Matt Largey
Projects EditorWhat I do at KUT
My job means I do a little bit of everything: editing reporters, producing podcasts, reporting my own stories, training, producing live events and always being on the lookout for things that make my ears perk up. I’ve been leading KUT’s ATXplained project since 2016 — where we answer audience questions about Austin’s people, places and culture. In addition to radio stories and the podcast, we also produce two ATXplained Live shows every year. I love stories that help us understand the people in our community and the city we live in — stories that are surprising and untold.
My experience
When I was in high school in Maine, I took one of those “What Should Your Job Be?” tests. It said I should be a broadcaster. I thought that was stupid. A couple years later, I realized it was actually the perfect job for me. I took the only radio class at the college I went to in Maine and was instantly hooked. I transferred to a school in Boston to learn radio production and journalism. When I graduated in 2003, I was lucky to get a job at a public radio station in Boston. I started out as an engineer, doing technical production. Then I moved into the newsroom to produce newscasts.
About two years later, I went to the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine to study radio documentaries.
I went back to public radio after that, eventually landing in Austin in 2006. After freelancing at KUT for several months, I got a full-time reporting job here. I went back to Boston for a little while, but that’s a long story.
KUT — and public radio — have changed a lot in 20 years, but the commitment to factual reporting and storytelling are the same. I still feel lucky to be here.
Journalistic ethics
To be honest, I have a problem with the way a lot of journalism operates. Too little care is taken for the people we as an industry represent in stories. I believe that people have a right to be represented fairly and accurately. If I wouldn’t want to sit down and listen to my story with a person who’s in it, I’m doing something wrong. That doesn’t mean that they’re always presented in the best light, but it does mean the story should be accurate and fair.
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Jo Cartwright and Bernard Snyder lost their spouses after about 70 years of marriage. The two started eating dinner together at their Austin retirement community before realizing they were falling for each other. -
This weekend marks 50 years since an event in Austin that no one has seen the likes of since. A concert so epic — and so messy — that if you remember it, maybe you weren’t really there. -
New stories, new storytellers and a new venue? You've got to be there. -
You could argue the stakes were lower then; the protesters were there to save some trees along Waller Creek. But the response from university administrators was the same. -
He's everywhere: TV, radio, billboards, YouTube. What's the marketing strategy for this personal injury lawyer? -
At one point, this tower was Austin's main communication link to the outside world. Decades later, is it a landmark or an eyesore for the neighborhood? -
We're coming back to the Paramount Theatre on April 3 for a night of brand-new stories told live on stage. -
KUTX, the sister station of KUT, went off the air over the weekend. Crews are working to investigate what happened, but until then the station will not reach its normal audience. -
The average American human lives to their 70s. The average giant tortoise can live more than 100 years. The Greenland shark can live up to 500 years. What about trees in Austin? -
ATXplained Live is coming back to the Paramount Theatre on Oct. 11.
