The Statehouse News Bureau provides comprehensive news coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials.
Bureau Chief Karen Kasler anchors live coverage of the governor's State of the State address. She has been interviewed by NPR, the BBC, Brian Williams for NBC's "Nightly News", and PBS NewsHour. She's covered major elections and the controversies surrounding them, the "Coingate" scandal and the resignation of former Attorney General Marc Dann, and moderated the 2010 debate between U.S. Senate candidates Lee Fisher and Rob Portman.
Bill Cohen has spent more than 40 years reporting for Ohio's public radio and TV stations. Over the years, he's covered hundreds of different public policy issues - from tax hikes, budget crunches, and soaring college tuition to capital punishment, abortion, and gay marriage. Among the most high-profile developments he's covered: the 1993 Lucasville prison riot, the long-running legal battle over school funding, dozens of elections for governor and president, and the rise and fall of political legends such as Governor James Rhodes and House Speaker Vern Riffe. When Ohio news merits national attention, you can hear Bill's radio reports on National Public Radio programs such as "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition."