Alums fill the airwaves at Albuquerque television stations

Andrew Goss, left, and Brian Barker
Kate Godwin	Josh Rymes

Kate Godwin (‘99) started as a reporter for ABC affiliate KOAT-TV in Albuquerque in January. Not long after that, on a day when she’d done a live shot, her phone rang.

“Hey, what are you doing in my town?” the caller said. It was Josh Rymes (‘99), who worked for rival station KASA-TV as a reporter, producer and editor for the Fox affiliate.

After graduating, Rymes moved to Roswell, N. M.

“Talk about culture shock,” he said. After almost a year in Roswell he moved to Albuquerque, arriving in late 2000.

“I was proud to be on air in a top 50 market a little over a year after graduating.  During my stint here at Fox a few of my packages have gone national,” he said.  “One was on ‘The Fox Report’ hosted by Shepard Smith in March.  It was about goldfish taking over New Mexico lakes. Good video. Very foxy.”

“I didn’t even know my fellow Buffs were working in the “Q” when I got here,” Godwin said.

“I’m still trying to explain to Josh that he doesn’t own this town,” she said, adding that she and Rymes have encountered each other in the field but usually work different shifts.

Rymes may not possess the “Q,” as Albuquerque is known locally, but he is owed a debt of gratitude by Andrew Goss (‘99), who also found work in Albuquerque.

“After graduation, I worked as a reporter/anchor for the NBC affiliate in Klamath Falls, Ore.,” Goss said “After about a year and a half, I wanted to see what else was out there and live near where I grew up, so I took a job with a high-tech PR firm in California.

“It was a good pace and good money, but something was missing. I got a call from Josh a couple of times telling me about an AP (assistant producer) position at Fox in Albuquerque, so I took it. I became the main producer within a couple of months here for the evening news.”

And there is still another Buff loose in the city. Brian Barker (‘98) had taken a job with a rival station, CBS affiliate KRQE-TV.

“I landed my job here in Albuquerque in November of last year,” Barker said. “I was absolutely thrilled to get the job. When I was a junior at CU, I got a job as a writer at KUSA. Once I graduated in August of 1998, I moved to Yakima, Wash., to work as a reporter there.

“Six months later, I was off to Colorado Springs to work at KOAA-TV as the morning live reporter. It was a great experience, but I needed to work somewhere were there was more breaking news and better equipment like a satellite truck and helicopter.

“Unfortunately, I had no idea any of these people were working in Albuquerque,” he said. “I never even thought to look for other CU alums. I didn’t have an agent, either. I simply mailed my tapes out to all of the markets I wanted to go to and caught a lucky break.”

Now, Godwin and Barker cross paths regularly as friends and competitors.

“Kate Godwin and I have beers together with some other TV people every Tuesday night at the local hangout,” Barker said. “We also run into each other at the latest murder or disaster. It’s amazing how well all of the stations get along in the field. But when it comes down to it, we’re all trying to beat the other guys and get something they don’t have. One day I’ve got something better than Kate; the next, she’ll have something much better than I do.”

Godwin returned the compliment, and then some.

“Brian was very polite and pretended he remembered me from school when we met. Now he’s a good friend,” she said.

“But the most fun part of my job is getting a good story, especially if it means beating Brian to the punch. That’s tough to do. Fortunately, if he does beat me, I have the comfort of knowing KRQE only has three viewers.”

She said it doesn’t help that Barker had a head start, especially considering where she started out.

“The hardest part of my job is not knowing the area. After graduating in May 1999, I started working as a reporter and fill-in anchor in my hometown, Grand Junction. I knew everybody, and finding stories was easy. It’s a little different here, but that’s what reporting is all about – getting out and finding what’s going on,” she said.

“Albuquerque is a town that’s wrought with violent crime,” Barker said. “There’s always breaking news. The workload here is incredible. I produce at least two packages every day.”

Goss, who has worked at three of the four Albuquerque stations, says he loves KRQE-TV.

“What can I say? I’ve landed myself my favorite gig in TV. Are there any other jobs where you get to use four-letter words on a regular basis and nobody even notices it?” he said.

“Brian Barker and I have an absolute blast together along with the entire KRQE news staff. Brian and I talk skiing and CU on a regular basis. Josh and I hit the bars on a regular basis and exchange war stories constantly.”

Goss said instructor and former CNN producer Vicky Sama was the one who sold him on a career in broadcast news.

“Not only did she provide me with a good base education for broadcast journalism, but she also introduced me to people along the way who have proved invaluable toward my career development. Best of all, though, whenever I have an important career decision, I know who to turn to,” he said.

“It’s really exciting seeing all of these other CU grads out on the job,” Barker said.

“It’s also proof that you don’t have to be a Missouri grad to be successful in this business.” message4kg@yahoo.com, brian.barker@krqe.com, agoss@usa.net, joshrymes@hotmail.com