Bobbie O'Brien
Bobbie O’Brien has been a Reporter/Producer at WUSF since 1991. She reports on general news topics in Florida and the Tampa Bay region.
Bobbie also produces the blog, Off the Base, and covers military affairs, veterans’ issues and military families. She was named a Rosalyn Carter Fellow in 2010-2011. She supervises WUSF’s news interns and frequently contributes to NPR programs.
Prior to joining WUSF, she worked at WTVT- TV as a researcher/segment producer, at the Tampa Tribune and at WFLA-TV. She attended Kent State University and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida in 1980.
Her work has been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio and Television News Directors Association, Public Radio News Directors Inc., American Women in Radio & Television, the Florida Associated Press and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
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An effort to prevent scurvy in U.S. troops led to the growth of the orange juice industry, popularizing what had been a relatively obscure beverage. -
Around the country, state governments and other agencies are trying to promote entrepreneurship among military veterans. -
Veterans now make up less than 20 percent of Congress, compared with about 75 percent in the 1960s. Some high-profile candidates are trying to reverse... -
Congress mandated the card in 2015, but provided no funding. So the VA struck a deal with Office Depot. -
Memorial Day is set aside to remember those who died in military service. But a group of military veterans in Florida works all year to commemorate... -
The VA in Florida has begun offering telehealth programs in dance, visual art, and music. The programs link therapists with veterans in their homes. -
Military retirees can camp, golf, and fish at hundreds of military bases. It costs less than civilian resorts, making the bases popular vacation spots... -
Sexual trauma can be especially damaging for members of the military, where the perpetrator may be a commander and have access to weapons. -
States and cities around the country are ramping up their efforts to attract military retirees, whose presence can be good for the local economy. -
Military C-130 and C-17 aircraft have been outfitted with medical equipment, as the Air Force flies patients to hospitals in the mainland U.S.
