It was dumb luck that brought Matt Loveless (’07 Comm.) back to Pullman.
Loveless, a reporter living in Illinois, was in between jobs in 2019. He had recently fulfilled the duties of his contract as a news anchor for a TV station in Decatur, Illinois. He was considering renewing his contract when representatives from his alma mater, Washington State University, called and offered him a teaching position within the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. He happily accepted the job and packed his bags for the Palouse.
The change in career didn’t stop Loveless from pursuing his passion for sports media. Not long after returning to Pullman, he started emailing WSU Athletics employees inquiring about possible public address opportunities for WSU sports teams. He began by doing public address at WSU soccer games, then at men’s and women’s basketball games and, finally, accomplishing a goal by doing public address for the blistering cold Halloween weekend football game versus Utah in 2022.
“It was a dream come true,” Loveless said. “I mean doing the public address for the football game was a bucket list item for me.”
Loveless graduated from the Murrow College in spring 2007 and now is a scholarly assistant professor. He teaches undergraduate courses in advanced communication and aspires to pass the same passion for informative communication onto his students that his professors passed on to him.
“Professor Loveless always came in with a good attitude and he was always fun to talk to, and he was more than a professor in my eyes. He was a mentor,” said Carlos Murrieta, a former student in Loveless’ news production class.
Loveless said he was eager to learn during his days as a WSU student. He participated in extracurricular organizations and enjoyed his opportunity to host an hour-long show on KUGR radio, where he DJ’d classic rock music. He also enrolled in Murrow News 8, a class that Loveless now teaches, designed to instruct students about news production.
One of his role models as a student was Glenn Johnson, a former Murrow College professor. Johnson is the full-time public address announcer for Cougar football and men’s basketball games.
“He was a major influence for me. He taught me skills in classes and when I needed help down the road, I would reach back out to him for advice,” Loveless said.
Loveless took a job as a news reporter in Lewiston, Idaho, after graduating from WSU despite wanting a sports reporting position. During his employment in Lewiston, he wanted to remain valuable in the sports reporting field, so he aided the sports reporters by regularly traveling to Pullman to cover WSU athletics.
His first sports reporting position was in Boise, Idaho, covering Boise State athletics. He covered the Bronco’s famed College Gameday matchup against Oregon State in 2010.
Later, Loveless got another sports reporting job, in Illinois, where he reported on Big 10 Conference football and baseball. He even got to cover the Chicago Cubs when they won the National League Championship Series and punched their ticket to the World Series for the first time in 71 years. Afterward, he stayed in Illinois to report the morning news.
“Loveless plans to do public address for more WSU sporting events. He said he hopes to one day follow in his mentor’s footsteps and do public address announcing full-time for WSU football and basketball.”