Journalism

Audio and Podcasting Track

At UM Journalism, audio students don't wait to do real work. From their first year, students anchor live news on KBGA, write and report for Montana Public Radio — which is housed right on campus — produce original podcasts, and file daily from the state legislature during session. By graduation, they have a reel, not just a résumé.

That hands-on approach recently scaled to something bigger. In April 2026, the School launched The Obit Project — a 12-episode nationally distributed podcast co-hosted by UM professor Jule Banville and Jad Abumrad, MacArthur Fellow, three-time Peabody Award winner, and founder of Radiolab. It began as a classroom assignment. It now airs on Montana Public Radio, NPR, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. That's the trajectory this program is built for.

Job and Career Opportunities

Audio storytelling is reaching more people than ever. Weekly terrestrial radio listening has held steady at roughly 80% of Americans for years — a remarkably durable audience — while the share of Americans who listen to podcasts monthly has climbed past 55%, up sharply from just a few years ago. That combination — a loyal core radio audience plus a fast-growing podcast one — means more shows, more outlets, and more demand for people who know how to find a story, record it cleanly, and edit it into something worth someone's commute.

Just some of the jobs you'll be ready for after completing the audio track at the University of Montana School of Journalism:

• Reporter
• Producer
• Host
• News Director
• Script Writer
• Podcaster
• Editor
• Audio Engineer

The Student Experience

Senior Bayliss Flynn got hands-on proof of how far UM audio training can take you when she worked on the Obit Project, the school's podcast produced alongside Radiolab founder Jad Abumrad.

"Working on Obit confirmed that narrative audio is what I want to do," she said. "It taught me how to really dig for a story — not just in the reporting, but in the writing and editing too. I learned to push past the obvious, ask better questions, and keep rewriting until the story felt right. Working alongside someone like Jad Abumrad set a high bar and challenged all of us to think more intentionally about every decision we made."

Her advice for students interested in audio is simple:

"Pick up a mic and give it a go. Don't be afraid of the work, and don't be afraid to redo anything. Mistakes are how you learn. Some of the best moments in a story come after you've redone an interview or script for the third or fourth time." She also points new students toward the faculty: "Listen to Jule's advice and then listen to it again. She'll challenge you in the best way because she knows what she's talking about."

Former student Peyton Butler found her way to the track after interning at Montana Public Radio, which is housed at UM. She's also worked as media director at the campus radio station, KBGA, and interned with a podcast called Stories for Action. Her advice echoes Flynn's, with a different emphasis:

"I think just getting to know your professors is a really good way to get things done and to get knowledge that you might not even necessarily get from class. I'll ask Jule Banville questions about things I'm doing at KBGA and she'll be like: 'oh, you should try this.' So just getting to know your professors and kind of building that relationship with them — they can help you out a lot."

Recent Alumni

Nathan Rott (pictured at left), science and environmental reporter, NPR

Nicky Ouellet, managing editor, Wyoming Public Radio

Nora Saks, independent journalist and creator of award winning “Richest Hill” podcast

Clayton Murphy (Class of 2026), Capitol reporter, Montana Public Radio

Autumn Barnes, producer, Hidden Brain podcast

Freddy Monares, KNKX Public Radio, Seattle

"The skills you learn at the J-School: how to write, how to think critically, how to ask smart questions, how to work on a deadline ... people are counting on you. Those are all things that are applicable to all careers.”

-- NPR reporter Nathan Rott

Courses

In the audio track, you'll start with the "core four" of the Journalism School (Media History and Literacy, Writing the News, Beginning Visual Journalism and Reporting the News,) then you branch out and start taking electives. Audio is a part of both Writing the News and Reporting the News.

We suggest starting with Intro to Audio, which fulfills a general education requirement, and then tackling Intermediate Audio and then Advanced Audio, which is a capstone course where you'll produce as a professional. In all of these courses, you'll create high-quality audio projects. Many of our students' stories are also published on the Public Radio Exchange.

We also encourage you to take some sonic arts classes in the School of Visual and Media Arts.