KGLO News Director Bob Fisher

Contact Bob Fisher at [email protected]

 

Bob Fisher is a life-long north-central Iowan, growing up in Mason City. Bob is a 1990 graduate of Mason City High School, where he was a three-time All-State musician.

After high school, Bob attended the University of Iowa, where he got his first taste of radio at student-run KRUI-FM in Iowa City. Bob spent one season broadcasting University of Iowa women’s basketball and baseball, with his first play-by-play chore being former Hawkeye coach C. Vivian Stringer’s 500th career coaching victory.

Bob came back to Mason City in the fall of 1994, where he started working part-time for KRIB-AM and KLSS-FM radio. He left KRIB-KLSS in April 1995 to become the News and Sports Director at KDEC AM-FM in Decorah, but was asked to come back three months later to become a full-time announcer and assistant news director. Fisher rebuilt a dormant sports department at the radio station, highlighted by coverage of Clear Lake High School sports on AM-1490 KRIB.

In February 2000, Bob added the duties of News Director, and transformed the news department as well into north-central Iowa’s most successful radio news operation. Bob now oversees the news department for all five of the Alpha Media radio stations in Mason City (KGLO-AM, KRIB-AM, KLSS-FM, KIAI-FM, KYTC-FM)

In 2009, Bob was recognized by the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association with their Sports Media Award. In 2014, he was recognized by the Iowa High School Athletic Association with its Media Award.

As of April 2023, Bob has received a total of 103 honors in 16 years from the Iowa Broadcast News Association. For 16 years he has placed in the “Overall Excellence” category in the Small Market Radio division, the organization’s top yearly award.

Bob served two different terms as the President of the Iowa Broadcast News Association’s Board of Directors, and recently retired from the board after serving a total of 14 years.

Bob was also recognized as the 2018 North Iowa Band Festival’s “Dan Klempnauer Award” winner,  awarded to a long-time volunteer and festival supporter, and is intended to honor an unsung hero who volunteers for the festival in a behind–the-scenes role. He will join with the rest of the committee who organized the construction of the “Principal Pavilion” in being awarded the Klempnauer Award at the 2022 North Iowa Band Festival. 

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Bob has won several IBNA awards in the small-market radio category:

2022 (awarded at IBNA Convention in April 2023):

– Overall Excellence — 1st Place
– Play-by-Play — 1st Place — KRIB Sports Compilation
– Political Coverage — 1st Place — KGLO Legislative Candidate Forums
– Best Newscast — 2nd Place — KGLO “The Midday Report”
– Best Sportscast — 2nd Place — KGLO “Midday Report Sports”
– Public Affairs — 3rd Place — “Ask the Mayor”

 

2021:
– Best Sportscast — 1st Place — “Midday Report Sports”

– Political Coverage — 1st Place — “KGLO Election Night 2021”
– Overall Excellence — 2nd Place 
– Play-by-Play — 2nd Place — KRIB Sports
– Best Newscast — 3rd Place — “The Midday Report”


2019:

– Best Newscast — 1st Place — “The Midday Report”
– Best Sportscast — 1st Place — “Midday Report Sports”
– Political Coverage — 1st Place — “Election Night 2019”
– Public Affairs — 1st Place — “Ask the Mayor”
– Overall Excellence — 2nd Place
– Sports Coverage — 2nd Place — “Mason City Applies to the Northeast Iowa Conference”

2018:
– Political Coverage — 1st Place — “Election Night 2018”
– General Reporting — 1st Place — “Where’s Jodi”
– Excellence in Weather Coverage — 2nd Place — “KGLO Severe Weather Coverage”
– Overall Excellence — Honorable Mention
– Best Newscast — Honorable Mention — “The Midday Report”
– Best Sportscast — Honorable Mention — Sports during “The Midday Report”
– Public Affairs — Honorable Mention — “Ask the Mayor”
– Play-by-Play — Honorable Mention — “Clear Lake Lions Sports on KRIB”

2017:
– Overall Excellence — 1st Place
– Best Sportscast — 1st Place — “KRIB Morning Sports”
– Sports Play-by-Play — 1st Place — “Clear Lake Lions Sports on KRIB”
– Political Coverage — 1st Place — “2017 Election Night”
– Overall Excellence in Weather Coverage — 1st Place — “KGLO Severe Weather Coverage”
– General Reporting — 2nd Place — “Five Dead in Mason City Crash Update”
– Best Newscast — 3rd Place — “The Midday Report on KGLO”
– Spot News — Honorable Mention — “Matz Murder Suspect”

