Kate Welshofer
Photo courtesy of Representation Day 2026 program
BY: CHRIS DOODY, CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Kate Welshofer, ‘96, was recently appointed lecturer and head of the broadcast journalism program at St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication.
Welshofer will be starting in the fall semester and shared some advice she is planning on giving her students.
“The most important thing professionally is strong writing skills, including spelling, grammar and the works,” said Welshofer. “Out of everything I learned in college, that has had the greatest impact on my career. It set the foundation for how I communicate and even exist in the world. Additionally, since leaving news, I have heard time and time again from various people in all kinds of professions how much they want and need good writers. It’s vital, and yes, I know. AI can do it, but the world wants and needs your weird human brain. Don’t let us down!”
Welshofer said she hopes to help students lean into the best version of themselves so they know that each of their paths is unique, and wants to give the same gift of encouragement that she received as a student at Bonaventure.
“St. Bonaventure also taught me, ‘You’re going to be okay.’ Those were the words from my adviser when I was worried about what I was going to do with my life, not feeling particularly inspired about the future,” said Welshofer. “I know what it means to stress out about that. I know how frustrating and even embarrassing it can be, especially being around fellow students who seem to have it all together. I know now that not having everything all figured out in college isn’t failure, it’s human. Looking back, I couldn’t have known what I would do in my career because, for a large part of it, I was doing things no one had done before.”
Welshofer’s past experience as a producer, reporter, and anchor for more than 20 years, creating content for stations all over New York State, will be implemented into the classroom through teachable.
While Most Buffalo was starting up, Welshofer said she received multiple comments telling her ‘I didn’t want to like you, but I do,’ and she considers it a compliment.
“We did things and said things and covered things that were out of the ordinary for a typical local news show, but we were also committed to quality and intention,” said Welshofer. “We did not want to be different for the sake of being different. We were always rooted in some kind of structure. We also put the audience first and made the effort to include them and make them part of it.”
A problem Welshofer said she often saw was that people have their biases based on what they are used to.
“We often believe what we believe because it is familiar and comfortable to us, and so if we make new ideas seem like a team effort, a welcome adventure, I’ve found that can nudge the audience along,” said Welshofer.
Welshofer addressed her viewers directly about developing their opinions about Most Buffalo when the show first started.
“With Most Buffalo, I set the tone early on, addressing the hesitancy,” said Welshofer. “Our very first show, I said to the audience, ‘You may like this. You may hate it. Either way, we have an hour. Let’s make the most of it.’”
Welshofer said even if a story is not everyone’s “cup of tea,” the act of doing something you enjoy is good for your soul, mind and creativity.
“In my experience, we, as humans, really respond to enthusiasm,” said Welshofer. “You’ll have viewers saying things like, ‘I would never do that, but that was really cool to see!’ At the same time, you have people who let you know they don’t care at all, but that’s okay. The biggest mistake isn’t doing a story some people won’t think is interesting; it’s trying to please everyone. That is a guaranteed losing proposition.”
Welshofer said the Bona Bubble played a large role in her career and in bringing her back to campus next semester.
“St. Bonaventure truly started it all,” said Welshofer. “Bona alumnus Jim Aroune (Class of 1987), who was a news anchor in Rochester, NY at the time, came to speak to my class when I was a junior. He asked if anyone needed an internship, and I raised my hand. I got my 400 hours in one summer interning at the same station, was hired the fall after I graduated, and worked for that same company as a producer, reporter, and anchor for more than 20 years, creating content for stations all over New York State. That truly sounds insane to say now, but that is how it happened. The Bona Bubble absolutely carried me, and now it has floated me right back to campus!”
