My Story
JEFF STEIN
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Narrator — The Ad Man 2.0 Audiobook
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Jeff Stein is one of Iowa's most recognized voices in broadcasting, history, and journalism — and the narrator bringing The Ad Man 2.0 to life on audio.
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A native of Toledo, Iowa, Jeff has built a five-decade career across radio, television, publishing, documentary production, and higher education, earning some of the most prestigious honors in his field along the way.
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ON THE AIR — DAILY ACROSS IOWA
Jeff is heard every weekday on News/Talk 1540 KXEL & KXEL FM 100.5, one of the most storied 50,000-watt radio stations in the Midwest, where he serves as News and Program Director. He also creates and hosts Iowa Almanac, a daily syndicated radio feature that airs across Iowa a total of 50 times each weekday — now in its 12th year.
He produces and hosts the Iowa Business Report radio program and podcast, and is a popular speaker on topics related to Iowa's media, history, and culture.
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AUTHOR & HISTORIAN
Jeff has written six books focused on Iowa history and public policy. His works include:
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Making Waves: The People and Places of Iowa Broadcasting — the only comprehensive history ever published of radio and television and their impact on the state of Iowa.
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One Week in June: The Iowa Floods of 2008 — a Barnes & Noble regional #1 best seller.
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The Floppy Show — telling the story of the iconic Iowa children's television program.
DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER
Jeff produced From the Battlefront to the Homefront: Iowa Broadcasters Go to War, featuring vintage broadcasts and interviews with journalists who covered conflicts from World War II to the first Gulf War — a 50-year span. The project was funded by Humanities Iowa.
He also produced the four-volume Duane & Floppy Collection DVD set, preserving the legacy of Iowa's beloved children's television icons.
AWARDS & HONORS
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Award of Merit — American Association for State and Local History, for his work preserving broadcasting history
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Jack Shelley Award — Iowa Broadcast News Association, the highest honor in Iowa broadcast journalism
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Multiple additional awards for his books and documentaries
EDUCATOR
Holder of a bachelor of arts degree with honors and a law degree, both from the University of Iowa, Jeff taught at the college level for 25 years, including at Iowa State University, Buena Vista University–Marshalltown Center, William Penn University, and Wartburg College. He also served as a member of the State Historical Society of Iowa board of trustees.
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IOWA TALKING POINTS
Jeff is also a key contributor to Iowa Talking Points (iowatalkingpoints.com), the Cedar Valley-based candidate interview television series produced by Studio5@Mudd Advertising in Cedar Falls, lending his broadcaster's expertise and decades of political insight to one of Iowa's premier election-year programs.
NARRATING THE AD MAN 2.0
When it came time to bring The Ad Man 2.0 audiobook to life, there was one voice for the job. Jeff Stein recorded the audiobook at Studio5@Mudd in Cedar Falls, delivering the book's message with the authority and warmth of a broadcaster who has spent a career telling Iowa's most important stories.
