Pat Blank

Pat reports Iowa news and weather each weekday afternoon during "All Things Considered" on Iowa Public Radio.

Email: Pat Blank.

Phone: 319-273-6407 or 1-800-772-2440, ext. 36407

Listen to a WAV file

Take 5 Profile with Pat Blank:

A little about Pat:
When I first applied for a job at KUNI, General Manager Doug Vernier told me, "We don't usually hire our former students, but I guess we could give you a chance." He did just that in 1984 and again in 1995. I was one of the first radio-TV majors at UNI back in the late 1970s. In fact I watched the building in which KUNI is housed being built.

I did my first "tour of duty" at KUNI from 1984 to 1990 producing news stories and eventually hosting Morning Edition. I left to pursue the other aspects of my media career including public relations, television news producer and morning show co-host at a commercial radio station.

In 1995, I came to my senses and returned to KUNI. My primary responsibility is hosting All Things Considered, but I also prepare reports for Morning Edition and I supervise the student workers in the newsroom.

Along with the stories I produce for KUNI, I've also been a contributing editor for an NPR program called Pulse of the Planet with Jim Metzner. I have also field-produced a series of programs for Charles Osgood (the guy with the bow tie) for CBS radio.

What is your favorite NPR/PRI program?
This American Life. Ira Glass is a genius and an inspiration.

Why/how did you get into radio?
I started college intending to get a journalism degree and write for a newspaper or a magazine. When I got to UNI, I'd pretty much taken all the coursed I needed and they didn't have a journalism major, so I took the advice of a faculty member and tried the "brand new" radio-TV major and found a perfect fit. Besides, I only needed to sound good on the radio, not look good!

What is your most memorable moment with KUNI/KHKE?
It was on the campaign trail covering an appearance in Waterloo by newly-announced presidential candidate George W. Bush. He was still the governor of Texas and had with him a whole herd of grumpy Texas Rangers. It was a hot day and anyone who knows me knows that I have a lot of patience. One thing led to another and after being rudely asked to move three times, I said something to one of the Rangers that made him blush and many of my colleagues chuckle. It worked - he stopped asking me to move.

What do you do for fun?
I raise pygmy goats and ride around the country on a Harley with my husband of 24 years. (He is the luckiest man in the world, just ask him!)

What, in your opinion, is the best aspect of KUNI/KHKE?
Fundraising...no I'm not kidding. It makes us think about and then say out loud why KUNI is the best choice on the radio dial.