Communiqué
From Covering the TVC to Working in the SEC
< < Back toSeth Austin graduated from Ohio University in 2013
ATHENS, OH – Seth Austin can’t say enough about the real-world experiences you get while working as a student at WOUB Public Media. That’s because he got to interview Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow before he was a Heisman Trophy winner and an NFL star.
“Joe was one of the finalists for Gridiron Glory Player of the Year in 2013, and I got to interview him as a college student working at WOUB. It was awesome. Joe didn’t win the Player of the Year title, but obviously he’s doing pretty well for himself now. Joe has forgiven us, I hope,” said Austin laughing.
Austin now works as the manager of broadcast and digital content for the Ole Miss Athletic Department. He credits the wide-ranging experience he got working at WOUB for his success.
“I grew up in Pittsburgh and wanted to go to a school with a well-known broadcast journalism program. That’s how I ended up in Athens,” said Austin. “During one of my first weeks on campus, I attended the Student Involvement Fair and learned about Gridiron Glory. I started working on the program as a freshman. By my junior year, I was the West Virginia beat reporter.”
Austin also worked on other WOUB television programs like Bobcat Showcase, Hardwood Heroes and NewsWatch before becoming sports director during his senior year. When he graduated from Ohio University in 2013, he got a job as the media and community relations coordinator for an arena football team in Pittsburgh.
“I interned for them while I was in college,” said Austin. “It was a good start, but not exactly what I wanted to be doing.”
About six months into that job, Austin learned that a fellow former WOUB student Mike Raita, was looking for someone to be the sports producer at the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama. Raita had called the WOUB sports desk looking for recommendations.
“The WOUB/Bobcat network is awesome,” said Austin. “We all look out for each other.”
Austin got the job in Birmingham and worked there for about two years. Then another Ohio University connection told him about a job opening at the University of Mississippi.
“It was a job in the Ole Miss Athletic Department, and it was a really good blend of the work I had done in Pittsburgh and Birmingham. So, I applied and got the job,” said Austin. “I get to create digital and social media content and serve as the television play-by-play talent for in-house SEC Network digital broadcasts.”
Austin knows that he would not be where he is today without WOUB and the connections he made during his time in Athens.
“I got to cover high school and college sports. I got to interview people like Joe Burrow. I watched other students in the WOUB newsroom cover local news events and national news events, like President Barack Obama’s visit to campus. WOUB gave us the building blocks to decide if this is what we really wanted to do. It was such a perfect growing experience. At WOUB, you challenged yourself and made friendships and connections that last a lifetime.”