Communiqué

Career and Personal Life Impacted by WOUB


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The Taylors

ATHENS, OH – Corey Taylor and Kirstie Zontini Taylor are married with an infant daughter and another one on the way. They have a wonderful life in southwestern Ohio, and the two former WOUB student volunteers give most of the credit for it to WOUB Public Media.

Corey Taylor Newswatch Set“I can’t tell you how much WOUB impacted our lives,” said Corey. “It made my college experience.  It was big, and I’m so thankful for the four years I did it and everything it has given me beyond that.”

Corey Taylor, who currently works in marketing analytics, graduated with a telecommunications degree from Ohio University in 2009 while Kirstie, who is now the morning meteorologist at WHIO TV in Dayton, graduated a couple of years later in 2011 with a degree in journalism.

“It’s funny. Since we were two years apart, we didn’t really know each other while we worked at WOUB,” said Kirstie. “I knew of Corey, but we didn’t hang out.”

But a mutual WOUB friend changed that a few years later.

Kirstie on Newswatch Set“When I got the job in Dayton, a good friend of mine, Natalie Jovonovich, who I worked with at WOUB and at WYTV in Youngstown, told me that Corey Taylor lived nearby, and asked if I would consider going out with him,” said Kirstie. “I told her that I would.”

“I always thought a girl like Kirstie was out of my league,” said Corey laughing. “When Natalie said she was willing to go out with me, I was shocked, but I jumped at the chance.”

And the rest is history. However, both say WOUB was more than just a love connection. They are eternally grateful to WOUB for the experience they gained that gave them a jump start on their careers.

“I worked at WOUB from freshman through senior year,” said Corey. “I take what I learned at WOUB and apply it to my job every day. Even though I’m not in the broadcasting industry, the presentation skills I learned are tremendously helpful. I created a digital newspaper to present data to our customers. I edit video and cut stories together like we did at WOUB.”

“I got my first job directly because of my work at WOUB,” said Kirstie. “One of the people at the station asked a couple WOUB professional staff members if they had a student graduating who could report and forecast the weather, and they recommended me. I was prepared for that job because of the experience I got at WOUB being on the air multiple times a week. I did not feel intimated or shy when I got my first job. We are both very thankful for WOUB.”