Super opportunities: Mass media alumni report from NFL’s brightest stage

July 2, 2024

Super opportunities: Mass media alumni report from NFL's brightest stage

[This story appears in the summer 2024 edition of the Northwest Alumni Magazine. View the print version of the magazine in its entirety by clicking here.]

When the Kansas City Chiefs met the San Francisco 49ers in this year's Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, a pair of former classmates were sitting just feet from each other among the rows of global media covering the event.

Chris Roush '15 was there as news director with KQTV in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Brandon Zenner '15 works as a sports reporter and anchor with KWCH in Wichita, Kansas. The two men began contributing to Chiefs coverage soon after graduating together from Northwest with mass media degrees - when Roush joined KQTV as a sports reporter and Zenner spent six years as a sports reporter and director at the News-Press in St. Joseph before moving to Wichita. Now, nearly a decade into their careers, they feel fortunate to take in the football team's recent run of championships from a view that few fans get to see.

"It's been wild," Roush said. "We talked about that a few times when we were both in St. Joe and then even this time around, too, (saying) 'Huh, it's weird that we went from Maryville to Las Vegas.'"

At Northwest, Roush took an interest in broadcasting, particularly doing play-by-play for athletics. He interned at KQTV, was a sideline reporter on Bearcat Radio Network broadcasts and gained experience during a summer internship with the St. Joseph Mustangs independent baseball team. He also was general manager of KZLX and a news editor for The Northwest Missourian.

Roush connected well with the storytelling aspects of broadcast journalism and excelled in the hands-on learning environment Northwest offers, learning to report about a variety of sports and events through multiple mediums.

"I get to tell stories of what happens behind the scenes or off the field, court, mat, whatever, and I think that really kind of set me up," Roush said. "We went out and did this stuff. It wasn't just sitting in the classroom."

Similarly, Zenner cut his path at Northwest as a news editor and editor-in-chief of The Missourian in addition to working on KNWT and KZLX.

"I'm here because of Northwest Missouri State, and I wouldn't change that for the world," he said.

Both now have extensive experience covering Chiefs seasons, from training camp to the team's run of AFC Championship appearances. Zenner has been in attendance at each of the Chiefs' three Super Bowl victories since 2020, but Roush's first Super Bowl experience came this year.

"There's nothing like Super Bowl week," Zenner said. "Just whenever you're in that town, there's just so much buzz. They go all out, there's signage everywhere, the fans from all over the country, all different teams, and then the atmosphere on game day."

Although seeing the Chiefs win another Super Bowl was exciting, Roush says one of the most memorable moments for him was conversing with other media members. He was seated in the press area during the game with reporters from Forbes and connected with a videographer from Germany during the postgame news conference.

"That experience of meeting people from across the world that are all covering the same thing you are - when you never really thought that was something that you would have the chance to do - that's pretty rare of an opportunity," Roush said.

For Zenner, it's the thrill of talking with Chiefs players and witnessing their jubilation after each victory.

"If you would've told me when I was in college at Northwest Missouri State that I'd be covering the Chiefs and they would be a dynasty, I would not have believed you," he said.