WJPZ at 50

Today's guest is the always passsionate Ben Green, aka Ben G, aka Mr. R&B, from the Class of 1985. He takes us from humble beginnings at Syracuse (including changing majors when he couldn't afford to rent equipment and buy film), to his tour through New York radio, through creating radio stations as a middle school educator today.At Syracuse, Ben G first went to WAER, but when the University took it over, around the time that WJPZ was preparing to go to the FM dial, it was an easy jump. In addition to doing almost every shift on the station, and staying on campus through many holidays, Ben tells stories of doing a live New Year's Eve broadcast, the Sunday Night Love Flight, and meeting a listener when he left the station.You'll hear of the invaluable advice that Ben received from mentors - everything from networking to etiquette tips for job interviews. It was tough love at the time that served him well.After landing a gig at WMCA, he headed over to WWRL, then WCBS AM and the new WFAN. He handled commercial traffic and learned how to showcase his worth and get a significant raise.Ben G also spent time in television, from BET to the fledgling FOX cable network as their channels were just starting out. Then, like our host, he was laid off right when he got married. And similar to Jag, Ben's new wife encouraged him to pivot and follow his passion. Ben's was for teaching. He finished his undergraduate degree and earned Masters Degree in education. This led him to a teaching career in New Jersey, where he continues to pay WJPZ lessons forward. And that doesn't just mean he teaches kids how to speak confidently. You'll hear how he's cultivated online radio stations for all age groups.We'd be remiss if we didn't as Ben G about one of his great passions. The Friends of SU is an alumni organization for students of color. He became President in the late 80's and now serves as the organization's advisor. Ben has long been working on a podcast telling otherwise unknown stories of the Syracuse University's students of color. He's covered everything from the Syracuse Eight - when football players protested inequality in 1969 - to the creation of SU's African American Studies program. And when he saw a lack of representation during SU's 150th anniversary celebration, he knew he had to change that.You can learn all about the Friends of SU here: https://theofficialfriendsofsu.com/The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(Disclaimer: this was recorded Tuesday after Banquet, before Jag's voice was back to full capacity.)The Super Bowl, The NFL Draft, The Combine, even The Pro Bowl. If it's an NFL "tentpole" event, today's guest is directly involved in its planning and execution. Mike Konner, from the illustrious Class of 1995 joins us today.A Connecticut native and baseball lover first, Mike realized in Com 107 that on-air might not be his eventual career path. But that didn't stop him from being part of a dynamic morning show at the station alongside the likes of Chris Verlardi, Brian Gewirtz, John Beck, Steve Donovan, Mike Murphy, and more. He also did regular jock shifts, which ended up in an aircheck session with Dion Summers that Mike still hasn't forgotten.Mike also tells the story of the Blizzard of 1993, and how karma got him on a long morning show break.When it wasn't logistically possible for MIke to intern for the Yankees radio team, he instead did so at A Current Affair, the original tabloid TV Show. This turned into a job after graduation, ambushing the likes of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and others. Next, he moved to LA for the start of Access Hollywood, but the hours were worse than a WJPZ overnight.Mike followed his love for sports and ended up at Fox Sports Net, then joined the team that launched NFL Network in 2003. Following that success, he was tapped to help launch the MLB Network in 2009. After 8 years there, he headed back west to rejoin his NFL family. In fact, he cites his coworkers as even more of a factor than the NFL's dominant position in sports, in the decision. Last year, he was on the team that, along with player input, revamped the entire Pro Bowl.The WJPZ spirit of paying forward is still strong with Mike. He give excellent career advice in this podcast, including "if you want to be on air, do it young." (He explains why). And we spend some time talking about the need for friendship when we all hit career setbacks. That part of the podcast should resonate with all of us.Finally, Mike has a suggestion. Isn't it time we did a documentary on Rick Wright?Link to Steve Donovan's episode: https://wjpzat50.simplecast.com/episodes/stephen-donovanThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tommy Giarrosso, was one of the innovators behind the Crazy Morning Crew when WJPZ moved to the FM Dial.We start with this Syracuse native's journey to the Hill, and his involvement with UUTV and WAER. He was there when the latter was taken over by the University and its new administrator, David Anderson. He talks about the conflict between the students, led by Sean McDonough, and the new brass. And while SU may have won the war, changing WAER to an NPR affiliate, Tommy talks about some great battles won in the interim. This included trolling Anderson with a Star Wars spoof "Darth Vaderson," and an epic prank where the WAER and WJPZ students teamed up to forward all incoming dorm calls....straight to Anderson's office.Soon, Tommy brought his comedy and production talents to WJPZ, where he found passionate staff and listeners before the station even moved to the FM dial. He talked about "hanging out with Eric Fitch" as the new equipment went into Watson. When the inaugural Crazy Morning Crew was formed, Tommy was part of the production team that would work through the night on reel to reel machines producing bits for the next morning's show.Wouldn't you know that shortly after the Crazy Morning Crew started, top dog Y94 adopted a similar format. You'll hear the audio of Danny the K and the WJPZ show pranking WYYY's host Big Mike live on the air, and his very NSFW reaction.Following his time at WJPZ, Tom and his fellow "Boffo Yux Dudes" continued to write comedy bits and sell them to radio syndicators across the country. While this went on, he worked at a number of radio and television stations across New England.Currently, he works at a station in Salem, New Hampshire, and judges original content for SpinTunes. He believes he's co-written over 100 parody songs.We close with the shared experience of WJPZ. Tom talks about how the station provided a creative outlet for him during the passing of his father, but also the family of those who have done mornings of WJPZ. He'd like to create a group for that subset of alumni.The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we are joined by our first elected official - Ryan McNaughton from the Class of 1996 has been both President of the Syracuse University Alumni Association, as well as a councilman at large in his current home of Niles, Ohio. You'll hear his passion to serve many constiuencies throughout this podcast.Ryan knew he wanted to go to Syracuse since first hearing about the school as a 15 year old in blue-collar Amherst, Ohio, outside Cleveland. He worked toward that goal throughout high school, and thanks to some financial aid, was able to head to Syracuse. On campus, he saw a flyer for Z89, and like many of us, immediately fell in love when he walked in.While his true passion was sports, Ryan also found a home on the Cray-Z Morning Crew. He will tell you his transcripts will show which semeseters he was getting up at 5am, but he learned a valuable lesson about going outside your comfort zone.We uncover the fact that Ryan's voice was the first one live on The Pulse. There was an Orangewoman basketball game to call during the winter break of the flip. In fact, many of Ryan's fondest memories are traveling to call games all over the country, but one is also his most bittersweet. He was on the call when Syracuse upset mighty UConn, but wait until you hear what happened 20 minutes later!Ryan's first gig out of school landed him in Michigan, but only for a few months, before the business side of the radio business interfered. So he headed home for a number of on-air sports gigs in Cleveland, including a betting show that was way ahead of its time.Fate would bring our guest back to Syracuse though, when his wife found herself at SU working on her doctorate. At that time, Ryan really reconnected with his passion for the Orange. A return to Ohio would be next, and a re-invention. Two masters degrees later, he's gone from politics to PR and communications. You'll hear about that.Ryan shares a valuable lesson he learned at WJPZ. When he lost the election for sports director, he had a choice to make: take his ball and go home, or stay and make the radio station the best it could be. We're all thankful he chose the latter.The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Kat Brady, one of many in a long line of great station leaders in the 2010's. This Long Island native wanted no part of going to school in her home state - she wanted to go elsewhere. But at every turn, she kept hearing about Newhouse and SU. And when she saw the school, her parents saw "the look" in her eyes that many of us had. It might have helped that she was on campus on a game day.As a freshman, Kat sought out the TV station at the activities fare, but was quickly "poached" (her words) by Allie Gold, who convinced her to come check out WJPZ and welcomed her with open arms. Kat quickly fell in love with the vibe and people, and added her name to the list of people excited to rearrange her class schedule and trek to the station at 5am to do the Z Morning Zoo. She tells us her favorite bit, "Tool or No Tool?"Kat went abroad, but struggled with the decision to leave her Z Family for a semeter. Next thing you know, however, she was interviewing for VP of Programming over Zoom from a coffee shop in London. She got the gig.You'll enjoy hearing about the importance Kat placed on teaching and paying forward what she learned from those before her, what she learned as PD, and a tremendous "format flip" for April Fool's Day.Following graduation, she parlayed her former production internship at Z100 into a gig at iHeartRadio and Premiere Networks, where she further honed her skillset. Today, Kat is the senior communications manager for the Central Park Conservancy, which runs Central Park in New York. She handles internal and external communications, and probably has the best office view of any of our alumni. You'll hear her love and passion for the park come through when she talks about her day-to-day. But she credits the commnications skills she developed at WJPZ for informing everything she does in her current role.The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's podcast is in two parts. In the first half hour, you'll hear Brent Axe's journey from 89.1 The Pulse summer staffer to the premiere voice in Syracuse sports coverage. After we recorded that chat, Brent was fired from his position at Galaxy Media, which is part-owned by Jim Boeheim, ostensibly for being "too negative" in his coverage of Syracuse University sports. Galaxy Media's owner, Ed Levine, spoke of the decision in this interview on Syracuse.comhttps://www.syracuse.com/orangesports/2023/03/radio-station-fires-brent-axe-for-negative-syracuse-sports-talk.htmlIn the second half today's pod, Brent will give you his side of the story, including Ed firing him via phone the day after Boeheim's expanded role at Galaxy was announced. The story was covered by national sports media outlets. We asked Brent how this could have played out differently? What if Ed and Jim had asked him to "take it down a notch?" What if Brent and Ed had mutually agreed to part ways?This is the first place that Brent Axe has spoken at length about what happened in March. But he ties it back around to WJPZ - mentioning how supportive the WJPZ family has been over the last several months. And in the spirit of "The World's Greatest Media Classroom," Brent talks about the lessons learned here for other broadcasters. Sure, we all have to "hold our nose" and support corporate initiatives, but where do you draw the line and not compromise your integrity? When do you have to be willing to walk away? Brent also talks about being an adjunct professor at Newhouse, and stressing to his students that there is indeed a "business" side to "the business."Brent will be releasing his own podcast in the coming months, and we'll be sure to keep you updated on that.This week, Brent created a substack. And in his first post, he gets very raw about being fired from radio. Highly relatable to many of us. https://brentaxe.substack.com/p/what-they-dont-tell-you-about-gettingThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ralphie Aversa has done a little bit of everything in this business. His voice has been on radio stations in Syracuse, Scranton, Providence, and New York. He's warmed up the crowd at the Billboard Music Awards, and you'll now see him hosting USA Today's Entertain This.An avid Yankees fan from Niagara Falls, Ralphie was first advised by broadcaster Michael Kay to look at Syracuse. Fun fact: he toured the campus the day of the National Championship game against Kansas in 2003.Before he set foot on campus, an internship at Kiss FM (WKSE) in Buffalo got this sports guy interest in music radio, and he quickly found WJPZ when he got to SU. You'll also hear how Kevin Rich, our current Alumni Association President, is a recurring character in Ralphie's journey.Already doing Z89 nights as a freshman, Rick Wright introduced Ralphie to Butch Charles, then-PD of Hot 107.9. Ralphie talks about the tough decision to "go pro," and the advice he got on both sides before heading to WWHT.After SU, Ralphie landed a gig at WBHT in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, PA. There, he leveraged Pennsylvania's