(September 21, 2018) Bradford Evans spent his summer contacting more than 150 universities and professional teams to ask if they needed a play-by-play broadcaster. He contacted many additional employers through formal job applications. Finally, his effort paid off. An STAA member, Evans is joining the news and sports departments at KIBS/KBOV in Bishop, CA.
The position is just four hours from Evans home in Redlands, CA.
“I found the job by just basic Internet searching and saw that they had an opening to replace a guy who had been there since the 80’s,” recalls Evans.
KIBS/KBOV provides an opportunity for Evans to grow and take the next step forward. “I know it’s cliche, but I feel that being able to wear multiple hats is invaluable because the more skills you learn, the more attractive of a candidate you are. I will have to handle all news and sports updates, run the board, write, interview, produce, and do play-by-play.”
Evans is a 2015 graduate of The University of Southern California. His experience includes play-by-play in the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League, UC Riverside women’s basketball, Life Pacific College men’s basketball and various high school sports. He joined STAA in 2017.
One area where Evans says he has especially benefitted from his STAA membership is in following up his applications. “I rarely used to follow up. When I did, I was doing what everyone else was doing by saying things like ‘I’m just checking to see if you got my stuff.’ Now I make sure that my emails and cover letters are highly personalized.”
Evans didn’t immediately hear back after applying for the KIBS/KBOV job but his follow-up got him noticed. “I mentioned that I had been to Bishop frequently because I often snowboard in Mammoth. I think this grabbed their attention. I ended up hearing back after a month of radio silence to set up an interview. STAA has provided with the tools necessary to get the attention of employers.
“I am excited to get an opportunity to grow in broadcasting in a full time manner, which was something I found extremely difficult.”
(Visit Bradford’s website).