(December 14, 2016) Joe Paretta has spent the past 10 years teaching college English, writing and literature in Pennsylvania. During that time, he has also had a love for broadcasting that has continued to grow. Now, Paretta is going all-in on the latter. An STAA member, Paretta has been hired as News and Sports Director at KNLV Radio in Ord, NE.
Paretta has radio experience from his time as a student at Hofstra University and one season of junior hockey play-by-play on his resume. However, KNLV is his first full-time broadcasting job. “It is small market radio, which will allow me to learn the ins and outs of radio, while also getting to do a significant amount of play-by-play,” he says. “I will be able to hone my news gathering and interviewing skills.”
Paretta makes the move from Pennsylvania to Nebraska with his wife Jessica. “I am blessed to have a wife who fully supports me,” says Paretta. “She knows that this has been my dream for a LONG time and she said that wherever the job is, we will go. In fact, she read about this particular job before I did and forwarded the posting to me, saying ‘This is perfect for you!’
“Seeing [STAA] members get jobs across the country gave me hope that my time would come, as long as I stayed patient and persistent,” says Paretta, who has been an STAA member since 2014.
Now, just like the pioneers of yesteryear, Paretta and his wife are heading West, eager for new challenges.
“We’re both looking forward to this opportunity,” he says. “For us, Christmas came early this year.”