Many may know him as the man behind 89.1 The Bash. Some may know him as a teacher. Others may call him a friend. He is the station manager of News Channel 15, which was named the Nation’s best community college TV station in 2020. This is the story of the legend himself, Kyle Peach.
When Kyle came to Wabash Valley College to work full time, he took over the college’s radio and TV stations 89.1 The Bash and News Channel 15 respectively. Kyle is known by his colleagues for being an incredibly hard-working and determined individual. Fellow sports announcer, Mark Richison, talks about Kyle’s work ethic and what makes him a good sports announcer: “Well a couple [of] things, one is that he’s just excited about the ball game. He’s thrilled about being there every time. You can tell that comes across. Then he does a lot of preparation. He knows his stuff. Ya know, of course, he has a good voice for it, an active mind. [He] just has all it takes to get it done.”
Kyle’s work ethic and his ability to guide his students to success have led News Channel 15 to win various awards. These have included the IBS Awards Best Community College TV station in 2020 and in 2021, Best Commercial through Drew Pountain’s spot for the Broadcasting program at Wabash Valley College.
Kyle's Broadcasting Origins
Kyle started broadcasting when Scott Allen, who at the time worked at WCJ-TV/WSJD, came to the job fair at his school. Kyle was immediately interested and started working for them in 1995. “He was one of the smartest kids in the tri-state. He was a kid that dominated the awards and everything. While he was in high school he was in line to become the Channel 7 youth reporter. Somewhere along the line I either found out or knew about it. We were getting Channel 12 going and moving. So I remember meeting Kyle at the city park and basically saying, ‘Hey why don’t you consider working for us?’ So that’s really how Kyle got started with us in Mt Carmel.” When he graduated from Mt Carmel High School he furthered his education by studying Radio/TV Broadcasting at Wabash Valley College until 1999. He then went to the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN to study Broadcast Journalism.
During his time in college, Kyle continued to work at WCJ-TV/WSJD. He also worked as a reporter for Eyewitness News WEHT WTVW. Once he was finished with college he started work at his former school, Wabash Valley College, where he eventually became the director of Broadcasting and the lead instructor for the Radio/TV Broadcasting program.
Kyle started teaching while he was still getting his own education at the University of Southern Indiana. He recalls teaching a class while still being enrolled in the class himself: “So, my senior year at USI, going into Christmas break, I got a phone call from the Dean at Wabash Valley College, and he said, ‘...we need a part-time instructor to teach some broadcasting courses and I didn’t know if you’d be interested.’ I explained that I was still finishing up my degree and he said, ‘Well that shouldn’t be a problem.’ So, I ended up teaching the same class that I was taking at USI in the same semester, Broadcast Journalism, and that’s how my time here started."
The Legacy of Kyle Peach
Every legend leaves behind a legacy. This is what Kyle hopes he remembered for when he eventually retires: “What I find most rewarding at Wabash is when I get to teach students that share the same passion for the broadcast industry that I have. That share that same work ethic of wanting to do as many things as you can do, doing them well, and doing them to the point that you’re serving your audience. So, I guess when my time here is done I’m gonna look back and look and see how many students through the years that I’ve been able to impart my passion too, in hopes that they are carrying on that same tradition of quality work and really caring about the product that they give their audience. That’s going to be my biggest legacy I think, is looking back on that and seeing just how many students I was able to help get into this industry.”
In my two years here at WVC, I have seen Kyle's legendary status as not only a broadcaster but as a teacher. He has taught me so much about what it takes to be in this field. Because of his teaching, I have been fortunate enough to already start writing professionally for other publications. I can’t imagine where I would be if it weren’t for Kyle and everybody involved with the Radio/TV department at Wabash Valley College. If you are thinking about going into broadcasting, Wabash is the place to go. Kyle Peach and everyone else in the department will be eagerly awaiting your arrival.
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