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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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.
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The State of Idaho issued a death warrant for 73-year-old convicted murderer, Thomas Eugene Creech.
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A former Republican lawmaker who has posted anti-vaccine rhetoric and misinformation on social media was appointed to the Central District Board of Health.
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Idaho’s youngest students are reading at a higher level than their peers across the country, but students’ scores in more comprehensive tests fell last spring. The mixed results from Idaho’s schools were shared in a news release from the State Department of Education.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded a $8.1M SAFER Grant to the Meridian Fire Department September 1. But the city has yet to accept the money, with a Sept. 30 deadline fast approaching.
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An annual report compiled by the Idaho Conservation League shows that while some facilities have improved from past years, over half of Idaho’s wastewater treatment plants had at least one violation of the Clean Water Act in 2022.
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Voters in Ada County will weigh in on a $49 million bond to expand the county jail. If approved, the average homeowners will pay about $14 a year for the next 20 years.