Yepsen takes over as ‘Iowa Press’ host
Former longtime Des Moines Register political columnist David Yepsen will replace veteran host Dean Borg on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” public affairs program beginning Jan. 20, Iowa Public Television reported. Borg retires Jan. 13. Yepsen, a frequent guest panelist at the “Iowa Press” table since the late 1970s, recently returned to Des Moines after retiring as director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where he worked since 2009. “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,” said IPTV Executive Director and General Manager Molly Phillips. A native of Jefferson, Iowa, Yepsen covered government and politics for The Des Moines Register for 32 years. He graduated from the University of Iowa in general studies and has an MPA from Drake University. He later had key fellowships at Harvard University. “I have great respect for Dean Borg and for the reputation he helped build for the program,” Yepsen said. “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.”