Tacoma, WA 2009: Trent Ling, an old man, recently returned to his alma mater Pacific Lutheran University, his favorite place on earth. Here, he located his Freshman home, Foss Hall, where he lived on the second-floor room furthest to the right (not to be confused with the red stairwell to the far right).

Across his years, Trent Ling has generally found himself up for trying almost anything.  Though his college campus radio station was a professionally staffed (not run by students), powerfully watted, National Public Radio affiliate in the sizable Seattle-Tacoma market, he decided to give newscasting a whirl.  Not his forte or interest, the gig and the station were just steps from his dorm room.  It would have been a shame, in his estimation, not to be a part of things.

“Hearing this back is a bit nostalgic and painful, of course,” Trent confesses 28 years later. “Other than verbally mangling the names of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak (who has remained in the news since) and the Soviet’s Konstantin Chernenko, and getting squirrelly on some other names, somehow I managed to get through the news.  It was interesting to hear Indonesia in my newscast, not knowing at the time that I was only 8 years removed from marrying a sweet girl from there. Other than that, I was way too young to be doing the news.  It was not until later in 1984 that I began to get a grip on the world around me in order to grab by the horns what in the world I was talking about.”

Enjoy a rare peek into Trent’s foray into newscasting as a college Freshman.

Note:  Despite the announcer’s introduction, this clip hails from 1984, not 1983.

Instructions:  To download on a Mac, control-click the message link below and select a download option.  To download on a PC, right-click the link below and select a download option.  To hear the message outright, simply click the link below and you will be redirected to a listening page.

Radio:  KPLU Newscast Debut (February 13, 1984; 5:06)

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