key role in the 2008 Presidential campaign to land celebrity interviews; they were part of the Obama campaign. This got him noticed in the trades, and soon he was syndicated to Providence, Rhode Island.When Cumulus bought Citadel, the new brass were impressed with Ralphie, and soon he was off to New York to do nights on WPLJ, where he remained for several years, working as many media jobs as he could in the Big Apple.Following his run at PLJ, Ralphie worked for an internet startup, then leveraged his network to find what was next - including a make-up artist who worked miracles following a gnarly scooter accident just before a big interview. He's now been with USA for 3 1/2 years.Throughout this episodes, you'll hear lessons Ralphie learned from many of our alumni, and we close with the story of how he got the Black Eyed Peas into Chuck's. Yes, you read that right.The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Beth (Russell) Gorab from the Class of 1993 was a key part of the leadership team that helped Z89 make huge waves in the Syracuse market during the "flamethrower era." She joins us today to talk about her time at WJPZ and her career since.Believe it or not, she almost didn't go to SU, she had her heart set on another school, as she explains. And it wasn't until sophomore year at Syracuse that she found the radio station,. She was working diligently at UUTV and seeing how much fun they were having across the hall! Soon she was part of a group that included Dave Roberts, Hal Rood, Dana Dieterle, Jeff Donaldson, Matt Friedman, and more. Even though she was doing news and on air, Beth soon took over a promotions department that was at the height of its power - giving away cars, cash, and kicking 93Q's....um...butt.She was hired by Y94 and WSYR before graduation, and worked on air for a year after getting her diploma. But when her position was eliminated, she decided she no longer wanted to pursue the on-air route. She worked in the non-profit space for some wonderful organizations before landing at Caldwell College, now Caldwell University.She did leave for a time to work in the baseball world. which has always been a true passion for Beth. We spend some time discussing baseball's rule changes, and her informed perspective on them.Beth also takes this opportunity to set the record straight on two stories previously told in the podcast - her being placed in a trash can, and her allegedly cracking up the station van. You'll want to hear her side of things.More: Beth's blog, Dirt on My Diamonds, Bringing Light to the Complex Side of Youth Baseball: https://www.dirtonmydiamonds.com/The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Friday Night Party was a long time staple of WJPZ, allowing mixers to come in and strut their stuff. Today we revisit the 1999-2001 version of the show with three guests who've gone on to very successful careers in the music world. From the Class of 2001, we have Mike Kruz, aka DJ Komar, as well as Adrian Arenas, DJ Double A. They're joined by Michael Eisner, aka DJ Splyce, from the Class of 2003.Hailing from Binghamton, New York City, and Los Angeles, respectively, each of our three guests talks about ending up at Syracuse. For Komar and Double-A, they learned from the guys before them - DJ Pass da Mic, and Spike Eskin. And when they took over the show, they paid it forward with Splyce, who quickly impressed them both with his talent and enthusiasm.We've talked about the Ostrom House on previous epsiodes, but these three may be the only alumni that enjoyed that iteration of the station; the show was designed to sound like a party - and now it was in an off campus house, the perfect venue. We believe all things discussed here are past their statutes of limitations.The "Triple Threat" quickly garnered a following, and routinely DJ'ed events in Syracuse at the Country Club, from end of semester bashes to Donovan McNabb's draft party. But without the proper equipment to do a live broadcast, these three describe how they pre-recorded a show "live to tape" - a cassette tape. You'll hear that audio.DJ Splyce is now known as "Hollywood's Disc Jockey to the Stars." He worked hard at honing his craft and networking in Los Angeles. A guest spot DJ'ing Larry King's party celebrating 20 years on CNN landed him an interview on the show. From there, his career went into the stratosphere, doing gigs all over the world.Komar, now on air as Mike Kruz, has had a two decade career in radio, including 13 years in South Florida. He's currently doing afternoons on Miami's Easy 93.1. He's DJ'ed everything from Miami Fashion week to a residency at Atlantis in the Bahamas.Adrian had a long career in entertainment, working with Tommy Mottola at Sony Music, then distributing telenovelas internationally, then for Univision, targeting their content for the US Latino audience. But the perspective gained from the pandemic led him to pursue another passion - getting certified in life coaching.Throughout this episode, you'll hear common themes from the WJPZ at 50 podcast. Mentoring, being kind to others, paying it forward. This was just as true for mixshow DJ's as it was for news, sports, music, and PR. And the lessons learned at WJPZ served each of our guests well. And we of course close with a classic WJPZ story - when 2/3 of "the triple threat" were kicked out of the Country Club - at their own gig.More from our guests:DJ Splyce website (and the most fun sizzle reel ever): https://splyceofficial.com/Adrian Arenas Website: https://adrianarenas.com/The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We've had podcast guests in the radio, news, and sports arenas, but today's episode features an alumnus who has spent most of his career working with artists in the record label world. Adam Eisenberg always knew he had a passion for music. And when he came to WJPZ his junior year, he quickly became friends with Dion Summers, Kafele Khalfani, Marvin Nugent, and so many of the great class of 1995.He was heavily involved in the radio station, both on air and as assistant program director.Following graduation, Rocco Macri helped him get in the door at Hot 97 in New York, where he realized he had a passion for aritst relations, moreso than being on the air. Following a stint in Baltimore living with his Cuse roommate Dion, Adam headed to LA for a record label job.In over two decades, Adam's worked with Toni Braxton to Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, Lizzo, and Jack Harlow, just to name a few. He tells a great Toni Braxton story, but he really went viral by being on Rihanna's now infamous 777 - when she did 7 concerts in 7 countries in 7 days. Bringing a bunch of press and contest winners along seemed like a good idea at the time....From on the label side and the artist management side, Adam credits his success to the lessons he learned at WJPZ, as you'll hear throughout this podcast. And we pick back up on an issue raised by Adam's close friend and roommate Dion Summers in this episode - where he describes the pushback that he received as program director. What was that like from Adam's perspective?But we can't end on such a serious note - we close with the story of Adam, Nicki Minaj, and a picture that went viral of NIcki signing the chest of a previous WJPZ at 50 podcast guest.The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode reunites three members of the WJPZ Class of 2002, as Jag is joined by Jana Fiorello and Beth (Berlin) Cohen. You'll hear themes of lifelong friendship here that are likely reflected in your own class.Beth originally showed up at Syracuse to audition for their musical theater program, but on her high school tour, she found herself talking to then-dean David Rubin at Newhouse about their Television-Radio-Film program. Jana, on the other hand, always loved radio and knew that's what she wanted to pursue at SU.Beth joined the station earlier than Jana, but both were part of the freshman class that Harry Wareing created to save the station from the tumult of two format changes and receievership - you can learn more about that in his episode with Dena (Giacobbe) Laupheimer here.Soon, Beth joined Matt DelSignore and others as programming assistants. Jana joined later and was put in charge of production, where she found herself working frequently with Beth, when she became development director. They were at the station at a huge time for music, 1999, as you'll hear about.Junior year was the "house on Ostrom" year when Jana became VP of Programming, and her unofficial title, "party planner," began with a massive party to clean up this place the University had dumped on us.Senior year, the Class of 2002 began handing the reigns to the next generation of station leadership, but maintained a strong presence, including a donation drive after the 9/11 attacks - and a story about white butcher paper.Following graduation and some time on the record label side, Beth really found a passion working with kids and pursued a career in speech pathology, where she's been working with kids in her home state of Maryland for 17 years.Jana stayed in the WJPZ family immediately after school, going to work for Chris Bungo and Rocco Macri at Promosuite, which further stoked her passion for radio. You'll hear about her career in the New York market, and how it eventually led to her current role as a digital content maven for political campaigns.Throughout today's episode, you'll hear about life lessons learned at the station that are still applied every day, and just how special the relationships formed are, across any number of miles.You'll also hear a hilarious small world radio story, a story about a brick of cheese, and a rare moment when Hall of Famer and classmate Matt DelSignore was angry.Mentioned in this episode:Matt DelSignore's Summer 1999 Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6HbF5OilemvmkfxePsJXbA?si=-uqR_A41ShCyM5RqAAMhfwJana's Batcave Bangers Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4kpRYBnhwxiRrwYwKTUeNw?si=yZZAoRPfRC-Y3Cq0zuhdQAThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected] to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jennifer Ludden, Class of 1988, has had an incredible radio reporting career. And it all started at WJPZ. This Tennessee native was recruited by "dorm mom" Sue Mandel (now Weingarten) to come "get a tour" of the radio station. Next thing you know, Jennifer was doing news, as well as music and morning show shifts. After a summer working back home, she returned as a sophomore and quickly released that southern accent needed to go, particularly if she wanted to fulfill her dream of working in New York City, which she did after graduation. Despite a myriad of other interests, Jennifer had a roommate with NPR experience. Thanks to Rob Weingarten, Jennifer was able to make a demo tape and land a gig at Maine Public Radio. Soon she learned French and headed to Montreal, where she freelanced. And her bilingual abilities took her West Africa in the mid-nineties. She tell us some pretty incredible war-zone stories from there, as well as her time in Jerusalem covering the Middle East. (Spoiler: don't wear a bullet proof vest while pregnant.) After starting a family, Jennifer and her husband returned to the US, where she has covered many important national stories from NPR. She does an excellent job giving us quick explainers on complex topics, including immigration, the decline of marriage, housing, climate change, and economic inequality. We close with Jennifer's advice to current students and young reporters: no matter what subject you're covering, it's all about the people. And that's true regardless of the medium you're working in. The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50 Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected]. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our large group of friendly, outgoing people, Jeffy K is truly a standout. This 2006 alum sits down with us today to talk about his journey from Western Massachusetts to Syracuse, then his roles at The Travel Channel, PBS, and AARP. And you'll love how he and classmate T.J. Basalla still manage to endlessly needle each other, 17 years after graduating. Jeff actually planned on going to Boston University, until he saw the Syracuse campus and fell in love. And it was at an accepted students day in the Carrier Dome that he found out about Z89, from a well-known 2002 alum, Brett Bosse. Upon his arrival on campus, Jeff immediately found the radio station, where he was greeted by Josh Wolff. Soon, he had an overnight shift. But Jeffy's real passion was the Z Morning Zoo - a place to try test his comedy chops and see how far they could go with different bits. He even tells the story of a bit they did with Jason Benetti, then a sports guy, who has gone on to great success in the industry. Following a radio internship, Jeff realized he didn't want to pursue this as a career. So he followed his passions for travel and marketing, and got his masters degree in international marketing from St. Joe's. But it was Syracuse connections that would land him jobs after that. Jeff spent several years at the Travel Channel in the late 2000's, helping mold their social media strategy, and working on well-known shows like Man vs. Food. From there, he went to PBS distribution, where he had to navigate international copyright laws to make sure the smash hit Downton Abbey was released to many different countries on time. Now, Jeff is at AARP, which might surprise you for a not-yet-40 year old. However, he leverages all of his marketing experience to work for their rewards program, which is open to all ages. They are doing something better than radio is. They realize their population is aging, so they are recruiting younger. There are countless inside jokes among various classmates in our vast group. But there may not be anything like the tormented relationship between Jeffy K and T.J. Basalla. We get just a small sample of the ways they continue to torture each other, a decade and a half later. But it's not all ball-busting. Sitting near the mid-point of the 50 year history of the station, he talks about real relationships he's built with older alumni (Scott MacFarlane, Mary Mancini, Chris Velardi), but also younger ones (Jeff Kurkjian, Eva Zymaris, Corey Crockett). We wrap up by asking Jeff if the rumor is true - is he really the heir to the Friendly's ice cream fortune?The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50 Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected]. