Russ Wiles on 45 Years Reporting on Business, Staying Put & Learning Semiconductors on the Fly

Russ Wiles has spent 45 years telling the story of business, investing, and Arizona’s economy—including 34 years at The Arizona Republic. In this episode of Off Deadline, Russ joins Melissa DiGianfilippo to talk about why he never left the business beat, how buying his first McDonald’s stock at age 12 sparked a lifelong interest in finance, and what it was like to learn semiconductors on the fly as TSMC reshaped Arizona’s economic future.

From getting caught in a typhoon in Taiwan to filing stories from airport baggage claims, Russ shares the human side of business reporting, the wildest moments in his career, and why—through it all—the simplest advice is still the best: “Make your deadlines.”

🎧 Topics include:

• How TSMC’s $165 billion investment transformed Arizona
• The evolution of business reporting over four decades
• The pressure and joy of chasing a story on deadline
• What it really takes to cover massive economic change

🎙 Produced by Proof Publicity. Follow Proof on all social channels at @ProofPublicity

Follow Russ Wiles on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-wiles-497b8225/

📺 Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@proof-publicity
🔗 Check out Proof Publicity → https://proofpublicity.com