Lionel Ramos is joining KOSU as the station’s state government reporter. He comes to KOSU after covering race and equity as a Report For America corps member at Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit investigative newsroom in Oklahoma City.
“We are excited to have Lionel join our team,” KOSU News Director Robby Korth said. “He will be a leader in shining a light on state government for all Oklahomans.”
Ramos’ completely new position comes following support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
KOSU, along with its collaborators KGOU, KWGS, KCCU and HPPR, was awarded a two-year $250,000 grant to increase coverage of state government from CPB last fall. The grant is part of $2.25 million in funding to strengthen public media state government reporting in seven states, including Oklahoma.
Ramos will aim to deepen listeners’ understanding of state government and the impact of state policy and processes. His work will build on the long-term collaborations of StateImpact Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange to produce and share content that better informs our listeners and readers. Through KOSU and the partner news organizations, the state government reporting will reach 65 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties through on-air radio broadcasts.
Born into the circus, Ramos traveled across the country in an RV with his family for the first half of his life. He eventually landed in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended high school and community college before transferring to Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.
He holds a bachelor's degree in English with a focus on Creative Writing from Texas State, where he covered local and student government for the school's newspaper, The University Star.
At Oklahoma Watch, Ramos reported statewide on the rising political capital of Latinos in Oklahoma, the resettlement of Afghan refugees, the stakes for Indigenous Oklahomans in the Supreme Court's 2023 Brackeen v. Haaland decision, unemployment, housing, and veterans issues.
Please join us in welcoming Ramos to KOSU!
