2008, working a roughly 20 hour day, hosting Morning Edition, then reporting throughout the day and into the evening, driving back and forth between the Brunswick County Republican and Democratic headquarters and filing stories from each location, and driving back to the station on Rt. 17 and learning that Barack Obama would be our next president. In 2008, while hosting Morning Edition, I remember waking up every morning to more news of job losses and a deepening recession. That was a scary time.
How did your fellowship impact your future and where you are now?
Without this fellowship, I don't think I'd have a career in public radio. I could only participate in paid internships and fortunately this one paid me for my time and allowed me to do my coursework and complete my thesis. I learned rather quickly and after I left Wilmington, I landed a job at Vermont Public Radio, which I kept for more than five years before moving on to my current gig at NHPR.
Anything else you'd like to add?
I'm grateful to WHQR (and UNCW, which made the graduate intern program possible at the time) and have nothing but positive feelings about the station and the people who work there.
To catch up with other past WHQR/UNCW Graduate Fellows, click here.
