Alumni Spotlight: Josh Morgan

Josh Morgan ‘13, Master of Arts in Communication graduate, currently serves as the news director for WREX TV in Rockford, Illinois. It’s a position he’s earned after a decade in the news industry.

Morgan began his professional career working as a news producer for WLUK Fox 11 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He soon realized that if he was going to advance in his career and become a great journalist, he also had to be a great writer. He was already familiar with Spring Arbor University and knew what SAU had to offer, having grown up in Michigan, so Morgan looked into the online Master of Communication program. “Working in Green Bay limited my choices for working toward a master’s while working full time,” says Morgan. “When I came across the online option for the degree at a university I already knew very well, it was a no-brainer.”

Taking classes online and working full-time pushed Morgan to grow intellectually and professionally. “It had a profound impact on my career at the time, and on my career trajectory,” he muses. Morgan continued at WLUK until 2011, then moved to Paducah, Kentucky, to serve as an executive producer at WPSD-TV. A year later, and nearing completion of his MA, Morgan began his current position as news director at WREX TV in Rockford, Illinois.

It was at WREX that Morgan, with his team of reporters, meteorologists, producers, editors, writers and others, received their first Regional Emmy, awarded for “Outstanding Achievement for News Programming — Morning Newscast” in November of 2015. “Winning an Emmy is really one of the top achievements of my career,” says Morgan. “Our team puts so much effort into our work that when we are recognized by our peers at such a high level, it’s an honor.” Since 2015, he and his team have gone on to win two more Regional Emmys in 2016 and 2017.

Looking to the future, Morgan hopes to continue the success of WREX by sharing stories and reporting the news that matters. “Journalism has never been more important than it is today,” he says. “News is my passion and I want to do it until the day I retire.” Until that day comes, Morgan plans on helping the young journalists under his wing enter the field and hone their craft … and maybe win a few more Emmys.SaveSave