WJPZ at 50 - podcast cover

WJPZ at 50

For five decades, WJPZ Radio in Syracuse has been the world's Greatest Media Classroom. It's always been run exclusively by students and has served as the foundation for post-college careers, whether its alumni have worked in radio or elsewhere. The relationships formed by alumni from six different decades have helped create a true family. As we celebrate 50 years of WJPZ, we present 50 interviews with the people who have made this institution so special. Hosted by Jon "JAG" Gay, WJPZ Class of 2002.
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Episodes

A Tribute to Hall of Famer Larry Barron

For episode 89 of this podcast, we wanted to pay tribute to a man who sits on the Mount Rushmore of WJPZ History, Hall of Famer Larry Barron, from the Class of 1987. As we celebrate his life, career, and mentorship, we are joined by several guests. Pete Bowers was Larry's high school radio station teacher and advisor, and the man who his partly reponsible for the long list of Michiganders in the WJPZ family. Danny Corsun ('87) and Scotty Bergstein ('89) were classmates and also roommates with La...

Nov 06, 202355 minEp. 89

GM Shruti Marathe, Class of 2019, on Larry Barron and JPZ Culture

You might say Shruti Marathe was destined to be General Manager of WJPZ. She followed other alumni in working at her high school radio station in New Jersey. And when she got to Syracuse, her peer mentor was none other than Sam Kandell. Shruti, or "Loops," was, like so many of us, taken by the culture and family environment of Z89. She quickly became an AP on the Z Morning Zoo and learned just as much about WJPZ culture as she did about performing on the radio. (And yes, she tells the story of h...

Oct 30, 202321 minEp. 88

DEI and Higher Ed Guru Kafele Khalfani, Class of 1995

Since graduating SU in 1996, Kafele Khalfani has done it all - moving from the advertising world to following his passion to help young people. Today you'll hear about his career in higher education, as well as his time fostering and adopting kids. Kafele saw a brochure for Syracuse University with a picture of Rick Wright at Z89, and he immediately put all his eggs into an orange basket. He applied early, nowhere else, and got to campus in 1992. It was during a summer program that he found a st...

Oct 23, 202342 minEp. 87

Emmy Winning Reporter Eva Zymaris, Class of 2014

Eva Zymaris, Class of 2014, has gone from Z89 News Director to Emmy winning reporter in New Haven Connecticut. And she credits so much of her career success to the WJPZ family. This New Jersey news aficionado quickly learned that Syracuse was the school for her. As a sophomore, despite her desire to pursue a career in television, she was drawn to WJPZ. She mentions the culture set by folks like Jeff Kurkjian, Allie Gold, Jeff Cucinell, and more. Eva went from doing "89 second news updates" to th...

Oct 16, 202328 minEp. 86

Sal Capaccio - from WJPZ to the Bills Sideline and Damar Hamlin

Today you will hear two incredible stories from Sal Capaccio, Class of 1995. The first is his own "origin story." At 37 years old, he quit his job to follow his dream. He and his wife moved back to his hometown of Buffalo for part time work on the sports station there. Through hard work, perserverance, networking, and other lessons he learned at WJPZ, he's now a radio and podcast host, as well as the sideline reporter for the Buffalo Bills radio network. This role gave him a unique perspective o...

Oct 09, 202353 minEp. 85

"Hot Shot" Scotty Bergstein, Class of 1989

Today's guest gobbled up every airshift he could, and now makes his living directing commercials, after learning under Ridley Scott. Scott Bergstein came to Syracuse, like many, chasing the sportscaster dream. When he saw what a soon-to-be-famous sportscaster floormate was doing, he decided to go in another direction. Leaning into his passion for storytelling, he joined Happy Dave Dwyer's bunch at WJPZ. The timing couldn't be better. The station moved to FM in the spring of Scott's freshman year...

Oct 02, 202342 minEp. 84

MTV's Matt Gehring and SNY's Sam Kandell, Class of 2018

WJPZ has formed many deep bonds and friendships - and that is certainly the case for Matt Gehring and Sam Kandell, who served as PD and GM respectively, for the Class of 2018. As you'll hear, their origin stories differ greatly, but they've been thick as thieves since fate brought them together on Boland 8 as freshmen. Soon, Matt, a self professed music geek, and Sam, a die-hard sports fan, were treking across campus together for the 4-6am shift. They learned from upperclassmen like Allie Gold a...

Sep 25, 202349 minEp. 83

Julie Bruno, '85. on Reconnecting as an Alum

A few days before Banquet 2023, Jag sat down with fellow Massachusetts Native Julie Bruno from the Class of 1985. Julie's from the small town of Mansfield, and was the first in her family to go to college, and quickly went from being a big fish in a small pond to the opposite. She met people from the far away lands of Long Island and New Jersey, and learned that she (gasp) had a wicked accent. But she had the good fortune of being friends with the coolest girl on her floor - Merry Mary Mancini. ...

