News

Lincoln radio station KFOR’s Jeff Motz was recently named Nebraska’s 2020 Sportscaster of the Year by the National Media Sports Association. Motz graduated from the Mass Media program on SCC’s Beatrice Campus in 2000.

“This award is nice; it’s hard to believe I was nominated,” Motz said. “We have in this state a good network of sportscasters who are truly deserving of this award. I can’t thank enough my co-workers and my family who are very supportive of what I do.”

Motz has worked at KFOR since 2006, and has been sports director since 2013. In addition to sports, doing play-by-play and covering news, he also has his own website business where he livestreams sports, www.lincolnprepsportsnow.com. He said his time at SCC helped shape his future career in sportscasting.

“The hands-on experience is what I remember,” Motz said. “I learned the ins and outs of the business.”

Motz first became interested in broadcasting when he was young, but really took off after taking a journalism class in high school. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a year, but ended up taking some general education classes at SCC’s Lincoln Campus before entering the Mass Media program in Beatrice.

During his time on the Beatrice Campus, Motz was able to work at the campus radio station. He said the facility was brand new, making it nicer than some of the other local stations. One of his instructors, Jerry Fritz, made quite the impact on Motz.

“Jerry made things fun and enjoyable,” he said. “He was caring and a disciplinarian. “I have nothing but great memories of him. A lot of it has applied to what I do in the world today.”

Motz worked at KLIN radio in Lincoln after graduation, and then went on to KFOR. This summer he will have worked 24 years in broadcasting and can call himself a veteran.

“I’m very thankful I’ve had these opportunities along the way,” he said.

Motz covers both news and sports and has covered many important stories over the years, including the Hallam tornado in 2004. He remembers going into work at 7 a.m. and doing news updates over the course of the entire day and night, and not going home until around 12:30 a.m.

“You realize when you look back, you probably saved a lot more lives,” he said. “People turn on the radio and they rely on this information.”

Even though Motz enjoys covering both, sports is his true love. From his time as an athlete at Northeast High School in Lincoln, sports has been a way of life for him. He also is the play-by-play announcer for Nebraska Wesleyan football and basketball.

“The best part of my job is sitting down and doing the play-by-play of the game,” he said. “I’m enjoying something I truly like to do.”

SCC discontinued the Mass Media program in 2008. However, along the way it had an impact on many students, including Jeff Motz.

“I can’t thank SCC enough for what they did and the type of person I’ve become,” Motz said.

When Motz is not calling sports or covering breaking news, he is spending time with his wife Jami, his daughter Tenaj and his son Jered.