KSL’s Jeremiah Jensen is paid to cover and report on sports, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. His journey from small town boy to well known broadcaster is one of hard work and dedication.
When he was four years old, Jensen’s family moved to Smoot, Wyoming where the population was 100. With a mountain for a backyard he could often be found hunting, fishing and snowmobiling. Along with his love of the outdoors, Jensen had a passion for athletics.
“Sports was everything to me,” said Jensen. “Growing up we would put on snow suits and gloves and play basketball in below zero temperatures.”
That drive and determination led him to play basketball and football in high school. He had success on the field as a quarterback and defensive back on a team that went deep into the playoffs. However, his stint on the court ended with a gruesome leg injury.
“That was the first time in my life when I dealt with adversity,” he said. “Everything until that point was about ball and now I had to adjust, it was probably a good thing for me though.”
After graduating high school and serving an LDS mission, Jensen moved to Utah to attend Utah Valley State College in the spring of 2000. He knew he was no longer able to play basketball, but he still wanted to do something in sports. Walking on campus one day he found that something staring back at him.
“I saw an advertisement on the wall by the newspaper stand for something called NetXNews,” he said. “I started doing student broadcasting at Utah Valley basketball games. I was hooked.”
After two years in Orem, Jensen finished his degree at the University of Utah. During his time in Salt Lake City he interned at KSL, a position he credits to the experiences and relationships gained while at UVSC. When his internship was over he kept showing up in the newsroom. Eventually a job opened up and he found himself arising at 2 a.m. each morning to complete his duties at the network while still completing his degree.
Upon finishing school, Jensen sent tapes to numerous networks and received a call back from a station in Grand Junction, Colorado. He gained experience on television and less than two years later, in 2005, found himself back in Utah working at KSL full-time. In his current position he can be seen on nightly newscasts, SportsBeat Sunday and Game Night Live.
Over the years the boy who grew up in small Smoot, Wyoming has interviewed his childhood hero John Elway, covered the NCAA Tournament, memorable NBA playoff games and even a Super Bowl. Through it all, Jensen attributes his success to his time spent in Orem.
“The experience that I had at Utah Valley is really the reason I have this job today,” said Jensen. “I would not be here without it.”
