After a year in Mexico, Alex Benzegala is back broadcasting in a familiar part of the United States. He is the new Sports Director at KHBT 97.7 in Humboldt, IA.
“This is a great opportunity for me to get back into the industry after taking a break from broadcasting in 2020,” he says. “I lived in Mexico with my wife for the majority of the pandemic and was struggling to land a full time broadcasting job in the United States, so I’m grateful to have a job in this industry in a market that I am familiar with.”
Familiar surroundings
Benzegala applied immediately after finding the KHBT opening in an STAA Job Leads email. He received a reply less than three hours later. “I had an advantage for this position because I previously worked with the co-owner of KHBT for a couple of months when I worked at Alpha Media in Fort Dodge, IA, from 2017-2019,” Benzegala recalls. “Having that connection helped because he was already familiar with my work. I also had an advantage because I was already very familiar with the town of Humboldt since I had lived 20 minutes away in Fort Dodge.”
KHBT also presents Benzegala with a chance to call sports he’s not broadcast before. “Sports such as wrestling and soccer,” he says. “And broadcasting over 100 games a year will be a record for me and a challenge that I am looking forward to.”
Benzegala has been an STAA member since 2014. “Finding a job can very difficult, but STAA makes it easier,” he says. “There are a lot of resources that are very beneficial to members. One of my favorite parts of STAA is the community. I learn a lot from the many great broadcasters at STAA, thus making me a better broadcaster and making it easier for me to get a job.”
Now Benzegala is returning to work in a part of the country he loves.
“I like the quality of life in the Midwest. And even though it sounds cliche, people are genuinely nice and are great to work with. It is also a great area of the country to raise a family.”