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Melody Emm and James "Baymes" Grundy are the most recent WJPZ couple in our history, and today we learn about their significant contributions to the radio station. Baymes, a New Jersey native, toured SU on the recommendation of his high school English teacher, and fell in love with the campus the moment he arrived. Melody has a unique origin story in the radio station's history. Her Mom, while in high school, was a frequent WJPZ contributor, though never in an official capacity. Folks like JD Redman and Mark Zimmerman would utilize her for bits and jingles and more. She joined Z the moment she got to campus, and it wasn't until she and Baymes started dating that she recruited him to join. Today, you'll hear the cringe-worthy story of their disastrous first date, and how Fate brought the two of them back together later. Their tenure at Z involved some significant moments in the station's history. Melody was on staff when the signal was upgraded to 1,000 watts. She then became VP of Programming and General Manager. She had to hand-schedule music for 10 months due to a G-Selector issue, and was GM in 2020 when COVID hit. She had to hand the reigns to Kyle Leff and work out a succession plan in those "unprecedented times." And unfortunately, for so many in the Class of 2020, this meant being robbed of their final shows on Z89. Baymes spent quite a bit of time on-air with Z Morning Zoos. But he really found a passion for production and more "behind-the-scenes" work. You'll hear some samples of that work in today's episode. In fact, when he was looking at options after graduating, he decided to pursue a masters from SU. And honestly, additional years of "eligibility" at WJPZ may have played into that decision. His production chops have made him quite a help in the production of the WJPZ podcast, having collaborated with JAG on both this show and various client work. Throughout today's episode, you'll hear some themes that have been recurring over the last half-century, including the passion to pay it forward, and what a family WJPZ is.The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50 Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected]. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hall of Famer Rob, aka Rusty the Bailiff, Berrell hopped in his truck to spend a few minutes with us today. Doing his research on the best communications schools in the country, this Fargo kid soon found himself at Syracuse, and then WJPZ just in time for the move to FM. During his time at the station, Rusty did a little bit of everything, as Chief Announcer and eventually station and general manager. There's now quite the Berrell family legacy at Syracuse. Not only did Rusty meet his wife Karen on campus, both of their kids went to school at SU, following in their parents' and uncle's footsteps. We spend some time talking about the unique experience of sharing a similar college experience with your children. Following graduation, Rusty worked on air in North Dakota and Maine, before heading back west to Minnesota. Eventually, Rob made the transition to radio sales, where he worked for several major radio station in Minneapolis, including the legendary KDWB. After a long run in radio, Rusty saw that the industry is changing, and he joined Ron Schara productions, an outdoor television production company. We talk about how his experiences at WJPZ and in commercial radio come into play every day in his current role. He's been there for nine years.(Thanks to WJPZ Alum and Newhouse Professor Tina Perkins for editing this episode.) Rusty was gracious and willing to talk about the bombing of Pan Am 103 in 1988. 35 Syracuse University students were killed on that flight, including Rusty's brother, WJPZ staffer Steven Berrell. When it happened, Rusty was a morning show host in Augusta, Maine. He told us how he found out, and we gives credit to the US government and Syracuse University for pursuing justice and honoring the victims' memories, 34 years later. When I asked Rusty to wrap up with a funny story, he talked about someone in station management who really wanted to be on the air, but didn't necessarily have the chops. Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50 The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected]. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Being successful in "The Business," or any business for that matter, requires a combination of passion, hard work, a little bit of luck, and treating others well. Today's guest personifies all of that. Rich Davis from the Class of 2001 has been at SiriusXM almost since the beginning of satellite radio. He's also hosted talk shows, podcasts, and now has a daily show on Fox Sports Radio with his business partner and cohost, Steve Covino. A Long Island native, Rich tells the story of how his high school principal challenged him to go to Syracuse, and not stay at home. And Rich's story of finding WJPZ may be one of the more unique ones we've heard yet. It involves breaking up with his high school sweetheart. When Rich walked in to Z89, folks like Harry Wareing and Matt DelSignore were there, and the then-sophomore was immediately taken by the station. He soon gobbled up every on-air shift he could (starting as "Dickie V"), and made a name for himself. Eventually the folks at Hot 1079 noticed him, and he began getting commercial radio experience. Soon, he was sending tapes out to every station he could find in the top 50 markets, and spending a summer interning for Scott Shannon at WKTU-New York. Rich tells the bold story of how he moved up from t-shirt folding to becoming Scott Shannon's "personal intern," what that involved, and Scott eventually introducing him to Kid Kelly. Kid was helping run Z100 at the time, and began frequently airchecking Rich. They'd chat weekly, and one night, Kid asked Rich to come down to New York and do a weekend overnight on Z100. He was off and running. Today's guest will tell you that historically, he doesn't say "no" often. In fact, his ambitious schedule of being a full time student, working at Hot, and moonlighting at Z100 and Q102 in Philly eventually got him fired in Syracuse, "in the most hilarious way possible." Following his time at Syracuse, Rich continued to be a utility player at Z100, until Billy Hammond was let go as the night guy. Rich was tapped to fill in for a "couple weeks" which turned into a couple years. Eventually they brought in a new night guy, and Rich was back to late nights, trying to figure out what was next, maybe even a move out of radio. Kid Kelly, at that point in 2004, had moved on to something called "Sirius Satellite Radio," which was actually a punch line to many industry people at the time. But he recruited Rich to do music and talk shows, and soon the format took off. Now, he's on many different stations, where you'll never hear him mail in a break. Why? Insecurity. Rich explains. After COVID and some cutbacks, Rich managed to avoid a non-compete and started fill-in work at Fox Sports, eventually parlaying that into a daily show with Steve Covino, which you can hear weekdays 5-7pm Eastern. https://foxsportsradio.iheart.com/featured/covino-and-rich/ Rich continues to be as busy as ever, doing a morning podcast on Patreon with Covino, voicetracking several stations for SiriusXM, then doing the Fox Sports show. And he has two little kids at home. But all of his success in the business traces back to WJPZ, as he reminds us. Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50 The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest needs no introduction for the sports fans in our group. Matthew Berry, Class of 1992, is now a central part of NBC Sports NFL coverage, following a 15 year run at ESPN where he found a niche as the fantasy sports expert. But we start with Matthew's time in Syracuse. He was multi-platform before it was cool - writing a humor column for the Daily Orange, and working on a sitcom at UUTV before joining the Cray-Z Morning Crew at WJPZ. At Z89 he worked with Kendall B, Adam Shapiro, and Chris Lindsay. We go back to some of his favorite bits. When he graduated, Berry went to Hollywood to pursue a screenwriting career, with his writing partner and classmate Eric Abrams. We go through their journey of writing for George Carlin, Kirk Cameron, and eventually, the final season of Married With Children. As fantasy sports grew in the late 1990's, Matthew leveraged his Hollywood experience to land a writing gig for a website. Soon, he was thinking much more about fantasy sports than television and movie scripts. He found a niche for himself and hustled, soon building his own website and being his own publicity machine. He worked his way onto the air on ESPN Radio Los Angeles, and over to several other ESPN properties before finally getting an offer to become the Fantasy Expert at The Worldwide leader. Berry spent 15 years at ESPN, becoming a household name. But a year ago, he left ESPN and moved over to NBC Sports. He candidly discusses the two main reasons he switched networks. Throughout this episode, you'll hear some great advice from one of our most successful alumni. Matthew offers networking tips, talks about hustle, and the need to sometimes "fake it til you make it." We also chat about his experience returning to Syracuse to keynote the Banquet several years ago. At Faegan's, he went from flip night participant to the center of attention. But he'll be quick to tell you, his beer pong skills remain as strong as ever. More: Matthew Berry's Fantasy Life Website: https://www.fantasylife.com/Matthew's Book, Fantasy Life can be found on Amazon here. Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50 The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected]. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you've got a backlog of several episodes of this podcast to listen to, we highly recommend you bump today's to the top of your list. If you were in Syracuse for this year's Banquet, you heard from two of the all-female leadership team of WJPZ: General Manager Grace Denton and VP of Programming (and Lock Award winner!) Maddie Doolittle. Both women are Class of 2024 and were excited to sit down for a wide ranging conversation about where WJPZ sits now, in 2023. We start with a bit of background. Grace (from New Jersey) and Maddie (western Massachusetts) graduated high school in 2020. That means they started their Syracuse careers at the height of the pandemic, masked up, attending classes over Zoom, and unable to discover Z89 in the sense many alumni did. Both of them, quite candidly, discuss the temptation to transfer out of SU. Grace joined the station her very first semester, after meeting then-GM Kyle Leff at an information fair at Newhouse. Soon she got involved with the station's social media - as one of the few things she could easily do during COVID. In the Spring of 2021. Maddie went to an online info session for the station led by Kyle. And she started training hybrid - both online and at the station. When Grace and Maddie's sophomore year started in the Fall of 2021, the campus was starting to open back up. There was a pent-up energy to get out and participate in campus activities, and interest in Z89 was booming. Soon Grace was managing social media and Maddie was music director. As exec staff members, they quickly identified the need to make connections with everyone at the station and turn recruits into active station staffers. They both discuss the importance of fostering a welcoming environment. We have a very frank conversation about WJPZ's place in the current media landscape of 2023. Station leadership is well aware that students who don't have cars are not spending the same time with 89.1 FM, or even the station stream, as previous generations. And while the on-air product remains important, Grace and Maddie see the station's brand as equally, if not more crucial. This has turned into the station associating itself with University Union for on-campus concerts and events, concerts and ticket giveaways for venues all over town, and a robust presence across social media. In fact, the students credit recent alumni like Matt Gehrig and Allie Gold, who run social media for MTV and Elvis Duran respectively, for showing them out to create a brand personality on social. Maddie and Grace were also very willing to talk about their place as an all-female leadership team of WJPZ. If we're being honest, the station and alumni base are dominated by white men. And while we are taking steps to be more inclusive in our Hall of Fame and Alumni Association as a whole, the same is happening at the radio station. Today's guests are quick to credit the leadership team before them for being allies and always making them feel welcome and heard. And they aim to pay that forward with the classes that follow them. What about the overall relationship between the current staff and the alumni? Today's guests actually use the term "fangirl" when it comes to how they feel about alums - from more recent grads to giants in the field like Dion Summers and Adam Eisenberg, and more. They felt a true sense of validation when alumni complimented their efforts with the station and are very excited to maintain those relationships. Take a listen to today's episode, and you'll quickly realize that WJPZ is in great hands. Maddie and Grace are well aware of the 50 year legacy of this institution, and are proud to move it forward into the future. Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50 The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag: [email protected]. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, it's Jag. Thanks as always for listening to the WJPZ at 50 podcast. Couple quick notes for you. As I mentioned, we are releasing new episodes every Monday. Hopefully by now you've subscribed in Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or your podcast app of choice. But if you'd like a quick email when we release new episodes, we can do that for you (and no, we won't spam you). Just sign up at JAGinDetroit.com/WJPZat50 - or just click the link in today's show notes. Quick shoutout to podcast guest Stacey Simms, who nominated us for a Quill podcast award. If you wouldn't mind taking a moment to nominate WJPZ at 50 for best new podcast, there's also a link in our show notes for that. And while you're there, if you want to help out a WJPZ family member, feel free to nominate Stacey's show, Diabetes Connections, under Health and Wellness. You don't have to fill out every category, just the ones you want: https://www.quillpodcasting.com/qpa/quill-podcast-awards I'm really excited about our next few episodes. THIS Monday, April 18th, we've got the current GM and PD of WJPZ - Grace Denton and Maddie Doolittle from the Class of 2024. Hopefully you got to meet them in person at this year's Banquet and be as impressed by them as I was. If not, you'll love hearing what great hands the station is in. Monday April 25th, ahead of the NFL Draft, we've got fantasy guru Matthew Berry, formerly of ESPN and now NBC Sports. And Monday May 1st, we've got Rich Davis from the Class of 2001. Between all the music stations he's on with SiriusXM, and his new gig at Fox Sports Radio, chances are you'll recognize his voice very quickly. Finally, I want to talk about who qualifies for a guest on this show. Because we are, as a group, so modest, I've had folks do a double-take when I've asked them to come on. This isn't the top 50 or top 100 alumni of the radio station. You don't have to have worked in radio professionally, or even media at all. The goal of WJPZ at 50 is to chronicle the history of the world's greatest media classroom. They only prerequisite for guests it that they worked at WJPZ. If you know someone who'd like to be on the show, please have them reach out to me. [email protected]. Thank you, once again, for your tremendous support of this project - whether you've streamed a couple episodes, or shared some kind words. We are now over 6,200 downloads and still going strong. Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Note: Thanks to Newhouse Professor Tina Perkins, WJPZ Class of 1993, for editing this episode of the pod. Sue Mandel and Rob Weingarten may be the first marriage to come out of WJPZ. Members of the Class of 1985, they met on campus when they realized they went to rival high schools. In fact, in Sue's pictures of her high school boyfriends playing sports - Rob's often in the picture as the opponent! 35 years, several moves, and two kids later, he's still in the picture. Today's WJPZ power couple were station leaders when we went to the FM dial. Sue's news department covered everything from the AIDS epidemic to the Grand Slam murder in Syracuse - yes, we have another Denny's reference in this episode. Rob's sports staff covered everything they could - including the high school basketball games of Felisha Legette-Jack, now the head coach of the Syracuse Women's team. Sue decided she did not want to pursue the on-air route, so she got into the sales side of things, working remotely waaay before it was en vogue. Rob's sports career included work at WFAN, and helming sports stations in DC, St. Louis, and Tampa. He also began traveling for work - commuting to some of these gigs from Florida....as these Syracuse grads quickly fell in love with the Tampa climate. Now, Rob works for the Gem Shopping Network - serving high end clientele with the hosting skills he first honed at WJPZ. And you won't want to miss the story of an on-campus concert with James Brown, and what that had to do with New York State raising the legal drinking age to 21. The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew Scaglione, Class of 2016, knew about WJPZ long before he was a student. That's because his father is a longtime friend of Hall of Famer Danno Wolkoff. In fact, Andrew's parents actually met at the Wolkoff wedding! Today's guest dove headfirst into student media when he got to campus, working at WJPZ, WAER, and Citrus TV. He did exclusively sports at Z89, slowly rising through the ranks to Orangewomen play by play. In fact, he missed the 2016 Banquet because he was on the road calling the women's Final Four, the year that both the men and women made it. He tells how the station came together, all hands on deck, to create a ton of bonus content for a team that would wind up playing in the National Championship game. (You'll hear the audio of Andrew's final call of Syracuse's victory in the Final Four). You'll also hear audio of a Z89 Sports Update, where Andrew covered another historical event, near and dear to our 2010's alumni: Z89's victory over Citrus TV in the first ever Watson Cup kickball game. Yes, it was the full 89 (ish) second sports update, and we have the whole thing - no regrets. Following Syracuse, Andrew went on to cover the Arkansas Razorbacks and high school sports in Fayetteville, before following his wife to Cleveland. There he reconnected with Danno and began working in affiliate relations for Envision Radio Networks. Today, he works for a cloud-based radio automation company called Radio Cloud. He explains what they do, and his current perspective on the industry. (Note: Thanks to Newhouse Professor Tina Perkins, WJPZ Class of 1993, for guest editing today's episode.) The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jason Palladino, aka Jay Sweet, from the Class of 1997, always approaches a new gig with a sense of fearlessness. So it's no surprise that he would be our first alumnus to land a new job because of the WJPZ at 50 podcast. More on that later in the episode. As a Solvay native, SU was always on Jay's radar. As the first of his immediate family to go to college, he was actually in pre-med, before the media bug bit him thanks to WJPZ. Soon, he took on the roles of assistant music director and morning show co-host, among others. In fact, with the motto of "I'll sleep when I'm dead," Jay pulled an insane schedule for awhile - doing nights and overnights at WHEN radio, then coming up the Hill to be on Z89's morning show. After awhile, something had to give, and he parted ways with WHEN. So naturally his next move was to pester the program director at (then separately owned) WSYR and see what he could land there. As he got more opportunities there, it seemed the right time to leave WJPZ. After hitting a ceiling at WSYR, Jay wanted to do more. So he packed up and headed to New York to work in operations for Westwood One. In fact, WJPZ connections helped him easily land the gig. But 9/11 really affected him, and he needed to return home to Central New York. This time it was for television, helping build News 10 Now, the 24 hour news station in Syracuse. Next, Jay takes us through his career from Albany to Orlando. Next, he'd pack up his wife and five kids for a return to New York, before heading back south to Atlanta. We had to edit out the part of this podcast where Jay talks about how great his gig is in Atlanta and how he doesn't plan on leaving, because that's just what happened. Jay heard John Ferracane's episode of this podcast, talking about needing help at News Nation, the new 24 hour cable news channel. Jay thought he and John could form a partnership or pipeline for off-air talent. But the next thing you know, Jay was flying to Chicago to interview for an operations manager role. In telling the story, we hear a lesson about finding an employer that knows your value and worth. To wrap up, we bring it back around to the WJPZ lessons that have served Jay well in his career, and a hilarious morning show prank of our own Neon Dion Summers. The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is an all-star in the worlds of business, digital, and all things WJPZ. Christy Vincent (nee Ogonis), from the Class of 2005 arrived on campus with a passion for music, but it was at an activity fair that Brett Bosse recruited her to come to the news department he was rebuilding at WJPZ. Christy started doing news updates, but after working with Josh Wolff on the Z Morning Zoo, became fully hooked on the morning show, eventually becoming Zoo Producer on the executive staff. As a freshman attending her first Banquet, Christy quickly learned about the resource that is the WJPZ Alumni Association. Brian Lapis connected her with a (paid!) internship as an undergrad at ClearChannel in Springfield, Massachusetts. And today's guest had a job before she graduated - thanks to Rocco Macri and Chris Bungo at PromoSuite. Taking what she learned at WJPZ, Christy stacked up what she learned every time she took a new position. Today she takes us through her journey from PromoSuite to eMusic to SiriusXM, and eventually Facebook/Meta. She learned about customer service and retention, and a ton about digital marketing. You'll hear her passion for educating small businesses about the space - it's not just a playground for multi-million dollar companies. In fact, as of this recording, Christy is looking for a new role - so don't be afraid to reach out! We close with some WJPZ memories. Christy was shrewd enough to have Public Safety's escort service take her to the station at 5am. But rolling down frat row in the back of a cruiser at that time may have given some folks the wrong idea. The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode is a great listen if you've ever been interested in sales or the ad rep side of things. Scott Taylor, Class of 1993, has been at Katz Media for his entire 30 year career, since graduation. We start with him following Larry Barron, Scott Meach, and Guy Cacciarelli, on the Michigan-to-Syracuse pipeline. So, he already knew about WJPZ when he got to campus. And while he started on overnights like many of us, sales soon caught his attention. This was especially true when Kelly Sutton and station management instituted a commission structure. He could make money for something he was already finding a passion for! Scotty T served as VP of Business while his close friend Dave Gorab was General Manager. They were part of the team that stayed in Syracuse in the summer of 1992, giving away a convertible at the Great New York State Fair - the flamethrower days. Scott thought he had his first job lined up several months before graduation. He was going to follow Kelly, Ken Scott, and Henry Ferri to Buffalo to do radio sales. But when Lynn Vanderhoek strongly encouraged him to meet with Katz Media at the CNY Consortium, his future changed. Several WJPZ'ers went to Katz Media in New York and found themselves in a slightly awkward situation. Because of their experience at Z89, they were hired as Account Executives, supervising sales assistants who were older than them! Scotty walks us through his three-decade career at Katz - heading out to Chicago, then back to New York, and finally back to the Windy City, where he is now. And he talks about the lessons he learned at WJPZ, including how to be a good manager, that he still employs today. Recently, Scott started focusing 100% on digital ad revenue, which served as a great jumping off point for us to discuss the future of radio, digital audio, and where they merge. He's hoping to return to Syracuse for Banque 2024, and we can't wait to have him. The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events? Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For our first post-Banquet podcast, we get a fresh perspective today. Dr. David Crider, now a professor at SUNY-Oswego, was a high-school summer staffer at WJPZ during The Pulse years. It was the foundational knowledge he learned under the staff there that led him to a career in radio, then higher education. He now advises the student-run station at Oswego, WNYO. As a student at West Genny, David learned that then-Z89 was looking for break staffers to keep the station on the air when the SU students went home. He quickly joined up, learning from the outgoing Class of 1995 - folks like Dion Summers, Jeff Rossen, and others. Soon, David was doing sports updates and on-air DJ shifts. He was learning from others like Scott MacFarlane and Jason Palladino, who he'd become great friends with. While the flip to the Pulse came as a surprise, it really got David excited, as the station was aligning with his own musical tastes. Soon, he and Brent Axe were doing a morning show together, Live and Loud in the Morning. He was also doing overnights (for break staffers that was the full midnight to 6:00AM), including New Year's Eve/Day. When it came time to go to college, David went to school that had its own radio station, Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. Following WJPZ's flip back to Z89, David was able to keep the Pulse brand alive, albeit a bit further south. When WQSU flipped from block format to alternative, they became 88.9 The Pulse. Today's guest spent several years in radio, interning for Brent Axe in Utica and working in Syracuse at WSYR with Alex Silverman. In between, he worked in Pennsylvania radio in several different gigs, which he takes us through. When he tired of the radio industry in a professional sense, David decided to pursue a career in higher education. This led him back home to Newhouse, where he got his Masters. So his time at Z89 and his time getting a Syracuse diploma were a decade apart. He later got his doctorate from Temple University, before joining the faculty at SUNY Oswego. As the