Sep 18, 202330 minEp. 82

"Pop Pop" Mike Murphy, Class of 1995

(Thanks to alum and Newhouse professor Tina Perkins for editing this week's episode.) Mike Murphy, from the WJPZ Class of 1995, has gone from Z89 sports to the face of sports in the state of New Hampshire, having called multiple sports for the University of New Hampshire, minor league baseball, and more. Like many of us, when Mike found out he wasn't good at playing sports, he wanted to work in sports. So Syracuse was the obvious choice. Soon he was auditioning for WJPZ's sports department, land...

Sep 11, 202338 minEp. 81

Busted Halo Producer and Cleveland Sports Vet Krista LePard, Class of 2012

Today we visit with Krista LePard, Class of 2012. She's a Cleveland native who loves getting paid to watch sports. And her and her husband Clay's career paths brough them back to her hometown. Krista was more focused on TV when she got to campus, but always looked across the hall and saw how much fun Alex Brewer and the crew were having at WJPZ. She knew she didn't want to do sports at Z89, she just wanted to have fun. This turned into airshifts and the morning show. She started dating her now h...

Sep 04, 202334 minEp. 80

Pete Gianesini, '94, SU Alum Prez and Friend of WJPZ

Pete Gianesini, '94, did not technically work at WJPZ as a student. But nobody would doubt that he's an adopted member of the Z89 family. He's supported the station and its members from his time as a student, through his long tenure at ESPN, and now in his role as newly-elected President of the Syracuse University Alumni Association. Pete grew up in Connecticut, where his dream job was play-by-play for the Hartford Whalers. When he got to campus, he worked at WAER, eventually doing games for the...

Aug 28, 202355 minEp. 79

"Goofy" Bette Kestin, Class of 1993

"Goofy" Bette Kestin, Class of 1993, and currently Old Navy's Director of Media Strategy and Investment, is today's guest. This New Jersey native did not join WJPZ until her junior year, but quickly made up for last time, doing everything from commercial traffic to public service. She jokes that she did jobs "that nobody else wanted." She was also part of a very small skeleton crew that kept WJPZ on the air during a blizzard at the end of spring break 1993. We've celebrated so many of our collec...

Aug 21, 202336 minEp. 78

Ben Green '85 On Keeping WJPZ's Teaching Legacy Alive

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 ...

Aug 14, 202337 minEp. 77

NFL Senior Coordinating Producer Mike Konner, Class of 1995

(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 dyna...

Aug 07, 202326 minEp. 76

Tom Giarrosso, '84, on the Production and Comedy of the Crazy Morning Crew

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 b...

Jul 31, 202342 minEp. 75

Ryan McNaughton '96 - from small town Ohio to SU Alum Grand Poobah

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, ...

Jul 24, 202343 minEp. 74

Kat Brady, Class of 2018, On Continuing the Teaching Legacy of WJPZ

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 "poache...

Jul 17, 202336 minEp. 73

Brent Axe - From 89.1 The Pulse To Jim Boeheim Getting Him Fired

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.com https://www.syracuse.com/orangesports...

Jul 10, 202354 minEp. 72

USA Today's Ralphie Aversa, Class of 2007

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 ...

Jul 03, 202348 minEp. 71

Beth (Russell) Gorab, Class of 1993

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 havi...

Jun 26, 202329 minEp. 70

A Friday Night Party Reunion 20 Years in the Making

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...

Jun 19, 20231 hr 3 minEp. 69

From WJPZ to Rihanna, Fall Out Boy and Lizzo - Adam Eisenberg '95

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...

Jun 12, 202332 minEp. 68

Beth (Berlin) Cohen and Jana Fiorello, Class of 2002

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 wha...

Jun 05, 202349 minEp. 67

NPR National Correspondent Jennifer Ludden, Class of 1988

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 Y...

May 29, 202328 minEp. 66

Man vs Food, Downton Abbey, and AARP with Jeffy K, Class of 2006

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...

May 22, 202336 minEp. 65

Melody and Baymes, Class of 2020

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 Re...

May 15, 202329 minEp. 64

Hall of Famer Rusty Berrell, Class of 1986

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...

May 08, 202320 minEp. 63

Sirius XM and Fox Sports' Rich Davis, Class of 2001

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 s...

May 01, 202339 minEp. 62

Fantasy Guru Matthew Berry '92 - From WJPZ to Hollywood to ESPN and NBC

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 ...

Apr 24, 202344 minEp. 61

The Women Running WJPZ in 2023- Grace Denton and Maddie Doolittle

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...

Apr 17, 202351 minEp. 60
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