Crimson and Gold Connection; Dustin Treiber

Welcome to Crimson and Gold Connection, keeping you connected with the people and current events at Pittsburgh State University. This week on Crimson and Gold Connection, KRPS takes the center stage for a while in that I'm going to introduce you to an individual whose voice should become more familiar. I'd like to introduce Dustin Treiber, the program director at KRPS, welcome Dustin. Thank you Robert, it's great to be here today and it's a great honor to take on this role. You're a local man, you grew up in St. Paul, Kansas, and you're an alumnus of Pittsburgh State University, that's right. Yeah, St. Paul's just about a half hour away and I actually went to college until I graduated 2005 at Pitt State and a degree in graphics communications management had nothing to do with broadcasting. And somehow down the line I've made myself into a broadcast, or I guess, so long story, but otherwise I'm here. You're a PSU alumnus, so back in the day, if I can say something like that, what are your sort of memories of being a student at Pitt State? And do you have anything that already stands out from your student career? It was fun times. I was very active in the Newman Club, which is still is there, the Newman Club, St. Paul's 10th Catholic Student Center. I was very active in the Presidential Emerging Leaders Program and various other activities throughout campus.

It was always a great campus, everyone was fun to be around, the teachers were great. It's an awesome college, it's an awesome college experience, so I have nothing but good things to say about my time. Back at Pitt State. I'm a little interested in the Presidential Emerging Leaders Group. What actually did the Presidential Emerging Leaders Group in sale? That was really, and I don't know how they selected people that were in it because there's kind of hand selected. Really, when I became a freshman, they solved what the things that I did back in high school and I was, you know, a leader of different groups. And I guess it was enough to get into the program. The program itself was, and I believe still is, basically, kind of extra training, extra curricular training for future leaders, supervisors, managers. And you got to do a wide variety of things from... We went to ropes courses, things like that, at Green Busch, to learning etiquette, just all types of different things. Team building exercises, trying to be a better leader, not just a boss, not dragging people along, but being a good leader.

And that's really what Pelp did, and I believe still does. It's an awesome program. You've had some experience in commercial radio in the area. What was that like being in a commercial radio environment? It's been different, and it's been about four years since I've been in broadcasting at all. But just really quickly, how I got into radio broadcasting was I was and still am a songwriter. My first radio manager heard some songs that I wrote that I was creative. And I wanted to know if I could write commercials and produce commercials. And that worked into various other areas of broadcasting production director. I started having an on-air shift. Something that a lot of radio stations, not just in this area, but throughout the world, really. Everybody holds many hats. One person can hold a lot of hats. I learned all the automation systems and voice tracking and production, and I really enjoyed it. The differences are, I worked in country radio, rock radio, pop radio. We had several stations at the places that I've worked.

It's a little bit different in that in public radio as far as for me is that everything is so timed because we have satellite feeds to the NPR and these news sources. So we really have a finite set of time that we have to fill and can't go past that. So that's kind of blowing my mind right now. But I'm working my head around it while in radio. You can talk all you want and then push play and the next song comes on. I was going to say, one of the things that we talked about is there is a philosophical difference in the way between commercial radio and public radio and as much as we're into providing information and entertain as well. But the idea most of commercial radio is principally to entertain. Was you saying that's true? Yeah, you really hit that on. It's amazing. It's a testament to public radio when you can actually have people wanting to come in and volunteer. I mean, they really love public radio. They want that information. They're not really coming on here to listen to the next hit rock song. You know, it's going to be on the air. And, you know, I flipped all different types of stations and I want to hear what's going on. So, you know, sometimes I do want to hear the next country music artist

or the next Christian artist or whatever I like. And then sometimes I want to know what the news is. We do a great job here at KRPS to do that and it is a great service. I think we should take a moment to express our appreciation for our two volunteers who actually do come in regularly. We're going to lead Tony and Wally and if they're listening, hi guys. We appreciate you being here and we certainly appreciate the efforts that they put in. Oh, absolutely. Those guys do a heck of a job. And it's really, as I've found out, the volunteers really keep on. The volunteers and the donors and everybody who gives their time, talent, money to public radio. I mean, you guys are the real heroes. So, one of the things that we're looking forward to hearing you and you've already taken up the position as program director and you're going to be the new host of Morning Edition. In fact, you've been broadcasting Morning Edition for a few days now as well. So, how do you feel about being a Morning News host on an NPR affiliate? I have to learn to wake up again. It's getting up that very, very early in the morning to do that. It's a little bit rough on me, but I'm getting there.

And just again, I just have to get my head wrapped around of how public radio works versus what commercial radio worked. And then, again, I have been removed from four years. Not only am I learning something new, I'm re-learning something I used to know. And one of the next things you're going to be doing is taking over from me as the host of Crimson and Gold Connection, which is kind of as icy a way of you closing that particular circle, both as a broadcaster and a alarm of Pitt State working in KRPS, the broadcaster service of Pittsburgh State University. So, you're going to be interviewing a bunch of interesting people living around the campus and with associations with PSU. Well, and real quickly, from what I've heard and seen, you've done a great job in the time that you've been here, Rob. So, it's very sad to see you going. It's been great to work with you this little bit of time that we've had together. As far as interviewing these people at Pitt State, it's one of the reasons I really wanted to work here was to get back on campus. I have four kids now. You know, the oldest is nine years old, the youngest is two. So, I go home from my job and I really see anything in the outside world.

So, it's nice to kind of have, you know, get back on campus. You know, hopefully I'll get to meet some people again, see some people again. And while I love my family very much, I get to see other people other than just them. I don't think it's fair to say we have a fairly good selection of guests lined up in the weeks ahead on Crimson & Gold Connection. I'm not quite sure who all of them are, but there is a not there is a burgeoning list. And I'm sure at one stage, you will get to interview President Steve Scott because he's a regular visitor to the studio. And I look forward to that. I've not met him yet, but I hear good things. Dustin Tribe, a program director for KRPS Public Radio. Thank you for joining me this morning. Thank you Rob. Join us for Crimson & Gold Connection. Wednesdays at 8.50 and Fridays at 350.