Next week, Boise State Public Radio listeners will be starting their mornings to a new tune -- or voice. Matt Guilhem joined the station at the start of September and is ready to take over the helm as host of Morning Edition. Guilhem joins Boise State Public Radio after hosting and reporting for KVCR, the NPR affiliate in San Bernardino, California.
We sat down with Matt -- who wakes up for his new job at 4 a.m. -- and asked him a few questions about his background, himself and his hopes for his time in Idaho.
What attracted you to the Morning Edition job in Boise?
I was looking for a big change and a new adventure. I've been in and around southern California my whole life, so this move to Boise is a foray out of my comfort zone. The city feels like it has a lot of potential -- people here are taking risks with local businesses and doing really creative things. Strangers saying hello and asking about my day, the intimacy of a smaller city and a climate that actually shifts with the seasons are all going to be new for me.
What kind of reporting have you done in the past?
I've been a general reporter, so I've covered a wide variety of things. The area I was based in, the "Inland Empire" region of southern California, saw me particularly covering the logistics industry boom that's reshaping the community. Warehouses that are hundreds of thousands of square feet can't be built fast enough and are noticeably changing the landscape. Another major topic I covered was the municipal bankruptcy the City of San Bernardino is facing. The biggest news event I've ever covered was the December 2, 2015 terror attack on the city that killed 14 and injured 22.
What kind of stories are you most excited to tell in Idaho?
I can't wait to discover and tell stories in Idaho that aren't so dependent on a single industry like logistics, or consistent themes of poverty and crime. While I know those things exist here and need to be covered, I'm excited to be in a place where storytelling will not only take me out of the office, but into nature. I'm looking forward to familiarizing myself with topics I never got to cover back in California: agriculture, open space policy and just finding characters up to something that could only happen in the Gem State.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
When not on the radio, I'm into cooking (I have a secret fascination with old Jell-O recipes), mid-century architecture and design, and going for drives to explore Idaho.
You can hear Matt Guilhem on-air during Morning Edition, weekdays from 6-9 a.m. on KBSX.
For more local news, follow KBSX News on Twitter @KBSX915
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