INTERVIEW EDITED FOR CLARITY
FRED FLETCHER-FIERRO: It's Morning Edition on KRPS. I'm Fred Fletcher Fierro. 2025 was a season of change at KRPS, with much of that change involving the host and host of Cutting Deep, Reagan Neufeld, and our feature reporter, Rachel Schnelle. And Reagan and Rachel join us this morning to take a look back on the past year at KRPS. Good morning to you both.
RACHEL SCHNELLE & RAEGAN NUEFELD: Good morning.
FRED: Each of you has covered so many stories this year, from two-way interviews to features, basketball games, heading out to Prairie State Park, and many, many, many, many candidate interviews covering various selections. When each of you thinks back, which stories are most memorable to each of you? Reagan, we'll start with you.
RAEGAN: Probably the most recent one I've done is one of the most memorable. The story I did about Pittsburg High School celebrating 50 years of girls' basketball, just because I had a lot of fun with that. And it was a pretty large story to do. I've also enjoyed getting to cover the Frontenac Public Library, which just opened this year. And I've done a few stories about events and things going on with the Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott. And I've enjoyed doing those stories as well.
FRED: When you say fun and producing stories, what does that mean to you? Why are you drawn to certain stories?
RAEGAN: It's just the stuff that I'm interested in. I guess, like with the example, the story about girls' basketball. Basketball is my favorite sport. And I had done kind of a similar story before for a class in college. And that topic in particular is just something I'm pretty passionate about. And so, it was just really fun. And I enjoyed getting to interview the people I interviewed. I thought they had really good stories to tell.
FRED: Rachel, you cover a much different beat for us here at KRPS. And I was wondering what some of your most memorable stories this year were for you?
RACHEL: One of the most memorable stories that I did was the five-minute feature about the Tri-State Mining District. It started by just attending like a regular press event, and then it kind of exploded, and I spent like probably three months researching and interviewing and learning about it. And then that kind of catapulted me into learning more about the lead exposure that still remains in the area.
And, inspired me to look into energy and renewable energy as well. And so that it helped me see the area both in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas in a different light. And then the story that I also enjoyed was the first feature that I did. Joplin's struggle to address the homelessness issue, being from southwest Missouri, and understanding how the Joplin tornado impacted the area. it was really cool to report on that and see, and just interview people and talk to them.
FRED: When I reflect on the stories that each of you has produced, I looked up some of the early ones to chart a path to where we are today. And Reagan, you brought up your basketball feature. One of your first features for us was the Kansas football referee who also refs Super Bowl games and high school games. And Rachel, your story with the Joplin struggle to address the homelessness crisis, those are posted just today.
And so it kind of reflects where we are today at the end of this year. We could kind of chart a path. And I was wondering, you brought up energy as something, and to me, I wouldn't have charted a path to energy, because you really went down the mining hole, and then sometimes that happens as a reporter. So if you could just talk about the process, maybe something that you can say, well, I'm interested in this and mining. I didn't know a lot about it so I produced a few features about it.
RACHEL: I think the story about mining that just kind of came into its own. I interviewed someone, and he happened to his dad owned a mine. And so I kind of found a way for that. But for the renewable story, I really just got sent a press release about this renewable company that was trying to get solar panels in Cherokee County, and then the county being against it. And then that caught my eye. And so I paid attention to other renewable projects that were happening in the area. And so I guess I was just lucky in that regard that I got that email. And it's turned out to be a very interesting story.
FRED: And, Reagan, we're in episode 9 or 10 of Cutting Deep. Heard Wednesday nights at 7 and Sunday nights at 10 o'clock here on KRPS. And I know you produced a show like that in college, but what's that been like for you? We learn a lot about you on those episodes. And so that can be revealing as a host and reporter. So, what has that experience been like for you?
RAEGAN: That's again, just been a lot of fun. And like you said, I did that in college and that was probably, I hosted 2 shows pretty much the entire time I was in college and that was probably one of my favorite things I did in college, again, just because I had a lot of fun with it. And it was something I got to do every week. And that's kind of similar to what it is now with Cutting Deep.
And yeah, I just, I guess, once I started doing that in college, I kind of discovered that I just like talking about the music I listen to and talking about why I like it. And I'm, I guess, fortunate enough to have received some good feedback on Cutting Deep so far. And that was something someone told me just recently, as her and her husband like to hear, since I play older music, they like to hear my perspective on it and how, I guess, a younger person sees some of that older music.
So, I'm glad that, I guess, like translates to people who listen to it. But it's just been, again, a lot of fun. And with this show specifically, I've gotten to explore, I guess, a lot because there are some, most of the time when I start a show, I'll like start with the albums I know and then kind of look into the songs that, yeah, weren't released as singles. And so, I end up discovering a lot of new music myself which has been, again, fun.
