Robinson Miles: The radio CHaSS star

Most people who meet Robinson Miles or hear him talk will say his voice is meant for broadcasting. For Rob, though, the path to his broadcast journalism degree wasn’t as simple. 

“Not everyone just has people coming up to them who they just met and say, ‘Hey! This is what your career should be,” Rob said.

But he never thought much of it. Since he was 15 years old, he was set on being an accountant like his dad. He brought that goal to Utah State University and began to work towards a bachelor’s degree in accounting and had plans for a master’s.

In fact, he was well along in his bachelor’s and working on his master’s when he realized accounting wasn’t for him. Rob had landed an internship at a respected local firm, but during his second tax season he said the work began to impact his mental health. He said there was a time where he couldn’t get himself to do anything besides sleep, eat and shower.

Despite doing what he was good at and what he always thought he was going to do, Rob had to make a change and said to himself, “You know, interestingly enough, I think I hate this. And I don’t think my brain can take it.”

He then bounced around between a few degree options before he began leaning towards broadcast journalism.

Soon afterwards, a family friend who learned he was thinking about going into journalism offered Rob a job as “the voice of the Kemmerer Rangers” for their local high school’s sporting events. He has been calling their games since then, sometimes with his dad, Corey Miles. 

Rob’s mom, Michelle Miles, said her dad owned a store when she was growing up and loved voicing the radio commercials. She grew up listening to her dad practice his scripts for the commercials, but she said she hadn’t thought about that in a long time. 

“Rob got the job with the Kemmerer Rangers and I tuned in to hear the first game,” Michelle said, “and as Rob started to talk on the radio I could hear my dad’s voice in his voice. And I thought, ‘Wow my dad would be so proud to hear that he took something that he loved — that was more of a hobby — and now he’s going to make a career of it.”

“People have told you your whole life this is what you need to do,” said McKay Miles, Rob’s wife. “Why did it take you, like, six majors to get there?”

Rob said McKay was the one who convinced him to start broadcast.

“He’s always liked entertaining people,” McKay said.

“Journalism and broadcasting is a natural direction for Rob to go because he’s always been a magnificent storyteller,” Michelle said.

For middle school basketball, Rob had to take long bus rides between schools in their rural Wyoming hometown. 

“Rob had the entire team gathered around him,” Michelle said, “he’s telling stories and they’re all laughing and no one’s thinking about the upcoming game and he’s got everybody captive.”

She said the coach then said Rob wasn’t allowed to tell any stories until the bus ride home because he was distracting the team.

“He’s been entertaining audiences for a very long time,” Michelle said.

Rob hopes to land a job in sportscasting after he graduates this semester with his degree in broadcast journalism. 

William Bultez is a broadcast journalism major from Idaho. He is a film fanatic, dog lover and music enthusiast who enjoys the outdoors.

—william.bultez@usu.edu

@willistheginger