NEWS

Yepsen to replace Borg as 'Iowa Press' host

William Petroski
bpetrosk@dmreg.com

David Yepsen, who covered politics and government for 32 years at The Des Moines Register, has been named host of "Iowa Press," a weekly public affairs program broadcast by Iowa Public Television.

Yepsen, a Jefferson native, recently returned to Iowa after retiring as director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he had worked since 2009. He graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor of general studies in 1972 and received a master's degree in public administration at Drake University in 1985. He was a fall fellow Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy in 1989, and in 2008 was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard.

David Yepsen

Yepsen will succeed Dean Borg, whose retirement from the statewide network and "Iowa Press" was announced last week. Yepsen has been a frequent guest on "Iowa Press" since the 1970s. He begins as host and moderator of "Iowa Press" on Jan. 20. Borg’s last day will be Jan. 13, following IPTV’s live coverage of Gov. Terry Branstad's Condition of the State address on Jan. 10.

"It’s a tremendous honor to return ‘home’ to Iowa Press," Yepsen said in a prepared statement. "I have great respect for Dean Borg and for the reputation he helped build for the program. It is Iowa’s most trusted resource for public policy evaluation and political analysis, and the best platform for civic and civil discourse on the critical issues we face as a state and nation. I'm excited to be part of that conversation.”

Molly Phillips, IPTV 's executive director and general manager, said Yepsen brings a high level of professionalism to "Iowa Press."

“David covered every presidential campaign from 1976 through 2008, and was an integral part of IPTV’s public affairs programming for more than 30 years," Phillips said. "He brings a lifelong love of politics, expertise on the Iowa caucuses and insightful analysis honed over decades of hard work as one of America’s best political reporters to his role as host of the state’s longest running public affairs television program. Whether it is legislative business at the Iowa General Assembly, an interview with a political figure or an issue of statewide or national importance, David’s objectivity and analysis ensure that the 'Iowa Press' panel will continue to educate, inform, enrich and inspire Iowans."

"Iowa Press" airs Friday evenings and Sundays at noon on IPTV. It is also broadcast Saturday mornings on IPTV WORLD.