This Monday’s Meet the Staff introduces our new Director of Content and Operations, Scott Graf.
The Director of Content and Operations role aligns departments across IdahoPTV to make sure efforts line up strategically.
“It’s imperative in the public sector/nonprofit space where we’re limited in our resources that we make sure we’re using those resources as efficiently as possible,” Scott says. “If our departments are aligned and everyone is pulling in the same direction, then we can maximize the impact we have on our state.”
Scott grew up on a gravel road in southeast Iowa. His mom was a schoolteacher and his dad worked at a local factory. Both had part-time jobs in addition to their full-time work.
“My dad raised cattle and my mom was the janitor of a local bank branch on her way home from school every day,” he says. “So, I was taught about hard work pretty early on and that you do what it takes to make the budget work out.”
He went to college at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO. He trained as a student on KXCV/KRNW, a campus public radio station that is professionally managed but staffed by students.
“I was able to host the morning news show as a student for several semesters and got some great training and mentorship from the professional staff there,” he says. “I ended up using a resume tape I made as a student to get my first public media job in 2004 in North Carolina.”
After eight years at WFAE Radio in Charlotte, Scott moved to Idaho for a position at Boise State Public Radio. Then, between 2016 and 2025, he worked in communications roles in Idaho state government. He joined IdahoPTV in August 2025.
Scott’s appreciation for public television developed during his time in North Carolina. Scott says the more local content he watched, the more he kept learning about his new state. When he moved to Idaho and started watching IdahoPTV, he noticed three things.
“I was struck by the quality of the local content, the quantity of the local content and how well it reflected Idaho,” he says. “These shows helped me become immersed in my new state at a much faster rate than I would have otherwise been.”
Scott says he was drawn to IdahoPTV by a desire to make an impact on Idahoans through storytelling.
“I want to help this organization tell Idaho’s stories so viewers can learn about the interesting people, places and history of our state,” he says. “Quality local content made the way Idaho Public Television makes content, with shows like Outdoor Idaho and Idaho Experience, can serve as a uniting factor by telling the stories of the state we all call home.”
Scott is an avid fly fisherman. He bought a fly rod his first year in Idaho and says he was fortunate to find some locals willing to show him the ropes. He says learning the technical hobby is one of the more challenging things he’s tackled as an adult, but once that’s been worth it.
“It’s such a great place to fly fish,” he says of the West. “It’s one of those things that you never do in a place that isn’t pretty. Anytime you chase trout with a fly rod, you are in a beautiful spot.”
Scott’s other hobbies include bike commuting on the Boise Greenbelt.
“It’s healthy and I’m not putting miles on my car. I’m not putting gas in my car,” he says. “And I usually do my best thinking in the morning on my way to work, after the heart rate’s up and the blood is pumping. A lot of days I get answers and clarity on the Greenbelt that I don’t get elsewhere.”
Scott is also a fan of grilling and smokers, and he has a collection of grills. “My wife might call it an addiction,” he laughs.
When it comes to his favorite snacks, Scott has a hard time narrowing it down.
“Unfortunately, I’m the least picky eater I know. Based on some of the outdoor activities and their portability, I eat quite a few Clif bars. Those are easy to stick in a bike bag or a pocket on a pair of waders.”
Scott smiles when he says he prefers to keep his favorite part of Idaho a secret, based on the quality of the fishing there. But he narrows it down to an area in the mountains west of Stanley.
And when it comes to his favorite PBS Kids character, he says it’s a tie between Wishbone and Curious George.
“My nephew lived with us for a while when I was in high school and he loved to watch Wishbone. So, I always had an affinity for Wishbone. And when my daughter was young, we watched a lot of Curious George and both enjoyed that a lot.”