Bryan Queen, a professional in broadcasting and news, has just been promoted to News Director in February 2024 at News 13/WLOS, in Asheville, North Carolina.
Queen has been in the broadcasting field for over 25 years and has been nicknamed, “Breaking News Bryan.”
Queen also got an Emmy nomination for “News Excellence” two times in the last four years.
With his new role, Queen oversees a newsroom of over 75 journalists and digital production professionals.
Queen enjoys his day-to-day work as a broadcasting professional, “because of the fast pace and it’s something different every day. Local journalism matters, and I like telling people’s stories. Everyone has a story to tell,” said Queen.
Queen graduated from Western Carolina University, WCU, in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in both Radio/Television and Political Science. Queen also earned a master’s degree in Public Affairs at WCU in 1994.
“I’ve just always known I wanted to be in broadcasting and WCU was a great fit”, said Queen. “The station-run radio station was also a big draw for me, and I ended up being a DJ, News Director, and General Manager during my time at WCU.”
Queen shared he liked the hands-on experiences at WCU and appreciated the small student/teacher ratio.
“The small class size allowed me to flourish and to stay engaged,” said Queen. “Professors were very caring, and the radio station provided a very valuable start to my career.”
As advice for students who are pursuing a broadcasting major at WCU, “do what you are passionate about,” said Queen. “Journalism still matters, but in today’s world, you have to come at it from a multi-platform strategy. Don’t limit yourself to one thing.”
“The industry is definitely changing at a rapid pace. Today’s world is really about producing content on multiple platforms,” said Queen.
Queen also looks into opportunities to give back to WCU either as a mentor, guest speaker or supporter for students’ first job search.
Queen encourages students to reach out to him via LinkedIn.