Kevin “The Intern” Berghoff studied in Lewis and Clark’s Radio Broadcasting program from 1997-1999, and started at Y98-FM in St. Louis in the spring of 1999, where he worked to earn co-op hours toward graduation. By the summer of that year, he was promoted to part time, and then went full time in 2001 – although to this day, Berghoff is known on air as “Kevin The Intern.”
This past spring, The Intern got an intern – also a Radio student from Lewis and Clark – named Matt Dorman.
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“We rarely have interns on the air, but Matt has a drive – a desire – it’s a maturity that you can’t teach. He gets along with people,” Berghoff said. “It was like looking in a mirror. Right away we could tell Matt was responsible, and he fit right in. There were a lot of hurdles, like security clearances and all that, but Matt remained calm and cool and easy to talk to. He came in when asked, stayed late, and never complained about putting the hours in.”
Like Berghoff, Dorman spent twelve weeks interning with The Phillips & Company Morning Show at Y98-FM, where Berghoff works full time, helping them with everything from making posts on Facebook and Twitter to even going on air with them for some games and topics.
And like Berghoff, he was offered a part time job as an on-air talent following his internship. On Aug. 2, he went on air for the first time.
“The fact that Kevin and I both attended Lewis and Clark allowed us to connect in many ways. We could share stories about our experiences – even on some of the on-air segments I did with The Phillips & Company Morning Show during my internship, Kevin and I talked about Lewis and Clark and joked about how similar we are,” Dorman said.
Dorman helped make strides in social media, growing the station’s numbers and teaching the crew a thing or two, and has a terrific work ethic, Berghoff said. When Y98 did a radio-a-thon for the victims of the Moore, Okla. tornado in the spring, Dorman stayed the entire time when he didn’t have to.
“I learned a lot about what it takes to make it in a competitive industry like radio above all else. To be honest, I was shocked at the hard work and extensive planning that takes place to make even one show happen,” Dorman said. “Kevin is by far one of the nicest and kindest people I have ever met. He was nothing but a nonstop help to me and showed complete interest in my education and whole experience during my internship. Even now that my internship is over and I work for the same radio station, he still is a huge help to me. He is one of the first people I go to for any questions I may have.”
A former WLCA 89.9-FM program director, Dorman still has some on-air time at College Radio’s Best, in addition to his part time job, which he hopes may turn into full time one day.
“It's hard to say what the best part of my job really is. If I had to pick something it would be that when I go to work it's my job to try and entertain people. I get the chance to play people's favorite songs and make them laugh,” Dorman said.
Dorman completed his Associate in Applied Science degree in Radio Broadcasting in Spring 2013, but is currently taking online classes at Lewis and Clark toward his Associate in Science degree. He plans to transfer to a four-year school to complete his bachelor’s degree.
“Although it probably goes without saying, I owe much of my success to (Program Coordinator and Station Manager) Mike Lemons,” he said. “Mike is an incredible teacher and mentor that always finds a way of understanding and helping each student.”
Dorman is one of four former radio students currently employed by CBS Radio in St. Louis, according to Lemons. Learn more about L&C’s Radio Broadcasting program at www.lc.edu
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