Ken Killebrew

Current

• Associate Professor at University of South Florida

Past

• Reporter at The Tampa Tribune
• Instructor at Bradley University
• President at Killebrew & Associates

• Manager of Employee Information and Media Relations at Country Companies Insurance
• Assignment Editor/Reporter at WMBD Television/radio
• News Director at Central Illinois Light Company
• Reporter/anchor at WEEK television
• Reporter at Bloomington Daily Pantagraph
• reporter at Bloomington Daily Pantagraph, Illinois

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6 more...

Education

• University of Tennessee-Knoxville
• Illinois State University
• Bradley University

• Illinois Central College

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Recommended

1 person has recommended Ken

Connections

36 connections

Industry

Higher Education

Ken Killebrew’s Summary

Through more than 30 years of working both for and with the media, I have accumulated a great deal of insight into the news business as an industry. The ongoing integration of media systems (often called convergence) is rapidly altering the media landscape for everyone. Those set to meet the challenges of the new media world will do well. Others will find less success. It is time to understand that newspapers and television are losing their power to the internet. That said, the public must work to ensure that media sources remain free and unencumbered by government.

Ken Killebrew’s Specialties:

I understand and work well in all media industries. My background as a journalist transitions across media platforms. I have worked in all media platforms and am comfortable in my skills and management knowledge. All of these activities position me well as a consultant to media industries working through these changes.

Ken Killebrew’s Experience

• Associate Professor

  University of South Florida

  (Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Higher Education industry)

  August 1996 — Present (12 years 3 months)

  Served as Director of Graduate Studies from 2001 until 2005-6. Designed and created multi-media journalism certificate which later became a track at the graduate level. I am the author of "Managing Media Convergence: Pathways to Journalistic Cooperation" published by Blackwell (2005). Now serve as head of the Telecommunications sequence (broadcasting) for the School of Mass Communications.

• Reporter

  The Tampa Tribune

  (Public Company; Higher Education industry)

  2006 — 2006 (less than a year)

  Fellowship from the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) to work as a reporter at the Tribune. Covered metro and transportation issues.

• Instructor

  Bradley University

  (Educational Institution; 201-500 employees; Higher Education industry)

  August 1989 — May 1993 (3 years 10 months)

  I spent four years at Bradley as an instructor in journalism and in public relations. I taught the capstone course in both sequences during my tenure there including Public Affairs Reporting and Public Relations Management.

• President

  Killebrew & Associates

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Management Consulting industry)

  May 1987 — August 1989 (2 years 4 months)

  I owned and operated a consulting service in marketing and public relations. The company provided full service communications activities for a variety of small, start-up and mid-sized companies in central Illinois. Primary achievement was the creation of "LibertyFest," a three day festival each Independence day in Peoria, Illinois. The festival's original setting drew more than 40,000 visitors. Today more than 100,000 visitors participate in the annual festivities.

• Manager of Employee Information and Media Relations

  Country Companies Insurance

  (Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; Insurance industry)

  March 1985 — April 1987 (2 years 2 months)

  Managed and oversaw the publication of monthly newsletters for employees and management. Wrote the annual marketing plan. Was the primary contact for all news media discussions about company activities.

• Assignment Editor/Reporter

  WMBD Television/radio

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Broadcast Media industry)

  March 1984 — April 1985 (1 year 2 months)

  Daily news assignment editor. Decision making authority of daily news coverage, reporter/photographer news team assignments. Worked with production staff to create graphics for daily news shows. Also worked as a reporter, covering political events including 1984 presidential race and the race for the U.S. Senate.

• News Director

  Central Illinois Light Company

  (Public Company; Utilities industry)

  March 1982 — April 1984 (2 years 2 months)

  Directed and oversaw the activities associated with the corporation's public image. Worked with local, regional and national media outlets (Washington Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribunes and Peoria Journal Star, and television networks). Worked with Illinois Attorney General's office creating messages for class action suit against major natural gas supplier, resulting in changes that eliminated non-competitive contracts

• Reporter/anchor

  WEEK television

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Broadcast Media industry)

  February 1975 — March 1982 (7 years 2 months)

  Primary political reporter for national, regional and local elections. Covered city hall and was a consumer reporter as well. Anchored morning cut-in show from 1978 to early 1982. I won four awards in five years for best reporting including Best Investigative Reporting (1981) and second place as Best Reporter (1982).

• Reporter

  Bloomington Daily Pantagraph

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Newspapers industry)

  December 1969 — May 1972 (2 years 6 months)

  Beat reporter covered fire and police on a local and county-wide level. Regional reporting included. Copy editor on Saturday mornings and covered special events on weekends.

• reporter

  Bloomington Daily Pantagraph, Illinois

  (Higher Education industry)

  1969 — 1972 (3 years)

Ken Killebrew’s Education

• University of Tennessee-Knoxville

  Ph.D., Journalism, International Relations, 1993 — 1996

  Served as the student representative to the graduate admissions committee for the College of Communications

  Activities and Societies:

  elected to Phi Kappa Phi national scholarship honor's society
  Kappa Tau Alpha, national journalism and mass communications honor's society

• Illinois State University

  master's, Applied Communication Research, 1989 — 1993

  This degree is in Communication Studies with an emphasis in applied communications research from both a statistical and qualitative perspective.

• Bradley University

  Journalism, Journalism with minor in Economics, 1972 — 1975

  Developed weekly "market basket" reports on the state of the economy in central Illinois for economics department with primary professor. Appeared on noon news at local ABC television affiliate to deliver those reports on weekly basis.

  Activities and Societies:

  Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Sigmas Delta Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, Economic Development researcher

• Illinois Central College

  Associate in Arts, Business, journalism, 1972 — 1973

  Activities and Societies:

  reporter for weekly college newspaper.

Ken Killebrew’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• consulting offers
• expertise requests
• reference requests
• getting back in touch