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Back Talk: Kristie VerMulm

Once a shy speaker, Kristie now broadcasts to thousands

Back Talk: Kristie VerMulm

Kristie VerMulm, news anchor for KTIV in Sioux City, Iowa



October 2007

Kristie VerMulm’s memory of performing the FFA Creed isn’t her most pleasant one. She recalls being terrified of speaking at both the district and state events – even though there were only a few judges in the room. The irony of this story is that this former state FFA reporter from Harrisburg, S.D., now broadcasts the news to some 150,000 homes a night in Sioux City, Iowa, with ease and confidence.

QBesides creed speaking, what other FFA activities did you participate in?

AEverything! I judged crops, livestock, dairy, poultry and horticulture. I also did job interview, parliamentary procedure and extemporaneous speaking – which really prepared me for a broadcasting career.

QWhat do you like most about your job as a news anchor?

AI truly love the fact that it’s always something new and fresh. Throughout the day, the entire show can change because of breaking news or last-minute events.

QYou’re constantly in the public eye. How do you handle that?

AWhen I served as a state FFA officer, I learned that you never know how many lives you impact – good or bad. That’s always stuck with me. But even sometimes, the nature of my job can be hectic, and I try to handle it one situation at a time.

Q How do you deal with those types of situations?

AIf I’m in a situation where I feel overwhelmed, I take a few deep breaths and say to myself, “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.”

QWhat career advice would you give to FFA members?

AGet an internship! In college, I majored in broadcasting, but I wasn’t certain about my career until one summer. I had an internship at a news bureau in Rapid City, S.D., and loved it. The job was something new every day, and that’s when I decided this was the route I wanted to go – to be a reporter. A few years later, when I graduated college, that same station hired me for my first job. So it definitely paid off.



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