(October 1, 2014) Rarely is going to work for a new employer more comfortable than it is going to be for Alex Gold. Gold is joining the sports staff at 580 WIBW in Topeka, KS as a talk show host and play-by-play broadcaster. The station is just an hour from where Gold grew up near Kansas City and the sports staff is made up entirely of STAA clients, including one of Gold’s friends from college.
“I am thrilled to be able to work for Morris Communications. 580 WIBW is one of the most respected and longest running stations in the state with a great signal. This job allows me to co-host an afternoon drive show covering major athletic institutions like KU, KSU, and Washburn along with the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.”
The entire sports staff at WIBW is now comprised of STAA clients – Gold, Pat Strathman and Sports Director Jake Lebahn. Gold and Strathman attended the University of Kansas together and Strathman had already told Gold about working at WIBW long before they hired him.
“Pat and I were heavily involved in student media during our time at KU. He and I have stayed in touch since, and during the conversations he has mentioned how much he loves the station and working for Jake Lebahn. Pat interned there in college and had nothing but good things to say about management and the way the stations were run. When he and I have talked about the industry we have discussed how many great broadcasters have come from 580 and how honored he is to work for such a respected station.”
Gold moves north to Topeka from Wichita, KS, where was a sports talk host and account executive for the past year. Prior to that, he worked as a sports update anchor and producer at 610 Sports in Kansas City.
The WIBW opportunity came about after Gold received a tip from STAA that the position was open, before the job was posted publicly.
“Within a few days I had an interview setup with Jake Lebahn in Topeka to learn more about the position. We both hit it off and got a good feel for what we each wanted in a show and a co-host, and the other job opportunities I would have.”
Gold’s new gig is less than 70 miles from where he grew up.
“I never thought this opportunity would be available,” says Gold. “Being an hour away from where I grew up in the Kansas City area was just one of the many aspects of this job that make it a wonderful fit. Topeka is centrally located which makes it a great spot to cover KSU, KU and the professional franchises in Kansas City.”
(Visit Alex’s STAA Talent Page).