By STEPHANIE RODRIGUEZ
IU Diversity Media Sports Institute

For WISH-TV‘s Chris Widlic, it has been a long way from Bluefield, West Virginia to Indianapolis, Ind.

Bluefield, West Virginia is a small town with a population of 11,451 people and 50 miles from the nearest NCAA University, Virginia Tech. Indianapolis, on the other hand, a capital city with 807,584 residents, is home of the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers.

The University of Texas graduate and broadcast journalism degree recipient began his career as a weekend news anchor and sports photographer for WVVA-TV in Bluefield.

“Where’s that?” Widlic joked.

Although it might not seem like an exciting town, Widlic credits Bluefield for making him the journalist he is today.

After anchoring the weekend news, he was promoted to sports director for WVVA-TV. Widlic then moved to Champaign, Illi. where he won the Illinois Silver Dome award for his coverage of University of Illinois basketball and football.

Although most sports fans might think interviewing professional athletes is a rewarding experience, Widlic thinks otherwise.

“Meeting with professional athletes and the big-leaguers is quite an experience but interviewing high school kids and college athletes is a lot of fun,” Widlic said. “They always want to say ‘Interview me! Take my picture!’ whereas professional athletes are always trying to avoid the media.”

Before Widlic eventually moved his career to Indianapolis, he was often visiting the Circle City to cover the Brickyard 400 and the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick.

In his time, Widlic has covered the 1994 Winter Olympics, the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals playoffs, the Chicago Bears post-season and the U.S. Open golf championship held in Chicago.

Internships, guidance and support along the way, helped Widlic become the lead sports broadcaster for WISH-TV.

"There were several times when I’ve been ignored and walked past, but the passion is what keeps me going,” Widlic said. “If you don’t have passion for what you’re doing, you won’t succeed."