Samantha Wright
Idaho Matters Senior ProducerExpertise: Reporting, producing, writing, editing, hosting, interviewing, board operating
Education: Boise State University + interviewing every expert and reading every book I can find to constantly keep learning
Highlights
- I got to chase Martian Dust Devils in the Oregon desert
- I wisely skipped breakfast the day I flew in a Red Baron Squadron Stearman stunt biplane
- My tombstone will probably read “Brought the Parachuting Beavers story to Idaho”
- I rode in the belly of an M1 Abrams Tank across the Idaho desert
Experience
As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio. I am so grateful to have been honored by my peers with Edward R. Murrow Awards for my stories including wheelchair rugby, blind bird watching, making pies for Lent, learning to can food during a recession, and walking through a living nativity.
I love playing with audio and had great fun putting together my Canning Makes a Comeback story which won Best Use of Sound from the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA). I love interviewing fascinating people from Idaho musician Rosalie Sorrels to best-selling author Sharon Kay Penman. I also sat down with three of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders and several of the surviving Tuskegee Airmen. I hosted “Folk Trails” on KBSU for several years and got paid to play celtic, bluegrass and folk music while chatting with everyone from “Artis the Spoonman” to singer Christine Lavin.
I’ve followed guide dog trainers for Voice of America, reported on how road noise affects Boise’s Foothills for New Yorker Magazine, gathered sound for This American Life, trekked to Stanley, Idaho for NPR for the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, and reported for the New York Times and National Native News. I loved producing stories for the Idaho Storycorps Project each time it came to Boise and had great fun hosting the Legislative Breakdown podcast for several sessions of the Idaho Legislature.
My goal is to find out what’s on the mind of our listeners and to Never Be Boring!
Email: If you have a suggestion for an Idaho Matters segment, please email idahomatters@boisestate.edu.
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A new Idaho law, which takes effect in July, is now in court after a group of transgender Idahoans decided to sue the state last week. -
A surge in sophisticated text scams impersonating Idaho government agencies is costing residents thousands and prompting experts to warn the public about how to spot and avoid fraud. -
In Maine, a three-person crew at the East End Treatment Plant works nonstop to keep an aging system running when a hazardous contaminant creates a serious problem. -
The Scott Fish Bowl, a global fantasy football tournament with a charitable mission, will make its Boise debut on June 12, bringing together a wide range of participants to support local organizations. -
Each Monday on Idaho Matters, we’ll bring you a snapshot of a small corner of our Capital City and its unique past and today we head to the New York Canal! -
The Idaho Shakespeare Festival turns 50 years old and its founder looks back at how it grew from a tiny production in 1976 to what it is today. -
Bruce Campbell is taking a break from horror movies like Evil Dead, Sam Raimi's Spider-man, and TV shows like Burn Notice, for a sit down with Idaho Matters about his new movie Ernie & Emma which is coming to the Egyptian in Boise. -
It's the 107th anniversary of Boise Music Week! We look at it's history and what's happening this year. -
The Idaho Film Society is holding its inaugural Idaho Film Hall of Fame Awards! -
Getting old bikes out of the landfill, and into the hands of those who might need one, is the goal of the Recycle a Bicycle program in Meridian.
