J.R. Havens

I moved my way up the ladder and eventually became sports director at the local CBS affiliate. During my time there I had the opportunity to meet many well known athletes and coaches including John Wooden, Reggie Jackson, Darin Erstad, Tom Osborne, Daryl Dawkins, Michael Cooper and Dennis Johnson to name a few. Along with my colleague, we teamed up one year to win Best Play by Play for our work calling a U-Mary football game.

That experience led me to spending a few years at a cable station doing play by play for local high school sporting events.

I got caught in the oil boom and worked as a landman, but soon realized I missed the business and landed a job as a sports reporter/photographer in Fargo at the ABC affiliate. During my time there, I covered some of the biggest stories/events in my career including the Frozen Four, The US Womens Open Golf Tournament and Vikings training camp.

When the opportunity to come back to Bismarck came up, I jumped at it. Having lived in the Capital city for half my life, I realized this was home.

Being a part of the News Leader is truly a rewarding experience every day.

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