Jennifer Ludden, Class of 1988, has had an incredible radio reporting career. And it all started at WJPZ. This Tennessee native was recruited by "dorm mom" Sue Mandel (now Weingarten) to come "get a tour" of the radio station. Next thing you know, Jennifer was doing news, as well as music and morning show shifts.
After a summer working back home, she returned as a sophomore and quickly released that southern accent needed to go, particularly if she wanted to fulfill her dream of working in New York City, which she did after graduation.
Despite a myriad of other interests, Jennifer had a roommate with NPR experience. Thanks to Rob Weingarten, Jennifer was able to make a demo tape and land a gig at Maine Public Radio. Soon she learned French and headed to Montreal, where she freelanced. And her bilingual abilities took her West Africa in the mid-nineties. She tell us some pretty incredible war-zone stories from there, as well as her time in Jerusalem covering the Middle East. (Spoiler: don't wear a bullet proof vest while pregnant.)
After starting a family, Jennifer and her husband returned to the US, where she has covered many important national stories from NPR. She does an excellent job giving us quick explainers on complex topics, including immigration, the decline of marriage, housing, climate change, and economic inequality.
We close with Jennifer's advice to current students and young reporters: no matter what subject you're covering, it's all about the people. And that's true regardless of the medium you're working in.
The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.
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