Mike Osborne

News Director

Mike Osborne is the newest addition to the on-air staff at WMOT. He now serves as the News Director for Middle Tennessee Public Radio and can be heard on-air daily.

 

Mike has worked in media for most of the last 40 years, beginning with radio at the age of 14. His first broadcast experience was reading the news for High School radio station WRCJ-FM in Cincinnati, Ohio.

 

Two years later Mike landed his first professional gig, doing graveyard shifts at WKFI-AM, a small-town station in Central Ohio. After graduating from High School, Mike quickly moved up to become the station’s Program Manager at just 20 years of age.

 

For more than two decades, Mike worked for international radio station KNLS. The station broadcasts shortwave radio programs from transmitters in Alaska down the Pacific Rim and into East Asia. Mike served as the host for the station’s English Language Service transmissions for nearly twenty years. His on-air work generated listener response from more than 100 nations and all the continents, including Antarctica.

 

During his years with KNLS, Mike also did freelance work for several media outlets, including Voice of America, Associated Press Radio, World Vision Radio, the USA Radio Network, and the radio division of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

  

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3:29pm

Fri October 12, 2012
Top Stories

MTSU Football Looks for a Win in Florida

Credit MTSU

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders are on their way to Florida for Saturday’s game against Florida International University at Miami.

The last couple of weeks have been a real roller-coaster ride for MTSU. Two weeks ago the Blue Raiders pummeled Georgia Tech 49 to 28. But this past week the Raiders stumbled against the University of Louisiana at Monroe, losing their homecoming game 31-17.

FIU will be playing their homecoming game, and Coach Rick Stockstill says MT will have to be in top form to win.

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8:28am

Fri October 12, 2012
Top Stories

Tenn. Meningitis Outbreak: Friday Update

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Health officials report that the number of cases of rare fungal meningitis in Tennessee has increased by five to 49 cases.

The number of deaths in Tennessee from the outbreak remains at six. That’s according to an update posted on the state Department of Health website. Nationwide the number of cases increased to 170 cases, including 14 deaths in 11 states.

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8:49pm

Wed October 10, 2012
Top Stories

Southern Festival of Books Begins Friday

Credit alicerandall.com

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The 24th annual Southern Festival of Books kicks off Friday on Legislative Plaza in Nashville.

Festival officials say they’re expecting about 250 authors, most of them from the South. Every author will take part in a panel discussion, or do a solo reading, followed by a book signing.

Two of the authors participating this year are mother and daughter writing team Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams. Nashvillian Alice Randall is both a song writer, with a number of top selling country hits to her credit, and a best-selling author.

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7:25am

Wed October 10, 2012
Top Stories

Positive Response to Murf. "Love Your Muslim Neighbor" Billboard

Credit Sojourners

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The Christian ministry Sojourners says response has been overwhelmingly positive to its billboard in Murfreesboro urging residents to “Love your Muslim neighbors.”

In recent months, Sojourners has placed the billboards in Joplin, Missouri, where a Mosque was burned down, and in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where Sikh worshipers were murdered in their temple.

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2:23pm

Mon October 8, 2012
Top Stories

Tennessean Heads U.S. World Amatuer Golf Team, Wins

Credit John Mummert/USGA

ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — A young man from Middle Tennessee led the U.S. team to the World Amateur Team Golf Championship in Turkey over the weekend.

U.S. Amateur champion Steven Fox hails from Hendersonville. He attended Hendersonville High and is currently a student at UT Chattanooga..

Along with teammates from Idaho and Kentucky Fox scored a combined 54-hole total of 24-under 404, a record score.

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2:10pm

Mon October 8, 2012
Top Stories

Another Meningitis Fatality in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Tennessee has suffered another fatality resulting from a deadly meningitis outbreak.  

Health officials say the number of people sickened has now reached 105 cases. Eight people have died, four in Tennessee.

The fungal meningitis outbreak has been tied to steroid shots for back pain. The steroid was made by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts.

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11:47am

Fri October 5, 2012
Top Stories

Fire Marshall Warns of Cold-Snap Fire Hazards

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  With temperatures falling this weekend area fire departments are warning residents about fire hazards.

Murfreesboro Assistant Chief Fire Marshall Ken Honeycutt says he sees avoidable tragedies every year at this time as people turn on some type of heat.

Honeycutt says one problem he sees routinely in the fall is people pushing furniture up too close to wall-mounted, thermostat-controlled electric heaters during the summer months.

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12:23pm

Thu October 4, 2012
Top Stories

JUST ONE QUESTION: State Rep. Joe Carr (R) Dist. 48

Credit Tenn. General Assembly

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  With presidential debate season underway, WMOT  News is asking Tennesseans what one question they would ask the candidates if given the chance.

Today's question comes from State Rep. Joe Carr, a Republican legislator representing Tennessee's 48th district.

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12:20pm

Wed October 3, 2012
Top Stories

Big Mid-State Employer Sees Sales Decline

Credit Nissan

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  -- Some disappointing sales numbers were released Wednesday by one of Middle Tennessee’s biggest employers.

Nissan reported a sales drop in September of 2.4 percent. The company’s North American division, headquartered in Franklin, fared somewhat better with a sales decline of just over one percent.

There were some bright spots. Sales of the Nissan Rogue and Pathfinder were both up significantly.

Nissan says September sales of its new LEAF, all-electric vehicle, were the best the car has seen this year.

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12:12pm

Wed October 3, 2012
Top Stories

JUST ONE QUESTION: Gera Summerford, Tenn. Education Assoc.

Credit TEA

DENVER (AP) — The first of three presidential debates takes place tonight in Denver.

The televised face-off between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney is a chance for voters to size up two fierce competitors, just five weeks before Election Day.

WMOT News is asking Tennesseans what one question they would ask the candidates if given the chance. Today, a question from Gera Summerford, president of Tennessee’s largest Teacher’s Union,.

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