In the race to land a job after graduation, some students can only dream of one day hosting a television show. But there was Tej Joshi, B.S.C. ’19, right as he was graduating from the University of Miami, the host of SoKY Sunrise, the morning show for south-central Kentucky’s NBC affiliate television station, WNKY 40.
“It’s a really fun show that I’m happy to be a part of,” said Joshi.
What’s more, SoKY Sunrise was recently awarded Best Morning Show at the Kentucky Broadcasters Association Excellence in Broadcasting Awards in Florence, Indiana— less than one year after Joshi signed on as the host. SoKY Sunrise was competing against every morning show in Kentucky, which includes major markets such as Lexington and Louisville.
Branded as a fun wake up show, Joshi opens and closes SoKY every morning from 6 to 7 a.m. leading up to The Today Show. The show covers a range of topics including trending news, sports, entertainment, and health.
Since joining SoKY, Joshi has brought his charisma, dedication, and creativity to residents of Bowling Green, Kentucky. He’s changed things up in the mornings at WNKY, with new weekly segments and a variety of guests from the community. SoKY Speaks, a segment idea which Joshi came up with while he was a student at UM, features a series of man-on-the-street interviews with locals.
“I thought it was a great way to get out in the community,” said Joshi, “it’s also a really fun segment to shoot.”
According to Joshi, most of his innovative ideas come from his time at the School of Communication and at UMTV. For four years, Joshi worked on Off the Wire, UMTV’s award-winning late-night comedy sketch show, as an executive producer and host. There, he found his voice and tried out a diverse set of segments that were then brought to SoKY Sunrise.
“I’ve kind of changed things a lot, but also kept things that were working really well here,” said Joshi. “It was important for me to bring my creativity and put my spin on things.”
Joshi attributes his success and work ethic to his friends, professors, mentors, and the resources at UM. Some of the things he found most rewarding about his time at UM include “having an atmosphere that promotes collaboration” and the time and support professors give students.
He encourages students to “take advantage of all the opportunities and resources that UM has.” From jobs and internships listed in the Weekly Wire, to the School’s equipment room that rivals professional equipment, as well as the University’s robust alumni base, he recommends for students to explore all the available resources.
“[UM] allows you to be as creative as you want to be because of all the resources you have,” said Joshi, “and that really prepared me for the real world.”
