Intern Spotlight: Gracie Vatthauer

Gracie Vatthauer is the intern for Newsradio 1240 KICD, Big Country 107.7 & MORE 104.9, a position supported by the Spencer Area Jobs Trust Internship Program. Hailing from Wheaton, Minnesota, Vatthauer will be a junior at Iowa State University in the fall, where she majors in agricultural communications and has a minor in international agriculture. 

When asked how she discovered the program, Vatthauer recalls going to work with her father in Northwest Iowa last spring and meeting representatives from the radio station who encouraged her to apply. 

The part of her job that she is most looking forward to is attending 11 county fairs around the area. “I am extremely excited for the county fairs.” Even though a lot of her work may be behind the scenes, Vatthauer will still get some air time. “I will be interviewing 4H students and fair board members, and Katie [Johnson] and I will hopefully be doing a new segment asking the listeners what we should do at the fair.”

Her assignments extend beyond covering agriculture. “[A few weeks ago] I went and interviewed Senator Grassley. That was really exciting and very nerve-wracking. I was by myself interviewing one of the biggest names in Iowa.” However, she was up to the challenge.

For Vatthauer, her experiences at the radio station will provide a great launching point for her plans following graduation from Iowa State. “I want to do exactly what George [Bower] and Katie do. I want to be able to report the markets and go on farm visits. Anything agricultural.”

“The Spencer Radio Group of KICD, BIG Country 107.7 and MORE 104.9 has been very fortunate to have worked with a number of terrific summer interns in the last several years. We are thrilled to have Gracie join our team this summer!” said Operations Manager, Kevin Tlam. One of her first big assignments was interviewing Senator Chuck Grassley. Gracie will be covering several county fairs in the KICD coverage area this summer. The grant from the Spencer Area Jobs Trust helps make it possible for us to offer internships to future broadcasters, like Gracie!”

“If you are interested in broadcasting or telecommunications, definitely do this internship,” Vatthauer said. “They get your toes right in the water. I’ve already done commercials, and I’ve started learning how to read the markets. George and I have gone on three farm field trips.” She also added, “I really like working here. There are lots of really amazing people.” 

The Spencer Area Jobs Trust is a partnership between the city of Spencer and Spencer Municipal Utilities that provides existing employers with support and financial resources for internships. The purpose of the program is to connect talented students with existing employers in Clay County and to help employers recruit and retain skilled workers. Spencer Area Jobs Trust is an organization that consists of representatives from Spencer area businesses and the Iowa Lakes Corridor.