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Producer Biographies

Joan Cartan-Hansen (Idaho Public Television, Lead Producer/Host). Joan is a producer/reporter/writer with Idaho Public Television. An Idaho native, Joan worked for wire services and radio stations while she attended the University of Utah. She started in television as a reporter/anchor for KIDK, a CBS affiliate, and came to Idaho Public Television in 1988. Along the way, Joan has picked up a number of honors including Gold medals from the New York Film Festival, an Emmy and Emmy nominations for producing and writing, Telly awards, CINE Golden Eagles, the National Education Association's Advancement of Learning Through Broadcasting Award, and the James Batten Award for Excellence in Civic Journalism. She currently serves as second Vice President for the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, is a member of Idaho’s Media/Bar/Courts committee, and is a past president of the Idaho Press Club. Joan is a co-host for "Dialogue," Idaho Public Television's weekly public affairs show and a frequent producer for "Outdoor Idaho." She produced and co-hosted last year's FocusWest program, "Draining the West?".

Ed Jahn (Oregon Public Broadcasting, "green power" segment). Ed is a producer/writer with Oregon Public Broadcasting. A native of the Northeast, he has at various times taken up residence in Wyoming, Alaska, Colorado, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and now Oregon. He first joined PBS in Denver in 1994 to produce and edit a series about outdoor lifestyles and the rural experience in the Rockies. Since joining Oregon Public Broadcasting in 2000, Ed has produced and written primarily for Oregon Field Guide, a program highlighting natural history, science and recreation in the Northwest. He is a fellow with the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources and has won 6 EMMY awards for his work on both series. Ed produced a segment on non-lethal control for our previous FocusWest show, "Predators of the West."

Geoff O'Gara (WyomingPTV, coal-bed methane segment). Geoff worked for newspapers in California and Washington, D.C., before moving to Wyoming in 1980 to edit High Country News. He has been a bureau chief for the Casper Star-Tribune, editor/publisher of the NNA 1st place small newspaper winner Dubois (Wyo) Frontier, and contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler. His most recent book, What You See in Clear Water (Knopf) won 'best non-fiction' from the Western Writers of America. Over the last decade he has produced and hosted numerous programs for Wyoming Public Television, including the series "Main Street, Wyoming," "The Yellowstone Tourist" (distributed through CPB), the magazine-style "Compass West," and the recent biographical "Washakie," which won a Telly. For our previous FocusWest show, "Predators of the West," Geoff produced a segment on gizzly bear habitat corridors.

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