Brian Bull got his B.A. in Psychology at Macalester College, but got bit by the radio bug while hosting a classical music show at the campus station. He interned for Minnesota Public Radio’s Voices of Minnesota program, then with National Public Radio’s Cultural Desk. After completing the NPR Diversity Initiative in 1998, Bull worked as an editorial assistant with NPR’s Morning Edition program that same year.
From 1999 to 2004, Bull was news director for South Dakota Public Radio. He supervised a small-market news department, coordinating coverage of state government, rural development, and cultural relations. In small-market fashion, he wore many hats: editor, reporter, talk show host, and producer.
His coverage of Native American issues earned him the Best Overall Radio News Reporting for 2001 Award from the Native American Journalists Association, and helped SDPR win the coveted UNITY Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association in 2003. That same year, the RTNDA trade magazine, The Communicator, identified the network as one of three major "powerhouse" small-market networks in the country.
Bull joined Wisconsin Public Radio in spring 2004, as assistant news director. For 15 months, he was also acting news director. Bull’s contributions to multicultural coverage helped WPR win its own UNITY Award in 2006, for stories on the Hmong community.
Feature and documentary work by Bull have earned him six Edward R. Murrow Awards, a National Headliner Award, and numerous First Place plaques from the Associated Press and Milwaukee Press Club. His stories have aired on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The World, Marketplace, National Native News, and Voice of America. His favorite stories include Hmong funerals, Midwestern Wineries, Fress Press issues in Indian country, and the sex lives of Lewis and Clark.
Bull works with NPR and NAJA every year on a joint radio training project, as a mentor for young journalists. He’s also been guest faculty at the Poynter Institute’s seminars on public radio reporting. He's been an ex-officio representative for NAJA on the RTNDA board, is currently secretary for Native American Public Telecommunications, and represents Wisconsin on the board of the Northwest Broadcast News Association.
An enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe, Bull enjoys covering Native American issues, but has also covered rural economies, social issues, and politics. His interests include photography, cooking, creative writing, history, and Godzilla movies.
