Xcaret Nuñez joined WUWM as a production assistant for Lake Effect in September 2023. Before joining Lake Effect, she was an agriculture and rural communities reporter for KOSU, Oklahoma’s NPR station, and Harvest Public Media, a public media collaboration that reports on food and agriculture in the Midwest.
She spoke with WUWM’s newest Eric Von Fellow Nadya Kelly about the work she’ll be doing for Lake Effect and why she’s excited to join the team.
Nadya: Can you tell me a little bit more about what you'll be doing as a Lake Effect production assistant for WUWM?
Xcaret: A really big part of my job is mixing the show all together. Essentially, the producers and hosts will send me all of the wonderful segments they've produced, and the Lake Effect host that week will send me what they’ve voiced — what leads listeners through the show. Then I piece all of these elements together to make it sound really nice. It’s what you’ll hear on the radio and on the web. That's a little bit about what I’ll be doing.
Nadya: Could you tell me a little bit about what brought you to Lake Effect? Have you always been interested in the producing side of things?
Xcaret: Before I joined WUWM, I was an agriculture in rural communities reporter for KOSU, which is an NPR station in Oklahoma. I also reported for Harvest Public Media at the same time. So there, I really focused on reporting on our food systems and under-covered issues in rural communities. Some of the stories I reported included the challenges black vultures pose to farmers and ranchers, which is really interesting to look at. I also took a closer look at what dating is like in rural communities — I kind of got that idea from watching the FOX television show called Farmer Wants A Wife. And I also reported on thechallenges child care deserts pose to parents and children in small towns. It was a really, really cool first job, but after some reflection, I knew that I missed producing and wanted to go back to it so I took up this job.
Nadya: What made you want to apply for a job here at WUWM?
Xcaret: A couple of summers ago, I interned with NPR and WBUR’s news show, Here and Now. And that's really where I discovered my love and appreciation for producing. Also, working in local journalism is something that I value and I really envisioned myself pursuing a career in local journalism. So when I found the job posting for Lake Effect’s production assistant, I felt, “This is the perfect job for me, and I hope I get it!” and so now I'm here.
Nadya: As someone who also started at the same time, I’m really glad to have you here at WUWM. We are both approaching the end of our first week here. We're both learning a lot of new things and getting to know the station getting to know our team. How are you feeling at this point in time?
Xcaret: I've had a really great week so far. As we’ve talked about before, we're both new to Milwaukee. So I’m also approaching my first week of moving here and living here in Milwaukee. And it's been really wonderful! Everyone at WUWM has made me feel so welcome. I feel really lucky to be working with such an amazing team who really loves their community. I'm excited to make Milwaukee my new home and help our listeners stay informed about the important conversations and issues happening around our city and the communities in southeast Wisconsin.
