The baseball broadcasting job which Sam Henderson handled last summer has led to his first full-time broadcasting job in the same city.
“Crazy stuff,” he grins.
Henderson has accepted an on-air/sports position with Mix 105.7 KDXN in Dickinson, ND. He will be hosting a morning show and broadcasting play-by-play, including high school sports and more summer collegiate baseball.
Henderson’s path to the job began when he accepted an internship broadcasting Badlands Big Stick summer collegiate baseball. The games air on Mix 105.7.
“I originally applied to the Big Sticks in the fall of 2019 just looking to do something different and go out of my comfort zone,” Henderson remembers. “I got to know Mix 105.7’s station manager Steve Stroud last summer as we called Big Sticks games together.”
Stroud originally offered Henderson a job in February, thinking Henderson had already graduated from college. “Once I started applying to other places this spring, I gave [Stroud] a courtesy call to see if he still had any openings. He offered me on that exact phone call and the opportunity was too good to pass up,” Henderson smiles.
Henderson graduates from Oklahoma State University this month. He says it feels great to have a job awaiting him.
“I already had the college summer baseball gig lined up so I had some more room to work with than other soon-to-be college grads” he says. “But, around March, I started getting the itch just to see what was out there. I wasn’t getting much, so I joined STAA to help improve my demo and get job application tips. From there, I started landing more interviews and interest.
“One of my professors at Oklahoma State, Dr. John McGuire, showed me STAA one day after class during my junior year. I had no idea something like this existed until then. It’s an awesome resource.”
Small market radio is Henderson’s passion. “Of course I would love to be a D1 play-by-play guy right out of college,” he admits. “But there’s something to be said for being in tune with a small community and the high school sports that mean so much to it. I grew up in a town of 3,000 with only one radio station that covered news and sports in my town, so I realized early on how important that is to people.
Henderson’s ultimate goal is to own a radio station. “With the Mix 105.7, I have the opportunity to learn every aspect of running a station, from hosting a morning show to play-by-play to social media to even sales. I also wanted to get away from home at least for a few years to experience a new part of the world. It will be a great environment for me to grow in radio and gain life experience.”
Referring to the serendipitous path that has led to his new job, Henderson says, “It’s a lucky story.