Communiqué
WOUB Senior Spotlight: Joe Collins
By: Andre Norrils
Posted on:
Collins will be a producer/reporter at NBC4 TV in Columbus, Ohio after graduation
Joe Collins, a journalism news and information student at Ohio University, has accepted a job in Columbus, Ohio, as a television news producer/reporter. The Hudson, Ohio native has been involved with WOUB Public Media since his freshman year working in both the news and sports departments.
“I always grew up watching ESPN and the news with my family,” said Collins. “I always loved telling people information that I knew, and it just blossomed into, ‘I can make a career out of this.’”
Collins’ mother, who used to be a print journalist, encouraged him to attend the annual High School Journalism Workshop at Ohio University. While at the workshop he found a deeper passion for journalism and learned what it takes to be a good reporter. The workshop also inspired him to attend Ohio University.
Collins originally thought he just wanted to report on sports, but while working at WOUB, discovered his passion for news anchoring and reporting. During the pandemic, he volunteered to be a news anchor.
“I really enjoyed it and kind of fell in love with it,” said Collins. “As someone told me, you never know what you’re going to get or which path you’re going to take. You just have to love what you’re doing, and I love doing both news and sports.”
Collins’ involvement with WOUB helped him to get the job offer from NBC4 TV in Columbus and also helped him land him an important internship last summer. Collins interned at WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina, a Gray Television station. He got the internship through WOUB’s Job Connection Program which invites television recruiters from several different media companies to interview current students for internships and full-time jobs.
“Gray Television came to talk to us, and I really enjoyed what they had to say,” said Collins. “That wouldn’t have happened if WOUB had never set that up. That’s another way WOUB has helped me and so many other people that have been able to get jobs in cities across the country.”
Though Collins is sad to be leaving Athens and WOUB, he’s excited to start his new job after graduating and that he gets to say in Ohio.
Outside of sports and journalism, Collins enjoys skiing, hockey, boating, and anything to do with the outdoors.