(Photo by Kelly Peterson, WSU Today intern).
Jerry Kyllo has always loved electronics. While growing up in LaCrosse, Wash., he got his start helping out at his uncle’s radio and TV repair business. After experimenting with sound systems and demo recording, Kyllo eventually landed a role at WSU as the chief broadcast engineer for the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS).
Kyllo assists WSU Extension by providing multimedia support to extension communities. He maintains the teleconference center that supports CAHNRS videostreaming, satellite distribution and productions.
While no two days are the same, Kyllo prepares the teleconference center for a production by setting up the lights, cameras, audio and background settings. When theguest or group shows up for a broadcast, Kyllo prompts them along and then it is time to roll tape.
“We seem to do a lot of TV impromptu and just fly by the seat of our pants,” he said. “In the end, the products we put out here are pretty good.”
Besides working in the center, Kyllo has spent the last 13 years on a contract with KXLY, a commercial radio station in Spokane. He provides the engineering and production support for Cougar sports broadcasts.
“Both jobs require me to put out a lot of fires and make sure everything is working,” he said.
During football, basketball and baseball seasons, Kyllo sets up equipment, records the game and sends it to KXLY.
Football is his “big” season, he said. Kyllo gets a bird’s eye view of each game from the press box next to sports commentators Bob Robertson and Jim Walden. He knows that timing is everything in a sports broadcast, so he keeps his eye open for injury reports and timeouts.
“It’s important to get the timing right so we don’t come back from commercial in the middle of the play,” he said. “The goal is to make the broadcast not sound too chopped up.”
On game day, he spends about 12 hours at the stadium and says there are always ups and downs.
“You know when it goes good and when it goes bad,” he said. “There are a lot of times when things go smooth and you can feel the flow of the game.
“You feel good when people call in and say they heard something on the radio and you know you made it happen,” he said.
Kyllo may be balancing several jobs and has a phone that constantly rings during his lunch break, but he makes time to be a husband and father too. The Kyllo family loves to travel and camp during the “off season.”
“We try to stack as many activities in during the summer before sports season arrives, because once it starts we know it’s a busy 30-week run,” he said.
Staff Spotlight is an occasional series about WSU classified and administrative/professional staff members. If you have a suggestion of a person to be featured, please contact intern Kelly Peterson at today1@wsu.edu.
