(March 22, 2011) Will Kunkel’s first post-graduate sportscasting job is taking him from Chicago, IL to Fargo, ND. Based upon Kunkel’s excitement, there is little difference between the two cities.
An STAA client, Kunkel has joined Fargo’s KVRR Fox TV as a weekend sports anchor.
“It’s a great sports market,” Kunkel says excitedly. “It’s a small market but for sports you have UND Fighting Sioux hockey which is ranked No. 1 in the country, you have a USHL team, an independent league baseball team and North Dakota State University right in Fargo, and football is their big sport. You get all the sports, so it’s a blast. Getting to cover the number-one Division One hockey team in the country in your first job is not too shabby.”
Kunkel says his only prior knowledge of Fargo came from the 1990s movie of the same name.
“It’s much more of a city than I thought,” he says. “It’s a great college town. There are a lot of young professionals, so that makes it fun.”
A 2007 graduate of St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, Kunkel spent two years at ESPN in Bristol, CT as a production assistant before earning his masters from Northwestern University in Chicago in 2010.
A unique turn of events led Kunkel to Fargo. He had applied for a job in North Carolina. The employer wanted a more experienced broadcaster but Kunkel made such a good impression that the employer referred Kunkel to the news director in Fargo.
“Its great to see people helping each other out and lending a hand like that,” Kunkel grins. “I don’t mind being the recipient of that.”
Kunkel says networking is the key to success for anyone.
“Be persistent. It’s beating down doors and networking. Never not talk to somebody. It doesn’t matter who it is. Just keep talking to people. It’s who you know. People are willing to help others.”
Kunkel started his new job last month.
“I love it,” he says with a huge smile. “I know this is what I want to do for the long-term future. It’s a great time.”