Communications Media graduate Melanie (Monaghan) Bradburn changed up her morning routine to spend time talking to students in COMM 101 and JRNL 105. Radio listeners in Pittsburgh know Bradburn as Melanie Taylor, one member of the Star 100.7 team on The Bubba Show. Bradburn talked about her more than 20-year career working in radio and television in Pittsburgh.
Her advice to aspiring media professionals was to diversify their skills. "Be able to do more than one thing. Media companies don't hire people who only have one skill. You have to be able to host, edit, write, and produce content."
Bradburn told students about how technology and the popularity of podcasting have changed the radio industry and about the challenges of doing local radio during the pandemic. "I'm working from home. My colleague is in the studio in Pittsburgh, but I have a computer in my kitchen. I plug in, and we do the show together."
Students were also reminded of the importance of networking, making connections, and getting an internship. "I was able to meet so many people and get connected for my early jobs by doing my internship," she said. When asked about the hardest part of her job, Bradburn talked about her schedule. "That alarm clock going off at 3:00 a.m. is tough."
Bradburn graduated in 1996. During her years at IUP, she was active in WIUP-FM and credits that experience and classes in production with putting her on the path for her career.