Clark Howard visited Marist on September 16, 2022 to discuss his broadcasting career with students and faculty during the activity period. Howard, an Atlanta resident and nationally recognized radio host and current podcaster who provides financial advice to everyday consumers, spoke in the Ivey lecture hall.

He explained the importance of looking to the future for the best opportunities rather than enveloping oneself in the present.

In Howard’s career, this forward thinking attitude became crucial during the pandemic. With smaller radio audiences tuning in, he decided to make the shift from radio to podcasting, rocking the radio industry.

Podcasts and the accessibility of streaming anytime from anywhere enabled Howard to connect with a much wider audience than on the radio. If Howard had not looked to the possibility of podcasting, who knows where his business would be today. 

This advice to look to the future extends beyond the field of broadcasting. Whether in business, technology, journalism, science, math, or nearly any field, one must always consider the possibility of change and prepare for such shifts. 

Following Howard’s talk, he agreed to let me interview him for this article about the journalistic side of his career. Some excerpts from our discussion are provided below:

What do you enjoy most about working in the news and journalism industries?

I love giving people something they can put to work in their own lives. I don’t want to just tell people there’s a problem. I want to give people a solution to a problem that they can use in their own lives. People feel, today, in so many ways, so powerless in their own lives, but I want to give them power. I want to give them the confidence that they can go solve a problem they have for themselves, by themselves.

Is there any advice you have for future journalists?

Think of yourself as someone who has a set of skills that you can use to reach people. There may be more than one way to reach them at the same time. If you’re looking at TV, maybe you should look into YouTube or podcasting at the same time. The audiences are slightly smaller and smaller now, so you have to think wider. How are you going to reach more people wherever they want to be reached? You need to have your own following.

How do you think the field of journalism will change or evolve over the next generation or so?

The greatest challenge with journalism is to provide good content to people locally where they live. Newspapers did such a great job serving people in a community, and newspapers are now being blown apart. There’s a real opportunity to provide people with real journalism where they live in whatever way that will be. Nobody knows how yet, but that’s going to be a huge deal. 

As a journalist, what has been your most unique experience? 

All the things I’ve gotten to do around the country and world. I covered the fall of the Berlin Wall. I have covered tornadoes, hurricanes—I mean, being on the scene where people are facing tough times in their lives and being able to help has been a real privilege for me. Most people in the media only get to report. I have a unique position to go and help.

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Who might discover the innovation in local news delivery that Howard spoke about? Who will use the power of journalism to help others, like Howard does? Might it be you?

There are numerous ways to begin a journalism career. Someone might even join The Blue & Gold! Times are rapidly changing, so one must make the most of every day in preparation for the next.

MBC, The Blue & Gold, and the Marist community would like to thank Clark Howard for visiting our school and for sharing his time and advice with us.