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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An Ottawa doctor is challenging wasteful hospital practices and showing how better patient care can also mean better care for the planet. -
You may think of rotary clubs as a place for networking lunches and guest speakers, but in one village in Guatemala, Boise Rotary means something much bigger, clean water. -
Two Navy Growlers collided during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show in Mountain Home on Sunday, forcing the pilots and Electronic Warfare Officers to eject before ethe crash sparked a brush fire and shut down the event. -
As Boise faces hotter temperatures and growing climate risks, city leaders and health experts are working on local solutions to keep residents safe and our communities resilient. -
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 Bogus Basin! -
Idaho trauma experts share what they're seeing in emergency rooms and why prevention is so important. -
After a long renovation, Boise State's observatory is preparing to once again open a window to the stars for students and scientists alike. -
From improving bedside care to leading statewide medical education, Dr. Megan Dunay is being recognized for changing the way Idaho doctors care for their patients. -
The U.S. Air Guitar Championships are bringing big rock energy back to the Treasure Valley, where competitors will battle it out for the title of champion! -
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 Alaska Building!
