Miles Romney graduated from BYU with a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in broadcast journalism. Now he has the opportunity to return as a professor. Photo courtesy of Kyra Sutherland.
PR Student: K.B. Sutherland
This article was produced in cooperation with the COMMS 425 lab.
Miles Romney was recently hired as BYU’s newest news media professor, bringing with him years of journalism experience, an interest in researching national sports networks and an excitement to teach at BYU.
“Not only is Utah great, but BYU is an incredible institution,” Romney said. “Kids are just incredibly bright here; unlike any school I’ve taught at. The opportunity to come back and teach BYU students was something I really wanted to do.”
Romney graduated from BYU after receiving his undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism in 2005. Since then he has worked as a reporter and news anchor, helped produce live sporting events (like NBA basketball) and has been a talk radio host. His career in journalism has covered markets all over Idaho and Utah.
Romney taught for two years at Arizona State University while working on his Ph.D. in journalism and mass communication. He then taught for two years at the University of South Carolina before receiving the unexpected opportunity to teach at BYU.
Miles Romney taught at both Arizona State University and the University of South Carolina for two years before accepting a position at BYU. Photo courtesy of Kyra Sutherland.
Romney is a professor in the news media emphasis of the communications program. In addition to his broadcasting classes, he will also be teaching visual communications classes that involve graphic design, social media communication and social media analytics.
One of Romney’s goals while at BYU is having a “great, engaging classroom experience” with his students. He wants his future students to know he supports them, and he wants to help them reach their goals. The one thing Romney wishes his students know is, “The world needs you, your strength, your character, your spirituality. Anything and everything is possible. I say, go get your dreams!”
Another goal he has is to publish research. He is currently researching how sports networks, such as ESPN and FOX Sports, are sharing and reinforcing ideas and messages with their audiences. His research covers these networks on traditional and social media platforms.
One example of his research includes the use of photographs. Romney explained that sports networks often use pictures of African Americans in athletic poses and pictures of other races in more intellectual poses, like a coach or an analyst. He explains that this reinforces the stereotype that African Americans are successful through athletic achievement and other races are successful through intellectualism.
Miles Romney and his wife, Jessica, traveled to Germany in April 2017. Photo courtesy of Jessica Romney.
When not teaching, Romney loves to be outdoors. “I love the mountains, and I’m an active person,” he said. “I love to mountain bike, road bike, hike, climb and boat. And Utah just offers that in spades. If you like the outdoors, Utah’s like a giant playground.”
Not only does he love to be outdoors, but Romney also loves to travel. That love has taken him and his wife, Jessica, all over the world. “My wife and I love to travel. We’ve been to 50 countries combined. Every year we’ll pick a place to go. This year we did Iceland. Last year we did Switzerland. We’ve done Peru, South America, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Costa Rica. We just go all over the place. Just get lost and have fun.”