Tahia Rivara, KUAC FM’s newest on-call announcer, enjoys bringing her conversational skills to the airwaves. “I don’t want to sound robotic,” she said. “I want to be friendly and reach people with different ethnicities and backgrounds.”
Born in Chile, Tahia spent her teenage years in Los Angeles. She came to Fairbanks in September 2015 to study business and marketing at UAF. Working for public broadcasting is a dream come true. “I love hosting, Tahia said. “When I first moved here I was a bit scared I wouldn’t be able to offset the loneliness but this has been the perfect way to do that.”
Tahia hosts “Weekend Edition,” On the Media” and “Splendid Table” on Sundays and “Here and Now,” “The World” and “Fresh Air” on Tuesdays.
Her goals are to continue improving her skills, especially public speaking to large groups. “I want to learn the ins and outs of radio so that some day I could host my own talk show,” she said. “I also want to get better at fundraising. I love the idea of getting people together and giving them the opportunity to support a cause.”
In her free time, Tahia enjoys taking long walks to local lakes with her husband.
Lori Neufeld, KUAC FM Volunteer Coordinator, said, “A favorite part of my job is teaching people like Tahia the ins and outs of public broadcasting. She’s motivated and sincere and she genuinely loves being part of the KUAC team.”