faculty advisor to WNYO, Dr. Crider constantly draws on what he learned at WJPZ, as he explains. Like many of our episodes, today's includes a funny story from a New York State Fair broadcast - this one involving a stolen picnic bench and Governor Pataki's security detail. The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon "JAG" Gay, Class of 2022, and his company JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, we turn the tables on our host and put Jon "JAG" Gay, from the Class of 2002, in the hot seat. Doing the honors is his classmate and one of this year's Hall of Fame inductees, Matt DelSignore. Matt starts by asking Jag about the WJPZ at 50 Podcast, how the idea started, and what he's learned by hosting it. From there, we turn to Jag's time at Syracuse and WJPZ. His story is very similar to many previous podcast guests. He got to Syracuse wanting to be a sportscaster, but didn't really find his tribe until he started at Z89. At WJPZ, Jag had several exec staff positions, including Chief Announcer and VP of Operations the year we were in the Ostrom House. Matt also asks Jag about the 9/11 broadcast that we discussed on a previous episode. We retrace Jag's steps through a terrible internship at Kiss 108, his first part time job in Providence, Rhode Island, then his full-time on-air career in Burlington Vermont, Detroit, New Orleans, and back to the Motor City. It shouldn't surprise you to hear he had a lot of help from JPZ'ers along the way. Following his last radio layoff a week after he got married, Jag was a newlywed with no job and potentially facing a career change. He credits his wife Ellen for encouraging him to start his podcast business, which he's grown since its inception in 2018. We close on a really personal topic. JAG's Syracuse roommate and best friend, Bill Leaf, was killed by a drunk driver in 2006, at age 25. Bill was also a summer Z89 staffer. Jag talks about his passion for both honoring Bill's memory and speaking out against the dangers of drunk driving. This episode was produced and edited by JAG in Detroit podcasts - learn more at https://jagindetroit.com/ Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lauren (Levine) Corriher grew up in Syracuse and in radio. Her father Ed owns radio stations in Syracuse and Utica, and Lauren was listening to WJPZ on the bus to and from middle school. In fact, 13 year old Lauren was recalling a great Z Morning Zoo bit around the dinner table, and she didn't believe her father when he told her the station was run by SU students. That couldn't be, she thought. They sound just as good as 93Q and Hot 1079! (Editor's note: damn right we did, if not better.) After spending her first 18 years in Central New York, Lauren really planned on going to school elsewhere. But the more she learned about SU, Newhouse, and WJPZ, she ended up on campus 30 minutes from home. And while many of alumni got a fresh perspective on the Salt City after graduation, Lauren had the opposite experience. She went from high school trips to Carousel Mall to the bubble of the SU Hill. She explains. At Z, she was an integral part of the executive staff, always being part of station management. And she started the Red Carpet Report, an entertainment report that still lives on at Z89, over a decade later. Following graduation, Lauren followed her writing for passion, which eventually led her to Charlotte, North Carolina. The adjustment from Northern snow to Southern cockroaches was difficult, but she soon thrived - meeting her husband there and continuing a successful writing career. She also reconnected with classmate (and former podcast guest) Mike Couzens, who lives nearby. Lauren and Jag talk about the culture of Z89, and how it allows for a common bond between folks, no matter what their age. The accepting environment means if you meet someone from the station, it's an instant connection. And we close with the story of Lauren's first break on Z89....and a story that may ring familiar to many of us. The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon "JAG" Gay, Class of 2022, and his company JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chris Velardi, Class of 1995, is the Director of Digital Engagement and Communications of SU's Office of Alumni Engagement. He joins us today to walk us through his time from Connecticut to Syracuse to Connecticut to Syracuse. Chris got to SU from the Nutmeg State, like many of us, wanting to be a sportscaster. He quickly found a job in the Carrier Dome. When that, um, changed, he found WJPZ. There, he earned the nickname "The Weasel," because he weaseled his way into every aspect of the station, wanting to get as involved as possible. Following graduation, Chris worked in radio news in Ithaca, before transitioning to TV. His next move was a dream job - being a morning anchor in his home state. In fact, he stayed there for a decade and a half. Then, he and his family decided it was time for a change. We spend some time talking about the difficulties of moving out of TV and radio. In fact, it's a topic Velardi has counseled many WJPZ alumni on. Like many media folks, Chris first tried PR - but didn't have the same passion. Then, through his network (he likes network as a noun but hates it as a verb), he came upon a job opportunity at his alma mater. Next thing you know, he and his family were headed to Central New York, where he gets to play host at Banquet every year. Velardi credits his time at WJPZ for teaching him out to multitask, as well as how to hear and understand different perspectives. And you won't want to miss this story. You'll find out why, 30 years later, he still gets screen shots whenever someone hears En Vogue. The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon "JAG" Gay, Class of 2022, and his company JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As we count down to Banquet, we've got a special episode of the podcast today. WJPZ Hall of Famer Carl Weinstein, Class of 1988 joins us along with his sole Cole, who followed in his WJPZ footsteps and just graduated in 2021. Carl talks about discovering Syracuse as a journalism school and getting to WJPZ shortly before the moved over to the FM dial. He went from news to on-air to program director. And later in the episode, we'll hear him talk about the move to the CHR Power Hits format. It was a collaborative decision between station management. And staying true to the station's mission, eliminating block programming, meant giving up funding from the University. All of a sudden, the station had to be self sufficient, and it was a learning process. After graduation, Carl followed Rocco Macri to Hot in New York. Then, the company bought the Seattle Mariners, and chose several staff to head west and help run the baseball team. Carl fell in love with Seattle - after all, the 90's were a great time to be there with the growth of Microsoft, Amazon, and more. And the entrepreneurial spirit was contagious, leading Carl to work with several startups over the next 25 years or so, including most recently with the Locked On Sports Network. Cole grew up hearing about Syracuse all the time, of course. And as he gained more of an interest in sports, it became clear that Syracuse was where he wanted to go. Today's guests tell a great story about having the same reaction upon visiting the campus, three decades apart. At SU, Cole realized he had to differentiate himself from everyone else who wanted to be the next Colin Cowherd. He did this by really focusing on his interviewing skills, networking and getting to know athletes. During COVID, with everyone working virtually, he was editing highlights for NFL media while still a student. He parlayed that gig into a job for the Chargers, where he did a podcast series on LaDainian Tomlinson. Now, he's with Fox Sports, having recently worked on the World Series, World Cup, and Super Bowl. Despite his passion for sports, Cole really enjoyed his time on the Z Morning Zoo, and has some fond memories to share, including an unintentionally hilarious moment where he didn't follow his own advice of "always do your research." Throughout this episode, you'll hear the special dynamic of a father and son's shared experience, and how that feels from both sides. Cole's series Running for History Through the Uprights This episode was produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his company JAG in Detroit Podcasts. Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There are a number of people, on the technical side, that have worked tirelessly to keep our radio station going for half a century. Over the last 20 years though, Stephen "Tex" Kurtz is at the top of that list.Born in raised in Dallas, he wanted something different. And having spent some time in upstate New York as a kid, he liked the area. And when he toured the campus, despite the fact that Z89 was broadcasting from the Ostrom house that year, he immediately fell in love with the people and spirit of WJPZ.Since he was a kid, Stephen has wanted to know how things work. And new studio was still being finished when he entered as a freshman. This was a perfect opportunity for him to jump in and work with John Ferracane, Rob Crandall, and others on putting things together. This included, for the first time, running the radio station from a computer. Ever heard of Jazler? You will.Eventually, the man they call Tex tired of all the snow, and headed home to Dallas to finish school. But he was never far - always on call for the students. And he returned with John, Rob, and Alex Silverman to help do another studio rebuild a decade after the previous one. You'll hear more details about this in episodes with outgoing GM Liz Doyon and incoming GM Corey Crockett, but this group managed to build a radio station in a week and get it on the air.Stephen cites that new studio rebuild, and the upgrade to a 1,000 watt transmitter as two of the technical achievements he's most proud of. But of course, lessons from JPZ extent much further. He says that WJPZ taught him you can work with your friends, and how it can be done.Since returning to Dallas, Stephen did some major market radio work in his hometown, before moving to the IT world, and eventually starting his own company, Total IT, in 2009. And while he does a lot of work in that sector, Tex also works with - you guessed it - radio stations, marrying both of his passions.We close with a couple of funny stories from Stephen's time at the station, including Peterman knocking us off the air - with his rear end - and a funny moment at Josh Wollf's expense at Chili's on Erie Boulevard.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Email Jag: [email protected] everyone, it’s Jag with a couple of quick announcements about the podcast.First and foremost, I can’t thank you enough for your incredible support of this project. Thank you to those who have come on the show, those of you who have listened and shared it, everyone who has helped me put this together, and anyone who’s dropped me a nice message about it. And a special thanks to two folks who aren’t in our podcast credits. Matt Friedman, who posts the teasers for each episode to our WJPZ alumni Facebook page and has connected me with so many of our great alumni. And Josh Wolff, who hooked me up with many of our more recent alums.I originally planned on doing 50 episodes of the show to commemorate 50 years of WJPZ, but the response was overwhelming – far beyond anything I could have ever expected We’ve got over SEVENTY interviews either recorded or scheduled, and I assume more to come after Banquet. If you have any additional guests for the show – have them reach out to me – my email address is in this episode’s show notes.That said, we are going to change up the release schedule. One of the reasons I wanted to do this show was to build excitement for the upcoming Banquet. So for the week leading up to the event, we’ll be releasing a new interview every weekday.Once we all head home from Syracuse, though, this podcast will pull back to a once-a-week schedule, with new episodes dropping every Monday. Simply put, while this has been a labor of love, it’s been a lot of labor and a lot of love, and I can’t keep up the pace we’ve been on. I do have a business to run…and my wife misses me….I think. By the way, thanks to Ellen for her support when I’ve disappeared into my office on nights and weekends for a few months.I’ve learned so much about the great history of WJPZ with this project, and I hope you have too. One thing I already knew, which continues to be hammered home with every episode, is what an incredible family we are. So again, thank you for your continued support of this project, and I can’t wait to see you in Syracuse. Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Steve Simpson, morning news anchor and editor at the legendary WCCO in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He's WJPZ Class of 1985, and he tells us some great stories from Syracuse, as well as a lengthy radio career in the Midwest in his time.Steve grew up in Bucks County, PA, near Philly. Like so many of us, he was infatuated with radio, rigging equipment in his basement, and quickly learning that Syracuse was the place for an aspiring broadcaster. And when he got to campus, he saw the contrast between WAER and WJPZ. Folks like his future coworker Mike Tirico and other sportscasters belonged at WAER. But for Steve, that Top 40 format and spirit drew him to that old rickety house where the University Sheraton sits now. He did mornings out of that house, worked with Hall of Famer Mary Mancini, and even had to call the fire department one morning when they called smoke. And the Syracuse FD were perplexed when they walked inside and found a radio station.Steve was Program Director when the station moved to FM, and he credits his classmates with all the hard work to get the station over to 89.1. By then, he had moved over to WHEN in Syracuse. But his friends needed a highly produced legal ID. So Steve tells the story of cracking open a few beers after midnight, heading into a commercial production studio with a coworker, and making some radio magic for his classmates.Following a few stops in the Salt City, Simpson got a call from a radio station in Indianapolis, where he worked for WFBL for 25 years - before and after being acquired by Emmis. When his time ended there, he was ready to get out of the business, until a call came from his former program director, now at WCCO-Minneapolis. He's been there since 2014.We spend some time talking about the radio industry. Steve believes live, local radio is still important. And he considers himself lucky to be working at a station that still does that so well in 2023.And of course we bring it back to "the secret handshake" that is WJPZ. It doesn't matter your age or location. When you meet a fellow JPZ'er, the connection is always something special.