TAYN Ep. 70 - Tom Gerhardt
From These Are Your Neighbors by Bismarck Human Relations Committee
December 2, 2025 · 33 min
About this episode
Tom Gerhardt discusses his journey in storytelling and community media in Bismarck.
Born and raised in Bismarck, Tom Gerhardt brings a lifelong passion for storytelling, community, and public service to his role as Executive Director of Dakota Media Access. He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in television broadcasting and kicked off his career in sports at KMOT-TV in Minot. From there, he moved to KXMB-TV in Bismarck, where he spent the next two decades as a reporter, anchor, and eventually news director. Tom covered some of the region’s most memorable stories—everything from the 2011 Missouri River flood and the Craig Cobb saga to the Bakken boom, DAPL protests, wildfires, federal court coverage, and even Will Ferrell’s legendary Anchorman spoof at KXMB.In 2016, he stepped away from the anchor desk to join North Dakota United, advocating for teachers and public employees across the state. While there, he launched three education-focused podcasts, including The Cutting Ed(celebrating innovative teachers), Education Mindset (a real-time look at how educators adapted during COVID), and a deeper dive into teacher recruitment and retention. Tom later joined ND Assistive, where he led statewide marketing and communications efforts to help…
People in this episode
Guest: Tom Gerhardt
Topics covered
- storytelling
- community engagement
- media
- public service
- education
- local news
Keywords
- Tom Gerhardt
- Dakota Media Access
- Bismarck
- community media
- education podcasts
- public service
- local news
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Dakota Media Access, North Dakota United, ND Assistive
Books & works: The Cutting Ed, Education Mindset
Places: Bismarck, Mandan, Minot, North Dakota
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