Student broadcasters at WRHU FM have the unique opportunity to put on NHL broadcasts as the flagship radio station of the New York Islanders. This is a completely novel concept: college students going toe to toe with professional coverage and not just getting by, but knocking it out of the park every time.
In the past year alone, Hofstra’s coverage of Islanders games has been picked up by the likes of WFAN, WCBS and even ESPN Radio. Not too shabby for a gang of co-eds.
This week’s Campus Celebrity is Mark Weiner, the student producer of the Islanders broadcasts.
Why did you choose Hofstra?
Absolutely 100%, because of WRHU Radio Hofstra University. It’s the flagship station of the New York Islanders. I’ve always loved hockey, so I wanted to come here and try to get involved with the Islanders. I also love trying to be a sports broadcaster. They have an absolutely great program here; you get to travel with the teams and everything so Hofstra was my first choice because of the station.
You were recently named Islanders producer, what are your responsibilities?
Well I’m also the sports production manager so I make every piece of production for any sport that we do here, any promo, its all me. And then also for the Islanders I do every piece of production, any promo you hear between breaks and stuff, that’s me. The underwritings, that’s me, the intro, everything. Then as the producer I have to write down the time and make sure all the underwritings get played. I have to talk to Chris King, who is the play-by-play voice of the Islanders, and make sure that he’s okay, get all the features for intermission, assign reporters to do stuff like that. Basically just to make sure everything flows.
What is the atmosphere like during Isles broadcasts?
It’s as you’d expect it. As a professional studio you want to be as professional acting as you can be all the time. It’s an amazing feeling to know that you are putting out an NHL broadcast and we’re just in college. We try to put out the best quality we can. Any screw up and we’re looked at a little bit harder than anyone else would be because we’re college kids. I try to put out the most professional broadcast and sound better than the actual professionals doing it.
What’s your favorite memory of working at WRHU?
The first time I got to be a reporter for the Islanders I got to go into the locker room. It was just that “holy crap” feeling, “I’m in college and I’m a reporter in the Islanders locker room and I’m just like any other media member.” I got to interview Matt Martin, he was really great about that and in intermission I got another interview. It was a pretty amazing experience, to be on air for an NHL broadcast. It was amazing.
Do you have any tips for anyone who might want to be in your shoes one day?
Come to Hofstra! That would definitely be my tip.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Hopefully hosting a sports talk show. That would be my dream job, somewhere on WFAN. That probably won’t happen in ten years, it’ll take a lot of work but hopefully hosting a sports talk show, maybe doing basketball play-by-play or baseball. Those are also two dreams of min, just something in the sportscasting world somewhere.