Jennifer Rooks
Host and Executive Producer, Maine CallingJennifer walked into her college radio station as a 17-year-old freshman and never looked back. Even though she was terrified of the microphone back then — and spoke into it as little as possible — she loved the studio, the atmosphere and, most of all, the people who work in broadcasting. She was hooked. Decades later, she’s back behind the radio microphone hosting Maine Public Radio’s flagship talk program, Maine Calling. She’s not afraid of the mic anymore, but still loves the bright, eclectic people she gets to work with every day.
Jennifer joined MPBN in June 2007 after spending more than 13 years at WCSH-TV in Portland as a general assignment reporter and weekend news anchor. She has twice won a regional Edward R. Murrow award: in 1998, for coverage of Maine National Guard and Reserve soldiers deployed in Bosnia and Hungary, and in 2003, for the documentary Citizen King, about then-governor and former Maine Watch host Angus King.
For six years, Jennifer served as host, reporter and executive producer of Maine Watch with Jennifer Rooks. She has moderated more than 20 broadcast debates for Maine Public Television and has produced three television documentaries: Broken Trust: Elder Abuse in Maine and Winds of Change, both Maine Watch Special Reports, and A Matter of Duty: The Continuing War Against PTSD. Co-produced with Charlie Stuart, A Matter of Duty has been shown on PBS television stations throughout the U.S. and in multiple screenings, including at the National Sheriff’s Association national conference.
Jennifer grew up outside Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her BA from the University of Virginia and her master’s in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She worked at television stations in San Francisco and Monterey, California, before coming to Maine. She and her husband Mike have two teenagers.
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How has the current political climate affected relations with Canada for people living in Maine's border communities? -
A new book delves into the harm that Coca-Cola's products and business methods have caused (rebroadcast) -
The evolving role of libraries as community hubs, social service providers, tech centers and more—and the impact of federal funding cuts -
What to know about planting, maintaining and protecting trees in your landscape—and how they help people and the planet -
What goes into rescuing and rehabilitating wild animals in Maine -
In our polarized times, what civic ideals do American all believe in, and can those be tapped for our nation to find common ground? -
For Earth Day: Influential ecologist Doug Tallamy shares his expertise in how to foster environmental health through gardening -
Longtime NPR correspondent Tom Gjelten discusses how religion intersects with American politics, and what repercussions that causes -
Senator King discusses the top issues he is focusing on amid the current climate in Washington -
For National Poetry Month, poets with Maine ties discuss their work and how poetry is evolving