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For most of our alumni, today's guest needs no introduction. He's a WJPZ Hall of Famer, he's the VP of Urban Programming for SiriusXM, and he's got as charismatic an individual as you'll find in our group. From the Class of 1995, we welcome Neon Dion Summers.Dion talks about finding WJPZ on a high school visit and watching BB Good in the studio. That made the decision to go to Syracuse easy. At SU's Summer Institute Program, he quickly befriended Damian "Governor D" Redman and others, all chomping at the bit to join WJPZ as soon as recruitment opened. Dion's talent and passion quickly got him past overnights, and eventually cleared to do the "Top 8 at 9" as a freshman. His desire to teach and pay it forward landed him on the executive staff, becoming Chief Announcer, and, by his junior year, VP of Programming. As a kid obsessed with radio, Dion mentions "finding his tribe" a number of times in this interview.We deal with a tough topic in this episode, or as Dion calls it, "the black elephant in the room." He was a Black man, adding more hip hop and R&B to the playlist. This was at a time, 30 years ago, where black music was crossing over into the mainstream like never before. But when Dion added these titles, he got some pushback. Was it merely a philosophical disagreement over the musical direction of the station, or was it something more? For the first time at the station, he didn't just feel like a member of the staff. He felt like a black member of the staff. And while Dion is quick to point out the support he had from fellow black staffers and other allies, it hurt. But rather than throw his hands up and walk away, he pushed through, learning valuable lessons about tough conversations he still uses today. This is a perspective we haven't heard yet in the podcast. And in an effort to cover the entire 50 year history of the WJPZ, we appreciate him sharing this. Going forward, the alumni association is going to prioritize diversity. You'll hear more about it at this year's Banquet.After the break, Dion talks about his career after graduation. He got a gig at his hometown radio station, Q92 in Baltimore - thanks to his demo tape from WJPZ, and a connection by classmate Melanie Kushnir.Following Baltimore, he spent 3 1/2 years in Miami - who wouldn't want to move to a spot on South Beach at the age of 30? But by the mid-2000's, it was apparent that terrestrial radio was changing. Then-ClearChannel was removing the autonomy of its program directors. Dion wanted a change, and heard about XM radio, still in its early years. But it believed in empowering its programmers. It was music to this PD's ears, and he took a leap. He's been there for 17 years, now overseeing all of SiriusXM's urban programming.Throughout today's episode, Dion talks about the power of radio- the power to influence culture, and touch the lives of both listeners and artists. And for him, it all traces back to WJPZ. He's quick to shout out his mentors - folks like Kendall B, Rocket Ross, and Dave Gorab (who he now works with at SiriusXM regularly). But we also spend a fair amount of time on those Dion has mentored - especially Mina Llona from the Class of 2008. She was effusive of her praise for Dion in her episode of this podcast, so we get to hear the other side. Dion heard then-student Mina doing a break one alumni weekend, and immediately knew he had to connect with her. Yes, they were both people of color, but they shared the same passion, programming philosophy, and more. They soon developed a great friendship and Dion was eventually able to hire her.We wrap up with some funny stories - Dion's reaction to getting the CD single of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," for example. And did you know that Dion was on a short-lived UUTV sitcom with Steve Donovan and Jen Nycz? He explains.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest will be inducted into our Hall of Fame at this year's Banquet. His classmates know him has "Happy" Dave Dwyer, but now his listeners on SiriusXM's Busted Halo show know him as Father Dave Dwyer. Before he got either nickname, he arrived in Syracuse and joined WJPZ, just using his given name on the air. And it wasn't until he started using his nickname from Lawrinson, "Happy Dave," that he really got his footing. This was just before WJPZ launched on the FM dial. Soon, he had the Friday afternoon shift, which became the Happy Dave Happy Hour. But station management knew he could do even more. They tapped him to be the anchor of the "Cra-Z Morning Crew," complete with a rotating cast of characters. While radio was one of Happy Dave's passions, he also loved television, particularly directing. He was a mainstay at UUTV, and following graduation, he went back to the place he'd interned as student - MTV. He worked on their long-form programming, including Rockumentaries and the Unplugged series. He then got involved with the launch of Comedy Central, quickly getting to know the likes of Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Ray Romano, and more. In fact, many comedians would invite him to shows because of Dave's unique, contagious laugh. He tells a story of being virtually the only one in the room laughing when Adam Sandler debuted "Opera Man" on Saturday Night Live. In 1993, Dave was between gigs. He'd always been close with his Catholic faith, and he some folks from his church group went to World Youth Day in Denver, a huge event that would include Pope John Paul II. At that event, Dave felt a calling to the ministry. He joined the Paulist Fathers Mission and started the process of becoming an ordained priest. He tells his side of the story of him calling Dr. Rick Wright to share this news. The Paulist Fathers have always been very involved with media - having done radio, and television. So Father Dave started a podcast. Around this time, satellite radio was expanding their programming, and he offered to fill the overnight slot with his pod. But when they heard the CD, they offered him a prime time evening spot, where he's been for 16 years. We spend some time talking about the power of radio, particularly talk radio, and the deep connection it can create with listeners. Father Dave talks about some of the more memorable feedback he's received. And now his producer is also a fellow JPZ'er, Krista LePard from the Class of 2012. You can listen to Father Dave and Krista on the Busted Halo Show on SiriusXM, Channel 129, Monday-Thursday nights, from 6-8pm Eastern. Podcast Solutions by Dan Klass: https://www.amazon.com/Podcast-Solutions-Complete-Guide-Podcasting/dp/1590595548 Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTickets The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Maureen "Mo" Cooper from the Class of 1999 is the first voice you hear at the beginning of this podcast. An imaging guru, she and Ed LaComb ('85) have done the production for this show. A Central Square native, Mo grew up listening to Z89, even if she had to work to get the station to come in that far north. She's always loved radio, and began working in the Syracuse market before she even got to SU. Once at WJPZ, she was there for the format flip to the Pulse, where she learned a lot about both on-air and imaging. And she was on several stations at once in the market - needing cue cards to keep track of all her different on-air names! Maureen says WJPZ helped teach her what she was passionate about, but also what she didn't want to pursue professionally. As a local, she was happy to step up and help staff the station over school breaks, but that experience taught her management was not where she wanted to go professionally. In fact, she even tells the story of what we believe was the first automation in WJPZ's history, when she couldn't staff the Pulse over Christmas, 1995. It's a story she's never told before and shares for the first time with us. Mo did have to leave the station when she got full time work in Syracuse, while still a student. But she stayed in contact with her classmates, including when they made the flip back to Z89. After graduation in 1999, we were really starting to see a sea change in radio ownership, as the Telecom Act of 1996 really started to take hold. Ownership swaps were happening everywhere, which led to opportunities. Mo had her pick of several markets, and she went to Orlando for a decade after school. Maureen briefly left radio and moved to Houston. But sure enough, she was eventually pulled back in, where she worked on-air and imaging for several radio stations. She's currently at legendary CHR KRBE in H-town. We close with Mo's feelings about the true family of WJPZ, and how these connections across the generations are still a huge part of her life. Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode is a must-listen, especially for those of that are sports fans or ever had aspirations to get into the field.Howard Deneroff, WJPZ Class of 1989, is the EVP and Executive Producer of Westwood One Sports. He's been with the company since immediately after graduation, and has worked the Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four, Stanley Cup Finals, and more.Like many of us, Howard decided on Syracuse because he wanted to be as involved with sports as possible. He went to WAER, writing for the likes of Mike Tirico and others. But when it became clear that he could get much more hands on experience at WJPZ. This proved true his sophomore year, when in addition to calling women's sports and minor league baseball, Z89 was able to cover an undefeated SU football team (wow that seems like a long time ago), and a basketball team that made it to the NCAA Championship game.Additionally, their Saturday morning show "The Press Box" morphed into coverage of Central New York high school football. Staff would call the games, interview coaches and players, and bring the cassettes back. Then the real work began, splicing highlights on reel-to-reel decks until 3 or 4am, to have them ready for air the next morning. This is where Howard says he really learned the skills, attitude, and perfectionism that carried him to where he is now. This really came to fruition when working on a piece commemorating the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. The desire to always make his work better led to Howard getting some unbelievable audio and previously unheard stories for the presentation.In addition to talent and hard work, sometimes you need to be in the right place at the right time. We hear a wild story of coincidence, and how a chance meeting turned into a job at Westwood One upon graduation, and a three-decades plus career there.Deneroff started at CBS Radio in 1989, working on baseball and football, where his encyclopedic knowledge and preparation quickly impressed his coworkers. He also learned how to think quickly on his feet - when he was in studio for an Earthquake during the 1989 World Series. He's worked with everyone from Jim Nantz to Greg Gumbel, Brent Musburger, John Madden, Terry Bradshaw, Pat O'Brien, Vin Scully, Ernie Harwell, and more.Howard tried to learn from the best, and take pieces from folks he's worked with - this led to his "index card system" used in the booth for broadcasts - color coded index cards for promos, sponsorships, and commercial breaks. If you are into the behind-the-scenes of broadcasting, you'll geek out of this like we did.Despite the responsibilities that come with his current title, today's guest still loves producing radio broadcasts. He still gets the adrenaline rush and tries to do at least one game a week. We spend some time talking about the magic of radio, and the advantages it has over television. We also talk about the future of audio.Deneroff has made it a point to give back to Z89, after the station gave him so much. He's airchecked play-by-players. provided internships and more. He firmly believes what he learned at the station got him to where he is now.We close with a couple of funny stories. Will Howard confirm Lippy's story about shaking a spatula at him? And you won't believe Mr. Deneroff's reaction when Howie came home and played him a tape of his first sportscast.