FRED: It's quite surprising to hear songs that are, we all know as popular songs, were released. And I'm trying to tie together both of you in your mining stories and energy. If I remember correctly, I didn't have a lot of experience covering that segment. And with Reagan, your show, Cutting Deep, you know, we're always learning about new songs. We thought we knew the artists really well until we hear an episode and we're like, oh, they didn't realize that as a single.
And so it's great to hear each of you report new things each and everyday report new things. That's where I'm going with this. As adults, it's easy to think we know everything, but hearing both of you, we're always learning new things on KRPS, and I k now our listeners really enjoy that about each of you. 2025 was a banner year for public media. Congress cut our funding, the station moved twice, we installed new equipment, met our fall membership goal, and each of you was a major part of that success here at KRPS this year. So how do you reflect on the past year, as working as a member of the media and more particular in public media? Public media was at the forefront of a lot of things.
RAEGAN: Well, for me, this being my first job out of college, Idon'tknow anything else.SoI think that'skind of interesting. Yeah, I didn't really, I mean, I knew a little bit of what to expect coming into the job, but I also didn't reallyknow, andso turns out no one really knew what to expect this year.
So I guess it's nice that we all are kind of int he same boat, even though I've only been doing this for a year. But so yeah, I guess it'll be interesting to see now where it goes from here, if it ever gets back to quote unquote normal. But again, I don't know what that is. So I'm just kind of going along with whatever happens, and that's where I'll be, I guess.
RACHEL: I mean, I've been out of college for almost four years, and I felt like this was completely new territory. This was the first time that I'd ever worked a pledge drive at a station. So pledging that was completely new to me. And so seeing the community impact and how people supported us was really something that I don't think I would have seen at a bigger station. I remember specifically when the executive order came out, someone came to Grubb's office and gave us a $100 bill, and was like, I was about to go to work, and I couldn't wait to give you this.
Like, I really want to support you guys. And I've seen that whenever I tell people that I work in public media. I had an older woman say, bless your heart, and I felt like I was a veteran or something, but I've never been told that. And so I can see the community and support from public media and public radio. And so that's been really cool to see. And we have a strong network in Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri.
FRED: Now, let's look ahead to the new year, 2026, as storytellers, whether that's a host, a reporter, or a producer. We wear all the hats here at KRPS. I should also add, we're going to add a new intern, our first intern in seven years, so we'll have to wear those hats too. So we've got a lot of work to do coming up next year. So what stories or beats do you anticipate covering next year? Is there something out there that maybe seems small now, but you're getting closer to it, so it's getting a little bit larger, something you're interested in?
RAEGAN: I would say, I feel like anything I've covered so far has been pretty broad, so I don't have anything specific in mind, but I guess just keeping up with what's going on in the community or communities, I guess, kind of keeping an eye on what's happening and just kind of taking the stories as they come.
RACHEL: Something that I'm interested in is covering the centennial of Route 66. I've been covering, I've been interviewing people about that, and talking about that. So that should be an interesting story. Another thing is that the 15th anniversary of the Joplin tornado is coming up. And so I'm just kind of looking ahead. Well, it's in May, it's not coming up, but looking ahead at what coverage I can do that is different and impactful for the community. And then also the House of Representatives, the vacant district, the election for that is April 7th. And so, I'm keeping an eye out for who files for candidacy.
FRED: Is there anything else either of you would like to add?
RACHEL: Something that I'm really proud of that Reagan and I have worked on is that we both worked on amplifying our social media. We went from at the community fair, we went from 40 followers to 80 followers, which is huge for our station. And I have really appreciated it; it's been fun to work with graphics and figure out a new way of telling stories.
And it's been really cool to show like the, to see the engagement on stories. And I got told, you know, people were surprised when it was just the two of us running it. because they thought someone else ran it. And so it just proves that we at small stations wear a lot of hats.
I would say now I'm just kind of looking forward to whatever comes with the next year. So yeah, just looking forward to learning more and doing some more reporting, hosting more, all of it.
FRED: Yeah, it's amazing the number of just two people can have an impact. Whether it is your mining story, your basketball story, the engagement we see on social media, or the messages we get from listeners when we have a Pledge Drive, they still remember that story. We get a lot of messages on Facebook about those stories. So, thank you for all the work you've done this year.
I mean, I couldn't think of the station without you. It's been a crazy year for not only public media, but here. But the movies, the moving, the stories, the membership campaigns, hiring, and the intern, the hosting, I look forward to working with both of you this year after we have a break.
Yes. Well, no, moving in 25. Things will be a lot more stable, and I'm definitely looking forward to that. It's KRPS's feature reporter, Rachel Schnelle, and All Things Considered host and host of Cutting Deep, Reagan Neufeld. Thanks to you both for speaking with me.
RAEGAN AND RACHEL: Thank you.
FRED: It's Morning Edition on KRPS. I'm Fred Fletcher Fierro.
Copyright 2025 KRPS. To see more, visit Four States Public Radio.
