Outdoor Idaho Production Staff

BRUCE REICHERT is the host and one of the writer/producers of Outdoor Idaho. He has worked on the award-winning program for more than ten years. "We have tried to keep our shows both exciting and relevant," said Reichert. "Our staff is not afraid to go the extra mile and we aren't afraid to explore the tough public policy issues facing the West."

"We have always tried to give our viewers something they don't find elsewhere, whether that be a look at back-country pilots, or a harmonica contest in Yellow Pine. We really try to present a slice of Idaho life that educates and inspires."

Outdoor Idaho has won dozens of national and international awards for excellence, including regional Emmys for "Empire of the Snake," "Fish & Game at the Crossroads," "The Hunt," "Idaho Tribes and the Environment," and "Conflict in the Clearwater."

Reichert has been a school teacher, a bartender, a librarian, the editor of Idaho's oldest newspaper, The Idaho World, and a construction worker. He lives in a log cabin he built in the mountains outside Idaho City.

JOHN CRANCER is the lead producer for Outdoor Idaho. He has worked on dozens of Outdoor Idaho programs and other special productions during his seven years with Idaho Public Television. He has interviewed avalanche survivors, old-time loggers, white water rafters, and a whole cross-section of colorful people from throughout the state. He enjoys the diversity Idaho offers in both its people and its geography. "There are very few states in the country where you can experience the variety of terrains and lifestyles that you can find in Idaho".

In addition to his work on Outdoor Idaho programs such as "Winter Survival" and "Hells Canyon", Crancer has produced documentaries like "Sacred Journey of the Nez Perce." That production won a regional Emmy and a Gold Medal at the New York Film Festival. Among his favorite assignments were the many flights he made in a specially equipped helicopter while producing a program called "Idaho: An Aerial Tapestry." "The pilots were amazing and we saw country you couldn't have seen any other way." Viewers agreed and made "Aerial Tapestry" one of the station's most popular programs.

With nearly twenty five years in television production Crancer has produced segments in nearly all of the western states and has even traveled as far as Brazil and Siberia for shoots. But Idaho and its compelling variety offer enough outdoor adventures to keep Crancer and the rest of the crew busy for a long time.

PAT METZLER is the director, editor and chief videographer for Outdoor Idaho. It is his job to blend pictures, sounds, and interviews into a coherent, aesthetically pleasing program.

Pat has been the camera man on some of our more difficult assignments, like our trip through Five Mile Rapid on the Bruneau River, or the 15 mile journey from Fish Lake to Bear Mountain Lookout during a snowstorm.

He is not one to brag -- in fact, we've had to write this for him! -- but Outdoor Idaho's dozens of national and regional awards are certainly a testament to Pat's abilities.

Pat is an avid hunter and whitewater enthusiast, someone equally at home in the outdoors and in the edit bay.

MARCIA FRANKLIN is a writer/producer for Outdoor Idaho, as well as the lead producer and co-host of Dialogue. She has worked at Idaho Public Television since 1990. Marcia particularly enjoys preserving the stories of older Idahoans, as well as others whose lives and livelihoods often go unnoticed.

To that end, Marcia produced an Outdoor Idaho program entitled "Never Say Quit," which chronicles the involvement of older people in the outdoors; a documentary called "Desert Therapy," about children at a therapuetic wilderness camp; and "Idaho's Tribes and the Environment," which looks at the growing role that tribes are playing in natural resource management programs.

That program was the recipient of a regional Emmy award, and Marcia's work has garnered other awards, including the George Foster Peabody Award for broadcast excellence.

One of Marcia's favorite Outdoor Idaho shoots involved wrapping a snake around her neck. She is still hoping to cover a story on one of Idaho's rivers, something she notices that the host of Outdoor Idaho manages to do quite frequently!

JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN has been a producer/reporter/writer for Idaho Public Television since 1988. Before that, Joan worked for a CBS affiliate. Joan is an Idaho native. She grew up canoeing, hiking, and skiing. She even has a favorite place to find huckleberries!

As a producer, Joan has won a gold medal at the New York Film Festival, a regional Emmy, and first place at Worldfest. She has also been honored by the National Educational Association and the Council on State Governments for her educational projects. Joan's other Idaho Public Television assignments include co-producing and hosting Dialogue, and hosting/producing Dialogue for Kids. She is married with two children.

ALAN AUSTIN has over 18 years experience in what he calls "The Crazy Entertainment Industry." The walls of his home studio are lined with prestigious awards and credits. "My mom is impressed by them anyway," he says jokingly. In addition to working on Outdoor Idaho as a director, videographer and editor, he is also a professional musician and composer. He has scored many national productions including the award winning "Sacred Journey of The Nez Perce," "Scenic Splendor," "Imagine Idaho," and "Yellowstone in Winter" for Idaho Public Television.

His diverse background in music, film and television has given him the opportunity to do something else he loves to do . . . travel. He has toured with music shows all over the United States and South America, sometimes up to two years non-stop on the road. Location shoots in remote places are also his favorite due to the challenges they always present; he is also a certified Wildland Firefighter, shooting fire footage from the front lines of some of the most incredible forest fires in years. Having worked for companies such as Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures, Sunset Sound, and Sony, his friends sometimes affectionately call him "Mr. Hollywood." "Hey, I'm a street kid . . . concrete, loud music, fast cars. And to be able to work in this beautiful scenic place called Idaho, it's absolutely awesome! I feel blessed."

RICARDO OCHOA is a videographer for OUTDOOR IDAHO.

JIM PECK Writer/Producer/Host Peck is new to Idaho, but a television veteran. Most recently from Wisconsin, Peck has lived all over the country. "My father is in television so I grew up as a sort of TV Bedouin."

After years as a news reporter with NBC and CBS affiliates, he joined the ranks of public television in 1995. His resume includes national series, local programming and promotion as well as numerous documentaries and specials.

He says he's at home on the road. Cuba, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand are just a few of the recent passport stamps Peck has acquired while producing programming for PBS.

His awards cabinet reveals several Emmy's, numerous Telly's and a prestigious Golden Apple Award from the National Education Association among others.

Working on Outdoor Idaho fits perfectly with Peck's desire to be outside. An avid hunter, he spends many of his off-duty hours with a young, headstrong Chesapeake named Gus. He says he appreciates invitations to hunting sweet spots as well as dinner. "I always clean my plate and give lots of praise."