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Liz Gupta (nee Doyon), always knew she wanted to be an attorney. And when she learned that an undergraduate degree in journalism would provide her a great foundation, she headed off to Syracuse. And while she knew what she wanted to do for a long-term career, she wouldn't have guessed she'd be a 19-year-old general manager of a radio station, asking the Chancellor for a million dollars, and working with general contractors on a massive rebuild.After joining the station, Liz quickly became part of the morning show, then joining the exec staff as morning show director. By spring of her sophomore year, she had become a leading candidate to become the station's new general manager.Liz's tenure as GM was unique in the half-century history of the radio station. Knowing that the station needed to be overhauled, she worked with Stephen Kurtz, Alex Silverman, and other alumni to put together a proposal. She and Alex walked in to Chancellor Nancy Cantor's office and asked for nearly a million dollars. And she said yes.While this would turn out to be a pivotal moment for the long-term history of WJPZ, it did not come with some major issues in the short term. What was supposed to be a summer construction project dragged through the entire fall semester, necessitating the station to be voice-tracked from Newhouse studios. Liz and Alex had a number of meetings with contractors and others to try and push the project across the finish line. Finally, along with Rob Crandall, Stephen Kurtz, and Corey Crockett, the spend the week prior to Christmas 2012 installing the new equipment, sometimes while the construction continued. The new station went on the air, just in time for Liz's term as GM to wrap up as she headed to London for a semester.If you missed it in Corey Crockett's episode, here's the video of when they put the new station on the air:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE9wfQZ6TgQLiz returned from London, and spent her senior year as VP of Ops, and finally got to experience the new studio.Following graduation, Liz worked as a victim advocate in her home state of Massachusetts. From there, she went to law school at Washington University in St. Louis, before returning home to Boston, where she's been ever since. And she got married in 2022, with a Z89 contingent of course.WJPZ continues to be the world's greatest media classroom, and Liz learned some incredible lessons during her tenure. She talks about maintaining professional composure in high-stress situations (such as delayed construction). And the importance of relationships - she cites a number of friendships with both classmates and older alumni that she's formed over the years.And we close with a great story that involves Liz and Rocket Ross. Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"If you stay ready, you ain't go to get ready." - Sugar FreeThat lyric is a mantra that Southern California native Kendall B has lived by ever since he got to Syracuse University and WJPZ. When a morning show co-host didn't show up, this young overnight jock stuck around to do the show with Jim Gallagher. When the prior host of the Saturday Night Dance Jam didn't show up to train him, Kendall took over the show. And when a slot opened up on the morning show his senior year, he started hosting it. This mantra served him well in his professional career, too.Kendall started as an overnight jock in Greensboro, North Carolina, subsisting on extra Bojangles chicken sandwiches in his freezer. By always being ready, he worked his way up to morning show producer, and eventually nights, hosting Kendall B's Night Train, in a truly golden era for Hip Hop and R&B.Next, it was off to Denver to do middays, then mornings when that slot opened up. His "interim" morning show gig lasted seventeen years, becoming a fixture in the community. In fact, when that gig ended, he was approached by another GM in town who wanted him badly enough to let him do the show remotely. It didn't matter that Kendall and his wife were headed home to LA.Kendall stayed ready - getting into corporate radio training with Futuri Media, and after his last on-air gig ended, he moved his show to Amazon's new Amp platform - where his Denver and national listeners can hear him every weekday morning, Pacific time of course.As a 30 year radio veteran, Kendall shares his thoughts on the current state of the industry, and what it needs to do going forward. And we wrap up with a couple hilarious stories from WJPZ circa 1990, involving a cassette deck and a men's room.More: Kendall B's show On Amp (live weekdays at 9am Eastern/6am Pacific): https://live.onamp.com/Y3w4zkVR6wbKendall's Goodbye Break on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OjLJDD52GuIJoin Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hall of Famer Bill Bleyle is liking a name you know as synonymous with the founding of WJPZ in 1972-1973. Today he's joined by another trailblazer, his classmate Carol Mason, to take us back to the very beginning of WJPZ.A Buffalo native, Bill grew up fascinated by the technology of radio, picking up stations from Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles at night. By the time he got to SU, he'd already collected a number of spare parts.Carol, a native New Yorker, grew up idolizing former New York Yankees shortstop and then-announcer Phil Rizzuto. She wanted to be his broadcast partner. She worked at WAER, where classmate Bob Costas told her she'd have to lose her New York accent. There, a mutual friend told Carol about another radio station that Bill and Craig Fox were starting, WJPZ.Bill tells us how they cobbled his stash of equipment, gear leftover from the WAER upgrade, and inexpensive Radio Shack turntables to start WJPZ. For 50 years, the station has been a place where you can make mistakes and learn from them - that included when Carol played Billy Joel's new song "Piano Man" at the wrong speed on that turntable.Both of today's guests credit WJPZ's first program director, Brian Miller, for running a tight ship and getting the attention of Syracuse's WNDR. And Bill's recollection of that FCC visit differs slightly from the story we've all heard Dr. Wright tell.Bill refers to Rick as a "match made in heaven" for the radio station. Most Newhouse professors at the time were academics - Professor Wright had the real world radio experience to help the radio station flourish. They were on the air, growing their listeners, and selling ads.There weren't many women in radio in the 1970's - in music, sports, or otherwise. But Carol quickly made a name for herself - landing gigs in Buffalo, Chicago, and New York. And while she never worked with Phil Rizzuto, she and Scooter did get to meet. Now she's working for the University of Maryland.Bill went into local radio after graduation, but soon reconnected with his passion for public service, working his way up through the police department, "retiring" as a Captain in the Manlius Police Department. But he never stopped working - as both an engineer at the local ClearChannel/iHeart stations, and in law enforcement. He's ran the county 911 operations center and jail, before actually retiring at the end of 2022.Bill and Carol reflect on their time at WJPZ, and what they've seen the station do over 50 years. In fact Bill, never one to brag, enjoyed watching his kids love Z89. And it wasn't until the 40-year anniversary documentary came out that they even learned Dad helped start this whole thing.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the first of two episodes featuring original JPZ'ers from the 1970's, we sit down with Greg Hernandez. In addition to being one of the key figures at the start of WJPZ, he's had a fascinating career since, working with some of the top names at ABC News and having a front-row seat to some significant events in history.Like many of us, Greg first got in front of a microphone in high school, and worked his way to Syracuse. He started at WAER, but Bill Bleyle told him about a new station they were putting on 1200 AM - WJPZ. As the sales manager, Greg sold spots (yes, commercials) to Acropolis Pizza - even though they couldn't hear the station from their original location on Westcott Street! On the air, Greg hosted a Friday and Saturday night show, taking calls from students partying in the dorms and elsewhere.Greg also sent over some perfectly preserved documents from those days - which you can link to here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gl0q0m93n2bzi2k/AABrf8_TU9oH3mcio-kQx1qua?dl=0After a few Central New York radio gigs, Greg tired of the snow and headed south - to Washington DC, eventually landing a gig at his dream employer - ABC News. He tells us some amazing stories of working with Peter Jennings, Sam Donaldson, David Brinkley, and Ted Koppel. These include the Challenger disaster, Reagan's Iran-Contra affair announcement nearly derailing a Syracuse alumni tour, and more.Following his time at ABC, Greg worked as a media contact for several government agencies. He was at NOAA when they recovered John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane, and was the media contact in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He then moved on to the US Mint, where he visited Presidential homes to promote the new dollar coins. And finally, he ended up at the FDIC during the height of 2008's financial crisis.Now, Greg narrates audio books full time (when you hear his voice you'll see why it's a perfect fit for him.)As we wrap up, Greg reflects on what he learned at WJPZ, and how it informed his career since. And he marvels at how this little radio station he helped start 50 years ago still endures today.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Hall of Famer Larry "Rocket" Ross, from the Class of 1992. He was at the station when WJPZ-FM was really coming into his own, but we start today by hearing about the one air shift he'll never forget. He explains how Z89 was the only media outlet, at one point in time, that had the list of Syracuse University students killed aboard Pan Am 103. As a freshman covering a midday slot just before Christmas break, he had to field phone calls of terrified friends and family members, asking if their loved ones were "on the list." Some were. Some weren't.After the break, we return to talk about Rocket's career at WJPZ, starting out in the research department, and working up to chief announcer and VP of Ops. Toward the end of the episode, we hear the hilarious story of Rocket's first break on the air...or was it?During his senior year, Rocket worked for Y94 in Syracuse, then he actually commuted to Watertown for his first job after graduation. One winter of that drive up Interstate 81, however, was enough. Eventually he moved to Rochester, parlaying his radio career into roles at an entertainment venue, and eventually, the restaurant industry. Rocket now works for Sodexo Live, formerly Centerplate, overseeing field marketing for all of the stadiums and arenas, conventions and conference centers, museum zoos, aquariums, amphitheater's, amusement parks, auditoriums, ski resorts and more that they operate throughout North America. We briefly get into the science and psychology of menu design. Why is Panera's "You Pick Two" so successful? Today's guest can explain.Following up on our previous episode with Harry and Dena, we revisit the receivership era of the radio station in the late 90's. Rocket served on both the receivership committee, and then as the alumni rep on the newly redesigned WJPZ Board of Directors. He was thrilled to give back to the station, and come full circle, years after graduation.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How does a goofball from the Crazy Morning Crew end up building a massively successful syndication company? You'll find out in today's podcast, with Hall of Fame guest Danno Wolkoff from the Class of 1986.This Cleveland native starts by telling us how he found out about Syracuse and Newhouse by accident, and then how a dorm mate asked him to do a radio show. This was just before WJPZ moved to FM. After the move to 89.1, Danno moved to mornings with Danny Klass, E Double R, and one of this year's Hall of Fame nominees, Happy Dave Dwyer. Even though radio wasn't his career goal, Danno somehow found himself at the station every day from 7 to 10am.Following graduation, Danno went with his then-fiance to New York, but needed to find a job. After failing to find paid work at all three major networks, he took a gig at MJI Networks - but not after completely blowing the interview, as he explains.He worked his way up through affiliate relations and sales, before deciding he wanted to raise his growing family back home in Cleveland, not New York. So three decades before the world went remote, Danno convinced his employer to let him open a Cleveland branch of the company. His wild success spurred openings in Chicago, Los Angeles, and more.MJI was eventually acquired by Premiere Networks. Danno and his wife created their own company, Envision Radio Networks, leveraging the relationships built with radio stations, and some of the soft skills he learned at WJPZ. To commemorate Envision's 10th birthday, Danno made a large donation to WJPZ to assist in the building of their new studios at the end of 2012. Turns out that wasn't as cut and dry as he'd hoped. There was a lot of "orange" tape to go through.Eventually, Envision was acquired by another company, and the Wolkoffs left, "sort of retired," and are now focusing on other projects. These include turning podcasts into audio books through Happy Land World. and putting electric vehicle chargers in fast food parking lots - an idea his daughter was instrumental in.Throughout today's podcast, you'll hear about the many lifelong relationships Danno has cultivated through WJPZ, and the lessons learned. But he leaves us with two hilarious stories. One involves "accidentally" broadcasting live from a moving bus in downtown Syracuse, and the other involves a big red button they were told not to touch!Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You'd be hard pressed to find someone who understands the radio industry as well as today's guest: Jay Nachlis from the Class of 1994. Like many of us, this San Francisco native came to Syracuse with plans of being the next great sportscaster. But as luck would have it, he fell in love with the music at WJPZ, eventually becoming the station's program director. In fact, he's the PD that first brought Selector music scheduling software to the station!Jay tells us about the CHR landscape in the early 90's, including a very awkward situation when the station brought Naughty By Nature to a Syracuse club for an all ages show!Today's guest spent 25 years in commercial radio - staring at Y94 in Syracuse, then crisscrossing the country with stops in San Francisco, Buffalo, Detroit, and Raleigh. Jay tells us about the lessons he learned at Z89 that served him well in radio, and in his current role as VP, Consultant, and Marketing Director at Coleman Insights.We spend a fair amount of time at the end of the episode on radio's future. Will the industry reinvest in itself? What can it learn from the compelling content that's now on YouTube, from creators like Rhett and Link, and Mr. Beast? If you don't know who they are, Jay will blow your mind with what they've accomplished. In many ways, they're doing what radio stations have always done!Radio is still being done well in many places though. Jay tells us about Jumpin Jeff Walker on KRZ in Scranton. He's been the afternoon guy since the 80's, but his content resonates just as much now, as it did then. We'll hear about one break in particular.Jay admits that he stepped away from the WJPZ family for a few years, but now he's back every year. Hear why he calls the station "the gift that keeps on giving."Referenced in this episode:Jay's blog on Mr. Beast: https://colemaninsights.com/coleman-insights-blog/brand-management-lessons-from-mrbeastRhett and Link YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/user/RHETTANDLINKJoin Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Ferracane was one of the key figures in the survival of WJPZ when the station was temporarily moved to an off-campus house on Ostrom Avenue for the 2000-2001 school year. With the help of an incredibly dedicated staff and some supportive alumni, we were able to keep the station on the air, then upgrade when we returned to Watson - and the new "Menchel Media Center" in the Fall of 2001.As the sophomore Chief Engineer, John and the rest of the team arrived at the station's temporary digs on Ostrom in August of 2000. The University had moved all of our ancient, shoddy equipment to a new location. Most of it was on its last legs, and was, as John puts it, "a dumpster fire."Fortunately, Hall of Famer Dave Gorab, then in New York, came to the rescue. His network had done a massive equipment upgrade, and he donated all of the previous gear. This was able to keep the station on the air while the new studios were built at Watson. Then, John and GM Dave "Peterman" Peterson found a way to trade the extra equipment for new gear for the station.The early aughts were a very different time than the station's heyday a decade earlier. Facing crippling legal debt and many other issues, the station did not have the financial means to survive long term. John did his homework - he knew there was a time in the station's history where University funding may have meant University control. This was something the station staff vetted carefully, then when convinced that wouldn't be the case, secured funding from SU. And it's thanks, in part, to that funding, that the station has survived and thrived 20 years later.Finally, John takes us through his career since graduation - from Syracuse to South Carolina, Detroit, Miami, then eventually to ABC's Good Morning America, where he met his wife. Now, he's working for Nexstar, building out their News Nation network, designed to be a non-partisan cable news source. John's hiring, and always willing to talk to students and alumni. You can reach him at [email protected] Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One of the hallmarks of any great leader is sharing the credit with his or her team. Hall of Famer Dave Gorab, Class of '93, rose through the ranks of WJPZ to become General Manager at a very successful time in the radio station's history. From there, he eventually became VP and GM of talk programming at SiriusXM Radio. Throughout this episode, you'll hear Dave give the credit to those around him.That starts with his arrival at the station, and the mentorship of people like Hal Rood, Scott Meach, Henri Ferri, Kelly Sutton, and more. He also speaks of contemporaries like Brian Lapis and Scott Taylor.Dave certainly paid it forward, as you'll hear in a clip from a previous podcast episode. Matt Friedman, '94, talks about a lifelong lesson Dave taught him.You'll hear about some amazing things WJPZ did in the early 90's - from giving away cars and cash, to figuring out how to get a buy from Pabst Blue Ribbon, with their slogan, in a way that was legal on a non-commercial radio station.Dave also tells us about, in his words, "the worst negotiated deal in WJPZ history," which he still catches flack for. But you'll also hear his surprising reaction when 93Q sabotaged a Z89 remote.Following graduation, Dave tried radio sales and hated it - he missed being part of the creative team. This led him to a career in talk radio, working with Jim Cramer on "Mad Money," and eventually joining up with something called satellite radio in 2004.There were lessons learned at WJPZ that today's guest applies every day now at SiriusXM. This was true as they built some amazing brands in the talk space, and also when they had to pivot during Covid, as you'll hear.Something we didn't mention in this episode is Dave's massive equipment donation to WJPZ when the station's gear was on its very last legs. You'll hear about that in Friday's episode with John Ferracane, from the Class of 2003.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One of the amazing things about WJPZ is how many of our illustrious alumni actually grew up listening to the radio station. This has been true for decades. Liverpool native Corey Crockett, from the Class of 2015, is no exception. Upon arriving on campus, Corey quickly got involved with the sports and research departments. He eventually became GM at a pivotal moment for the radio station - the construction of the new studio. FoodWorks was going away, allowing for an expansion of WJPZ and Citrus TV.For a semester, WJPZ had to broadcast remotely from voice-track studios in Newhouse, while the new station was built. Corey credits folks like Liz Doyon, Rob Crandall, Josh Wolff, Alex Silverman, and Stephen Kurtz for the rapid install of the station while the construction was still being finished. You'll hear the re-launch in this episode, and you can see it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/wE9wfQZ6TgQWhen the new studio was operational, Corey and his staff had to train a new group of talent who'd never done live radio before. He talks about that. Like many of us, Corey describes his career path after graduation as "wonky." He spent a few years in radio in Virginia Beach, before getting the itch and moving to New York City. There, he worked in television and dabbled in radio, before getting an opportunity to work for the Audacy (formerly Entercom) Corporate Program team in New York. There, he supports Audacy's local stations. From his current role, he offers some great advice to current students. And he shares his perspective of what radio needs to do going forward.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Simply put, Harry Wareing and Dena (Giacobbe) Laupheimer are two people the radio station wouldn't have survived without. Both members of the Class of 1999, Harry first came to the station as a freshman and became a "utility player" for Jeff Wade and Dan Austin when they launched The Pulse in 1995. Dena joined later. working her way through the promotions department and up into management.In 1997, Harry and Dena decided to restore the Z89 brand. They explained what went into that decision (a lot of it over Burger King in the Kimmel Food Court), and taking the risk to upend the station for the second time in less than two years. As with the change to The Pulse, some were in favor of the idea and some were not.In the Fall of 1997, for several different reasons, the station was placed into receivership and had to fight for its survival. Harry and Dena explain the confluence of events that led to this, and the immense pressure they felt to keep the institution alive. Harry was recruiting every freshman on campus to supplement the skeleton crew of the radio station, while Dena was handling the business side of things and fielding calls from well-meaning but concerned alumni.The station survived - and then some. What Harry learned in recruiting freshmen like Marty Dundics in 1997, he "perfected" in 1998, bringing in a new class, empowering them, and getting them excited about the radio station. Folks like Jag, Beth (Berlin) Cohen, Jana Fiorello, and the station's next GM, Matt DelSignore.In fact, we close the episode with one of Dena's favorite Matt stories.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From December 1995 until July of 1997, WJPZ-Syracuse changed formats, to an alternative lean, and re-branded itself as "89.1 The Pulse." Today, we talk to the architects of that transition, Hall of Famers Dan Austin and Jeff Wade from the Class of 1997.First, we hear how they both found the station. For Dan, the native Central New Yorker, it started working summer staff in high school. Meanwhile, Jeff was in high school in Rhode Island, hearing about the station. Soon, these two would become great friends, spending many hours together in the back office of the radio station.In 1995, when Dan was GM and Jeff was VP of Programming, CHR was becoming much more fragmented. And Jeff was having a hard time finding new music that fit the station's current format. Meanwhile, alternative music was taking off, with stations like New York's Z100 leading the way. Simultaneously, Dan and the station's business staff were having a hard time making the "major market coin" the station had seen earlier in the decade. To remain self-supported, they needed to make a splash, and get some attention in a quickly changing media landscape. The format change accomplished both goals, though not without controversy among students and alumni.The format flip of 1995 was more proof that WJPZ is the world's greatest media classroom; throughout today's episode, Dan and Jeff talk about the radio, business, and life lessons this experience taught them. Jeff and Dan talk about their careers in the 25 years since leaving Syracuse - Jeff moving from the music side to news/talk programming - and Dan's sales career that went from radio to now television, in the polar opposite of his native Syracuse, at least weatherwise - San Diego.In today's episode, you'll also hear stories of how Jeff hired Jag for his first radio gig, and the awful mistake that cost Jag that job. But you'll also hear about folding tables hanging out of cars en route to the State Fair, the "Denny's Annex," and the exec staff getting PAGERS - which came in handy when one jock locked herself out of the studio.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit PodcastsBonus! See a brief documentary on The Pulse here, complete with 1995 Jeff, Dan, and their classmates!https://youtu.be/kARwzwyvyI0 Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For several years, Eileen Spath (Class of 2014) chaired the Banquet Committee. When we all come back to Syracuse every year for one of our favorite weekends, we may not realize what happens behind the scenes to get this show "on the air." Today we go behind the scenes.We start, however, with Eileen's story - how she got to Syracuse and then found Citrus TV and WJPZ. And while she loved her time on the morning show, Eileen also excelled behind the scenes, serving in various roles from human resources to broadcast consultant. In her time since graduating, she's worked several jobs, ending up at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. She is now their communications director, overseeing a "small but mighty" team.When she took on the job of running the Banquet, she of course leaned heavily on her predecessor, Dena (Giacobbe) Laupheimer, forming a great friendship.In addition to the usual Syracuse weather challenges, the Banquet has thrown Eileen various curve balls. In fact her first Banquet as Chair was 2016 - the year we had to move Banquet back a month, due to construction at the Syracuse Sheraton. The only problem was: the new date was Final Four weekend. Every sports guy in our group (and there are many) assured her there was no way the Orange would make the Final Four. Until they did. And as for the "construction" at the Sheraton: it never happened.Eileen also helped navigate our annual event through the pandemic - from a cursory concern in 2020, to going virtual in 2021, to finally coming back in 2022. To bookend that last year of her tenure, there WAS an issue at the Sheraton - necessitating a last minute venue change to Drumlins.While today's guest is quick to credit the team around her, she deserves a lot of credit for keeping this event going for the better part of a decade. As for this year? She's happy to be a resource for new Banquet Chair Sam Kandell ('18), but is also looking forward to working a little less in Syracuse.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You may know today's guest by many names - JD, Governor, or even his given name, Damian Redman. He talks about coming to Syracuse the summer before his freshman year, meeting Dion Summers, and finding WJPZ together.You'll hear Damian's true character come out in this interview, when he talks about his passion for working with on-air talent. This started in his days as Chief Announcer, and continues to this day as an alum, always offering feedback to younger alumni and students. He credits the folks who came before him, and he aims to always keep paying it forward.The governor has constituents all across this great nation. He takes us through his career from WJPZ to California, Texas, Albany, and all points in between.Eventually, he changed careers, but was able to take the lessons of WJPZ and a radio career, and apply them to where he is now. You'll hear about that too.Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTicketsThe WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts Want to be on the show? Email JAG at [email protected] with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.