CHLOE KOWALYK
News Editor
One of the best-known voices on campus may be making his way to your television very soon.
Mike Igoe, a communications professor here at SUNY Fredonia, has garnered the support of over 400 people to get him an audition to guest host the TV game show “Jeopardy!”
Since the recent passing of the beloved previous “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, SONY Entertainment has been looking for a new host to take the late and great host’s place.
As “Jeopardy!” is a game of knowledge and wit, many fans believe the new host should be intelligent and clever.
Upon hearing this news, a group of former SUNY Fredonia students immediately thought of putting Igoe’s name out there.
Igoe has always loved “Jeopardy!”
He started watching back when he was in grade school, when Art Fleming was still the host before Trebek.
He joked that he would prefer to watch “Jeopardy!” when coming home from school instead of cartoons.
Igoe’s history in journalism and live television also make him a great candidate for a hosting audition.
He’s had a 30-year career as a television consumer reporter and will be inducted into the Buffalo Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame in November 2021.
Igoe is also an attorney and a member of the New York Bar, a voluntary association for attorneys that helps shape the development of law in New York and educates and informs the public on these laws.
The former students created a group chat and got to work on ways to promote Igoe as a potential guest host.
They created a petition on the website “Change.org” to gain the support of other students and community members.
A public relations class at SUNY Fredonia also got involved to help market and advertise Igoe’s campaign.
While Igoe does not expect to be selected as a guest host, he says, “I think it’s fun for the students because it creates some excitement and also gives them an opportunity to learn how to structure a campaign and how to use social media.”
Students have been able to practice many necessary communication skills Igoe teaches in his classes outside of the classroom and on an actual campaign.
Igoe explains that hosting a game show is a “whole different discipline” compared to TV and radio news, as game shows are more “spontaneous.”
He says this is one of the many reasons Trebek is so hard to replace.
Trebek had mastered the tone of the show perfectly, by creating a nice balance between seriousness and fun.
Although no one can truly compare to Trebek, Igoe is used to the spontaneous game show scene.
For many years, Igoe participated in the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon, which was almost completely unscripted.
Igoe says that much like Trebek, he would take the role very seriously, but still try to add his own personality into it, referring to this tactic as a “balancing act.”
Staying humble throughout the campaign, Igoe says he’s “amazed how many people are voting for [him].”
Igoe has also been interviewed by WDOE radio and WNYNews Now to help promote his campaign.
If you’d like to show your support for a chance of a real SUNY Fredonia professor auditioning for “Jeopardy!” you can find the petition here.
No matter what the outcome of the campaign is, Igoe has had a lot of fun and asserts that “it’s a lot of fun for the students.”
Igoe will always be our champion.