J. Schafer
KPR NEWS DIRECTOR
J. Schafer is the News Director of Kansas Public Radio and the Managing Editor of the KPR Network, which provides news and information to other public radio stations in Kansas and Missouri.  
 
Before joining KPR in 1995, he spent ten years as a commercial radio and TV newsman. During his career, he's filed news stories for nearly every major radio network in the nation - including ABC, NBC, CBS, AP, UPI, the Mutual Broadcasting System, NPR and the BBC.  
 
Schafer has worked for the U.S. State Department, traveling to central Asia to teach broadcast journalism at newly independent radio stations in the former Soviet Union. Currently, he produces feature stories, interviews and newscast items for KPR. He also helps edit the work of other news staffers and occasionally fills in as the local host for NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered.  
 
A native of Great Bend, Kan., he studied journalism and mass communications at Barton County Community College and at the University of Kansas. Schafer is also a former exchange student to Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany.  
 
Incidentally, the letter "J.” in J. Schafer stands for Jeremy, but he doesn’t really care for that name. Besides, he enjoys the overwhelming pretentiousness of just using an initial for a first name! This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

David Darman
MORNING EDITION HOST
David Darman grew up in Boston, though you can't tell it by his accent. He later attended Boston University, where he majored in business. While there, he also developed a liking for the BU men's hockey team (Go BU!) and college hockey in general. After college, David worked in New York as an auditor. Later, he worked on a few political campaigns, and he even made a living as a consultant.

In the early 1990s, David became involved in television and radio, and began announcing on weekend mornings for New Hampshire Public Radio. That position eventually evolved into full-time employment. For the next several years, David hosted weekend mornings regularly, and Morning Edition and All Things Considered quite often. He was also a reporter, focusing on state government and business stories. In 2001, David began reporting more than hosting, focusing on business, government and transportation.

David hopes KPR listeners who tune into Morning Edition get a good idea of what's going on in the world, nation and in their state. "I also hope they listen a bit longer than they intend because they just can't help themselves," he said. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Laura Lorson is KPR’s local All Things Considered host. She is a native of Louisville, Ky., but came to Kansas in 1983. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas. After graduation, she left the area for more than a decade, attending graduate school and working for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Ill. When an opportunity opened at KPR, she happily returned to Lawrence.

Laura says that she wanted to return to this area and this community as a sort of payback for the education she received here. Laura is married to a native Kansan. The two of them don’t really understand why people seem to think this part of the country is flat and boring. She and her husband like driving around the state, when they can afford it...they like secondhand stores, antique shops, family-owned restaurants, and looking at old courthouses. They stop to talk with pretty much anyone who says hello, so they feel like they’ve met about half the state. Laura and her husband live in Perry, with Finnegan and Beatrice, their Great Pyrenees dogs.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Bryan Thompson
HEALTH REPORTER
Veteran reporter Bryan Thompson’s assignment brings him face-to-face every week with a subject that matters to all of us: health.

Bryan crisscrossed the state for more than three years covering stories related to the health and well-being of children, like obesity, the lack of affordable dental care, health care on Indian reservations and how teens cope and recover from drug and alcohol problems. Now his assignment has been broadened to include health issues for Kansans of all ages.

After graduating from Wichita State University, Bryan started his journalism career as News Director at a small AM/FM combo in El Dorado. From there, he took a brief stint in Liberal before signing on at KINA in Salina. He stayed 16 years in that capacity before being lured away to crosstown rival KSAL, where he was in charge of news programming for five radio stations, and the innovative KSAL.com website. Bryan joined Kansas Public Radio in 2000 as its Children’s Health Reporter. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kaye McIntyre
KPR PRESENTS HOST
Kaye wears two hats at KPR: as most people are winding down their week, she's just starting hers. Kaye has been Kansas Public Radio's local host for Saturday mornings since 2001, with a line-up that includes Weekend Edition Saturday, Car Talk, Whad'Ya Know and This American Life. In 2006, Kaye began producing and hosting KPR Presents, Kansas Public Radio's public affairs program that airs at 8 Sunday evenings.

"There are so many fascinating people that come to this area, everyone from Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor to syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts. KPR Presents is a great way to share some of those lectures with our listeners. We've also been able to expand the program to cover a broad range of topics, including the Kansas Sesquicentennial, the National Day of Listening, and the 'Kansas Reads' program sponsored by the State Library of Kansas, just to name a few." 

She started her radio career in her home state of Iowa, and has also worked as a news reporter and announcer for the Mississippi Radio Network. Kaye also teaches political science at a Kansas City-area community college. She holds a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree from the University of Iowa in political science. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it