Russ Jackson has had a varied media career, working both on-air and behind the scenes in news and sports radio. He currently does freelance work on IMG and Westwood One broadcasts of NFL and college football games. And he credits it all to his start at WOUB.
“I grew up in Cincinnati and knew from a young age that I wanted to be in the media industry. I have a talent for speaking and always wanted to be behind the microphone,” Jackson said. “My father always advertised on WLW Radio, so I knew a lot about WLW Radio. I was interested in sports media. So when it came time to look for colleges, one of my high school counselors told me , told me about the reputation of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. That was it.”
Jackson chose Ohio University for the fact that its journalism school is one of the best in the nation, as well as the opportunity to gain hands-on experience at programs like WOWB.
“WOUB had another big reason to choose Ohio University,” Jackson said. “Getting on-air experience early in your college career is so important. I couldn’t have done this at any other school. WOWB was a big part of why I chose Ohio University. ”
While on campus, Jackson worked at ACRN and WOUB. He has worked in radio and television for the WOUB sports department and was the host of the Night Shift music program on radio.
After graduating in 1989, Jackson took a job at a radio station in Lima, Ohio. He was the station’s news and sports director. Jackson then moved to sports radio in Cincinnati, working on a station that broadcast Cincinnati Bengals football games and Cincinnati Reds baseball games, and then worked at IMG and Westwood One.
“Getting hands-on experience with microphones in a studio early on, like I did at Ohio University, is huge,” Jackson said. “We had to do what they were doing in the real world, and it was great to have materials to show to potential employers. I got the job literally two weeks later.”
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