2016
-Overall Excellence — 1st place
-Farm & Agribusiness — 1st place (“Prestage in Mason City)
-Best Sportscast — 1st place (“KRIB Morning Sports”)
-Sports Play-by-Play — 2nd place (“Clear Lake Lions on KRIB”)
-Overall Excellence in Weather Coverage — 2nd place (“KGLO Severe Weather Coverage”)
-Feature — 2nd place (“Polar Bear Dip in Clear Lake”)
-Spot News Coverage — 2nd place (“Mason City Double Homicide”)
-Sports Coverage – 3rd Place (“NIACC-MCHS Championship Post-Game”)
-Best Newscast — Honorable Mention (“KGLO Midday Report”)
-Political Coverage — Honorable Mention (“KGLO Election Night 2016)

2015
-Best Newscast — 1st Place — “The Midday Report”
-Play-by-Play — 1st Place — “KRIB Sports”
-Political Coverage — 1st Place — “KGLO Election Night 2015”
-Public Affairs — 1st Place — “Ask the Mayor”
-Overall Excellence — 2nd Place
-Overall Excellence in Weather Coverage — 2nd Place — “Severe Weather Awareness Week”
-Feature — 2nd Place — “River City Sculptures on Parade”
-Use of Actuality — 3rd Place — “River City Sculptures on Parade”
-Best Sportscast — 3rd Place — “KRIB Morning Sports”

2014
-Overall Excellence — 1st place
-Use of Actuality — 1st — Cisneros Trial Halted
-Political — 1st — 2014 Election Night Coverage
-Overall Excellence in Weather — 1st — KGLO Severe Weather Coverage
-Public Affairs — 3rd — “Ask the Mayor”
-Play-by-Play — 3rd — KRIB Sports
-Best Sportscast — 3rd — KRIB Morning Sports

2013
-Spot News Coverage — 1st place — Mercy Air Med crash coverage
-Best Sportscast — 1st place — KRIB sports
-Political Coverage — 1st place — 2013 Election Night coverage
-Overall Excellence — 2nd place
-Public Affairs — 2nd place — Ask the Mayor program
-Spot News Coverage — 3rd place — John Snyder Murder Case breaking news coverage
-In-Depth/Series — 3rd place — Severe Weather Awareness Week

2012
-Overall Excellence in Weather Coverage — 1st place (“Severe Weather Awareness Week”)
-Political Coverage — 1st place (“KGLO 2012 Election Night Coverage”)
-Political Coverage — 2nd place (“4th District Debate”)
-Political Coverage — Honorable Mention (“Iowa Senate 26 Debate”)
-Sports Play-by-Play — 2nd place (“KRIB Sports”)
-Overall Excellence — Honorable Mention

2011
-Public Affairs — 1st place (“Ask the Mayor”)
-Sports Coverage — 1st place (“Remembering Blake Lobdell”)
-Sports Play-by-Play — 1st place (“KRIB Sports”)
-Political Coverage — 2nd place (“Mason City Council Candidate Forums”)
-Overall Excellence in Weather Coverage — 3rd place (“Severe Storm Coverage”)
-Best Newscast — 3rd place (“KGLO News”)
-Best Sportscast — 3rd place (“KRIB Sports”)
-Overall Excellence — 2nd place

2010
-Political Coverage — 1st place (“KGLO 2010 Election Night Coverage)
-Best Sportscast — 1st place (“KRIB Sports”)
-Best Newscast — 3rd place (“KGLO News”)
-Overall Excellence — 2nd place

2009
-Best Sportscast — 1st place
-Spot News Coverage — 1st place (“NIACC Drops Football”)
-Public Affairs — 1st place (“Ask the Mayor”)
-Overall Excellence — 2nd place

2008
-Flood/Tornado Excellence in Reporting — 1st place
-Flood/Tornado Spot News Coverage — 1st place
-Best Sportscast — 2nd place
-In-Depth/Series — 2nd place (“40 Years Ago: Charles City Tornado)
-Overall Excellence — 3rd place

2007
-Best Sportscast — 1st place
-Overall Excellence — 2nd place
-Best Newscast — 2nd place
-In-Depth/Series — 2nd place (“Countdown to the Caucus” series)
-Sports Play-by-Play — honorable mention (“Clear Lake Lions Football”)

2006
-Best Newscast — 1st Place
-Overall Excellence — 2nd Place
-Best Play-by-Play — 3rd Place — Clear Lake Football
-Best Sportscast — 3rd Place

2005
-Sports Play-by-Play — Clear Lake Basketball — 1st Place
-Best Sportscast — 2nd Place
-Overall Excellence — 3rd Place
-Best Newscast — 3rd Place
-Spot News Coverage — Evelyn Miller Found — honorable mention

2004
-Overall Excellence — 2nd Place
-Best Sportscast — 3rd Place