From �� to Nebraska, Andy Hermann is telling unique stories on public radio

Andy Hermann’s career has come full circle. He got his start in public radio as a student volunteer at WOUB and now he’s working as a producer at Nebraska Public Media.

“As a 19 or 20-year-old kid, I got to do so many things at WOUB,” said Hermann. “From hosting on WOUB AM and FM, to producing a couple of radio features, to pitching them and being able to get them on the air. It was a great experience.”

Hermann grew up outside of Columbus and chose ��, as many do, after one look at the campus.

“When we were driving in for a visit on 33, at some point you see the campus, and it looked right to me,” said Hermann. “When we got into town and I saw the brick streets and Court Street, and the campus green, it all felt good.”

Hermann ultimately knew he was interested in radio. First, he briefly got involved at ACRN and then during his junior year, he made his way to WOUB.

“I went over and talked with Connie Stevens (former WOUB AM program coordinator),” said Hermann. “Connie was a mentor to me. I learned a lot from her. She gave us a lot of freedom to do as much as we wanted. She gave a lot of rope to try things and see what you were good at. If you failed, she let you try again. It was inspirational to me.”

During his time at WOUB, Hermann hosted programs, including The Nightshift, on WOUB AM and did some fill-in announcing during Jazz and Classical programs on the FM side. He also worked for WOUB over a summer and a winter break, eventually becoming AM music director during his senior year.

After graduation, Hermann moved to Chicago where he started working at an advertising agency. Eventually he got an internship at WGN Radio.

“I got in there at WGN and stayed for quite a while,” said Hermann. “I worked my way from intern to talk radio producer. I was the weekend overnight producer and helped launch their initial podcasting efforts.”

In 2013, Hermann was hired at WGN TV as the on-air promotion’s coordinator. It was a great job that he was able to do remotely when his wife got a job in New York. But the pandemic changed the couple’s priorities.

“My wife is from Lincoln, Nebraska and we decided on a whim that it was time to get back to the Midwest,” said Hermann. “After a couple of years still working remotely, I landed a job at Nebraska Public Media as a radio producer.”

Nebraska Public Media is a statewide network of public radio and television stations that includes local content and programming from PBS and NPR. During his time there, Hermann has done some on-air hosting of All Things Considered; fill-in hosting of Friday LIVE, a weekly local arts and humanities program; and is a utility player who does a little bit of everything on the radio producing team.

“I just started a monthly radio feature that runs during Weekend Edition called ,” said Hermann. “It features things that make Nebraska unique. We tell the stories of what makes Nebraska, Nebraska.”

Hermann enjoys telling stories of regional differences around the country. He approaches the series as a non-Nebraska native discovering these quirks in an effort to instill pride in the Nebraskans who are listening. Hermann says his interest in regionalisms and what makes different communities, different cultures and different people tick, may have originated during his time at WOUB.

“Coming from central �� to Athens, there was a different way of life there,” said Hermann. “Then moving to Chicago and New York, now back to a smaller city in the middle of the country, I appreciate regional differences especially when things seem homogenized. Maybe I got that from my time in Athens at WOUB. I had never met someone like Connie Stevens before. WOUB changed my outlook on life and opened things up for me.”

Learn more about WOUB.

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