I took part in the panel discussion on AETN’s Arkansas Week on Friday, April 26, with the top item being the formal adjournment of this year’s session of the Arkansas Legislature. I also discussed the federal trial I’ve been covering with 18 Arkansas death row inmates suing the state over the use of the drug midazolam as the first drug in lethal injections. Their attorneys argue it doesn’t sufficiently knock out inmates before the second and third drugs are administered, which paralyze the muscles and stop the heart, leading to unconstitutional pain and suffering.
Also joining the round table conversation was Arkansas Times reporter Rebekah Hall talking about Little Rock City Hall. She had been an intern at KUAR five or six years ago while still in high school and I was proud to see how well she did on the TV program.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
This is a sad day for Little Rock radio. Tom Wood, a radio legend in this market, was told today by iHeartMedia that his job was one of 70 being eliminated in the latest round of cuts by the bankrupt corporate radio company. His was one of the most familiar and beloved voices in Arkansas. Tom’s dismissal is just the latest example of how far the struggling industry has fallen, not only decimating heritage radio stations, but getting rid of icons like Tom.
He helped create the popular, longtime rock station Magic 105 in 1980, but with the deregulation of radio in the 1990s, Clear Channel bought the frequency and made changes leading to its downfall. Tom stayed with the company and even became the namesake for another station in the cluster called Tom-FM. But that station, following the corporate programming strategy of “we play it all,” was eventually changed to Big 94.9. Then the frequency changed formats again.
I interviewed him in February about his long career, which you can hear on the link. I hope his voice once again returns to the airwaves in Arkansas. READ MORE.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
A ruling by a federal judge has halted Arkansas’s work requirement for some recipients of the state’s Medicaid expansion program. That was the top story this week, which led the roundtable discussion on AETN’s Arkansas Week. I joined reporters Benji Hardy of the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network and independent journalist Steve Brawner to talk about that with host Steve Barnes. The ruling came down just as lawmakers are considering funding for Medicaid and this is expected to complicate the debate.
We also discussed school voucher proposals, the withdrawal of a bill concerning waste from a hog farm in north Arkansas, a term limits proposal that appears on track to go before voters, and as Steve was starting to wrap up the show, I had to toss in my favorite bill of this legislative session, which is now headed to the governor’s desk. Every state has two statues in the U.S. Capitol and legislation approved by the House this week would replace Arkansas’s with singer Johnny Cash and civil rights leader Daisy Bates.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
I’m very proud and excited to share that I’m one of 53 public broadcasting newsroom leaders selected to take part in an intensive 100-day training program paid for entirely by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative is being held at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
It will be a great opportunity to hone my skills. I’ll fly out to Arizona as part of the second group in August, spending a week there, then work remotely each day with a coach before returning to ASU for a wrap up in January. From the description: “It is 8 total days of customized intensive training at Cronkite and 3 months working 1:1 with a personal coach (industry leader). The goal is to take strong journalists and make them great leaders who can guide public media into the future.” You can read more on this CPB press release.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
It took two votes, but the Arkansas Senate approved Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s tax proposal which now moves to the House where it’s expected to face a bigger challenge. Meanwhile there was a lot of anticipation about the governor’s highway plan, which has been a key issue that has kept even some Republicans from backing the tax cut. We also gave an update on the implementation of state’s medical marijuana program. I joined fellow journalists Wes Brown and Andrew DeMillo for the roundtable discussion following two state lawmakers who offered their thoughts.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
This is the online home of news veteran Michael Hibblen. I've worked as a reporter, editor and manager for newspapers, radio and TV stations around the country, with this website telling the story of my career. Also featured on this site are outside interests I've researched, primarily about radio and railroads. The views expressed here are my own and might not reflect those of my employers. Today I work for Newsroom Ventures as an editor and reporter for its six newspapers.
Preserving the Rock Island Depot at Perry
Since 2017, I've been part of a group working to preserve the former Rock Island Depot at Perry, Arkansas. To keep it from being demolished, we raised money to move the depot to an adjacent lot, still alongside the tracks, which is now owned by the city. The building has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and our group has become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PRESERVATION OF THE DEPOT.
My Book
Released by Arcadia Publishing in 2017, Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas delves into the history of the railroad, which once had a huge footprint in Arkansas. The book features historic photos and tells the story of the Rock Island, which was shut down in March 1980. READ MORE ABOUT MY BOOK.
For 13 years, from May 2009 to December 2022, I worked for NPR station KUAR-FM 89.1 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. That included 10 years as News Director while continuing to anchor and report. You can read and hear reports from that time on Little Rock Public Radio's website.
I’m very proud and excited to share that I’m one of 53 public broadcasting newsroom leaders selected to take part in an intensive 100-day training program paid for entirely by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative is being held at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
