Troy Oppie
Host/ReporterExpertise: radio hosting, reporting, All Things Considered, jazz music
Education: Pacific Lutheran University
Highlights
- I started at BSPR as a volunteer
- I embrace goofy ideas, like broadcasting live from a hammock by the Boise River
- Public Radio and I go back to middle school – but not as a 'back seat listener'
Experience
I was excited for the chance to volunteer as a local music host back in 2014 after I left local TV (and thus was allowed to appear on-air somewhere else). I hosted "Jazz Conversations" for many years before slowly working into rotation with the news team and joining full-time just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
I enjoy stretching the limits of radio when I can, like trying remote broadcasts from places around Idaho, and introducing listeners to the different characters who make our communities unique. My decade-long career in television included stints in live sports production and I can still occasionally be found behind a camera or in a TV truck, or even calling play-by-play for high school sports.
I also spent nearly six years working in personal finance, which I enjoyed but found highly stressful.
My first exposure to public radio was listening to jazz as a middle schooler on KPLU-FM (now KNKX) in Tacoma-Seattle. Our jazz band even volunteered to answer phones during the station's pledge drives (which used to be 12-14 days long!). Eventually I worked at that station while attending college and it drove my appreciation for public radio – and the people of public radio – to new heights.
Email: Drop me a note or story tip at troyoppie@boisestate.edu
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The latest wildfire potential forecast shows all of Idaho, Oregon and Washington at above-average risk for significant wildfire through September. Above-average risk areas also included northern parts of Montana, Nevada, Utah and California. -
Troy Oppie spoke with Michael Davis, public information officer with Great Basin Incident Management Team 3 on the Tartar Fire in Washington County. -
The school took local media on a tour of the new $68 million facility ahead of its public debut for Banana Ball this Friday and Saturday. -
A conversation with Josh Smith, meteorologist at the Boise National Weather Service office. -
Multiple conservation groups sued in federal court last year to overturn the Forest Service approval of the Perpetua Resources mining plan. That lawsuit is still active, but the request that the court stop construction activities while the legal challenge plays out was denied, and they have appealed that denial to the Ninth Circuit. -
Level two 'be set' evacuation warnings will remain in place for Ohio Gulch and Indian Creek zones, but residents will be allowed to return to their homes in those areas at 9 p.m. Monday night. -
Morning Edition host George Prentice shares a bit about his medical leave, recovery, and what's next. -
The newly-renamed Sawtooth Regional Landfill required extensive rehabilitation to reopen, after environmental violations forced its shutdown in 2023. Republic Services purchased the site last year out of receivership. -
The move follows an uptick in public intoxication, including minors, along with fights and other disturbances. -
Testing wastewater to gauge community health isn't a new idea, but it took off during the COVID-19 pandemic. Viral levels in sewage could predict a rise in confirmed infections and associated increases in hospital visits.
