Steve Hyvonen is a ’90 graduate from the Telecommunications department. From changing his major to discovering his true passion in television news, Steve learned a lot both personally and academically during his time at Ball State. He is currently a News Director for WXIX in Cincinnati, Ohio. We sat down with him to discuss his news journey, and what happened after CCIM.

Writer: Caitlen Ramey, Department of Journalism Student • Interviewer: Any Ung, ’19 Telecommunications grad • Video: Ball State UMS 

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What kind of student were you?

I grew up in the small town of Rensselaer, Indiana so coming to Ball State was a huge change. I came here as an art major and took art classes for my entire freshman year but I began to question if it was the right fit for me. The following year, I signed up for a speech class and after class the professor pulled me aside and told me that I should do something in television and radio. He really believed that I had the personality to do well in that field. I never really considered going that route but the more I thought about it I thought it sounded really cool. After that, I dove in and took a few TCOM classes and fell in love with it.

Did you have a favorite place on campus?

A lot has changed since my Ball State days but I would say it was really just hanging out with my friends around the dorm. I stayed in Williams hall and that was where I made a ton of my friends. We would throw a football around in the yard or just hang out and talk. Then of course, once I turned 21, I would say Muglies and The Chug were the place to be. It was just a ton of fun.

Do you have any favorite memories? 

The best memory overall had to be meeting my wife, Sabrina There were also so many memories in the TCOM classes showing off our projects and really seeing what all of classmates could do. We were all really proud of the work we created and it showed. There were never any bad memories that I can recall from my four years.

If you could meet your freshman self today, what would you tell him?

The first thing I would tell him is to get a haircut, I had such long hair back in the day and it was so funny. Then I would remind him to just enjoy the time at Ball State because life is going to come fast and you’ll have to be a real adult soon. I just wish I would have grasped onto all of the amazing things that were happening around me because I would go back in a heartbeat.

Is there a professor that impacted you?

I would say that Dr. Richardson from the TCOM department really made a significant impact on me. I had him for several of my classes in production and news. He really provided us with the necessary skills to succeed outside of the classroom. The TCOM department really set me up so that I had a job in a television station before I even graduated. Ball State taught me so much and I am grateful for every opportunity I was given. 

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