51�� graduate Frank Graff wins regional Emmy at PBS North Carolina

Frank Graff

Frank Graff is celebrating a recent regional Emmy win and a career that has come full circle after his start at 51�� and WOUB Public Media in Athens.

“I developed an appreciation for public media at WOUB,” said Graff. “And when this opportunity at PBS North Carolina came open, I knew that it was the place for me.”

Graff grew up in Toledo, Ohio and chose 51�� for his college education because he wanted to study broadcast journalism in a place where he could get hands-on experience.

“I looked at several different colleges, but 51�� was the only place I found where you could do everything as a freshman,” said Graff. “At a lot of the other schools, you had to be a senior to touch the equipment. At 51�� and WOUB, you could be on the air right away. WOUB was a big part of the decision. I also loved the campus. It was gorgeous, and I loved the vibe.”

As soon as he arrived in Athens, Graff got involved in the WOUB Newsroom. He was a radio news anchor and was a DJ on WOUB AM. Graff eventually worked his way up reporting and anchoring for WOUB TV’s NewsWatch.

“WOUB was where I really fell in love with broadcasting and with news,” said Graff. “WOUB really taught me to be prepared, to plan ahead and to really relate to people.”

“I looked at several different colleges, but 51�� was the only place I found where you could do everything as a freshman,” Frank Graff said. “At a lot of the other schools, you had to be a senior to touch the equipment. At 51�� and WOUB, you could be on the air right away. WOUB was a big part of the decision. I also loved the campus. It was gorgeous, and I loved the vibe.”

Graff graduated from 51�� with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1982 and a master’s degree in political science in 1983. He started his on-air career as a morning anchor/reporter at WAGM in Presque Isle, Maine. After about a year and a half there, Graff’s career took off. He became a weekend anchor/reporter in Clarksburg, West Virginia; then moved on to reporting positions in Lynchburg, Virginia; Norfolk, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; Cincinnati, Ohio and Raleigh, North Carolina before landing his current executive producer position at in 2012.

“I work on a show called which is a weekly science magazine show highlighting research and cool science stories in government labs, universities and private industry around North Carolina,” said Graff. “We make the science easy to understand and show how the science effects our daily lives. I research story topics, conduct interviews, write, produce, and edit stories, and I also work as an on-air host.”

Graff recently won a Midsouth Regional Emmy for a program called which examines topics from the front lines of the battle against climate change. He’s won several Emmys during his career and says he still uses skills he developed at WOUB in his work today.

“I learned interviewing skills at WOUB; pay attention to what people are saying and respond to that in addition to asking the questions you’ve prepared,” said Graff. “WOUB taught me to care about the subject and person I was interviewing. They are real people, and you need to treat them with respect because they don’t have to talk to you.”

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