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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Water is not an unlimited resource, and more attention is being paid to how we use it - especially on thirsty landscaping like non-native grass lawns. What can homeowners do if they're tired of the maintenance and the rising expense of watering their yard?
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The State of Idaho announced it will livestream hearings in the case of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students just over a year ago.
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Unpaid meal balances held in the state’s largest district eclipsed $100,000 last school year. So far this year, the district is on pace for double that amount.
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Owners of a primary residence valued at $430,000 would receive a reduction of about $500 according to early estimates from the Ada County Treasurer.
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The City of Meridian has agreed to accept millions of dollars from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to add more fire fighters over the next three years.
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Voters will see two issues on the ballot November 7th: one would create a new county-wide EMS district, and separately, the $4 million dollar tax override levy to pay for it. County officials and first responders say the area has outgrown its existing EMS structure and funding.
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This month people will cast their vote for whether or not the Ada County jail should get an expansion. Idaho Matters takes a look at what passing this bond could mean for inmates and our community.
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Idaho Matters takes a look at the news that made headlines this week, including an update on upcoming elections and why state officials hope to increase enrollment in the WIC program.
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Meeting the U.S. Department of Education's timeline could be difficult because Idaho's process to change the education code requires legislative action.
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Health officials say more than 50 people were exposed and monitored, but the only confirmed cases were in the household of the man who returned from international travel in September while infected.