Student radio, remembered shift by shift.
WJPZ at 50 is an oral history of Syracuse's student-run radio station, told through alumni and current-student interviews. The conversations move from first Syracuse memories to station lessons, staff roles, friendships, sports broadcasts, and careers shaped by learning on air.
PRESS PLAY
WJPZ at 50 is an interview archive about Syracuse student radio, but its best moments feel more like old station staffers sitting down after a banquet and filling in the stories nobody wrote down. The format is simple and sturdy. A guest explains how Syracuse came into view, how WJPZ entered the picture, and what happened once the first shift, show, or staff role turned into something bigger. The conversations are warm. They are also packed with insider texture: GM, PD, exec, sports broadcasts, broadcast tapes, songs under signoffs, banquet speeches, staff culture, and the quiet awe of freshmen watching experienced students run the place. Recent episodes stretch across generations, from current WJPZ leaders Bella Galan and Lizzie Gottlieb to alumni tied to sports rights, commercial radio, writing, Radio Disney, Westwood One Sports, and the Savannah Bananas. The show keeps returning to a practical idea. Students learned because other students let them watch, try, fail, ask questions, and eventually lead. That gives the nostalgia some weight. The memories are not just about being young on campus; they are about how a student-run station built confidence, taste, timing, friendships, and professional habits. Sports stories are especially vivid, with March Madness shows, Syracuse games, old broadcast rituals, and a near-miss hot mic story becoming part of the station's folklore. Career stories matter too, but the show avoids turning every guest into a resume. It is more interested in the chain of influence: who opened the door, who answered the nervous text, who modeled the job, and who passed the station forward. The current-student episodes keep that chain from feeling sealed in the past. They show the same culture still being worked out by new PDs, GMs, hosts, and freshmen trying to find their lane. WJPZ at 50 is best for listeners who enjoy oral history with names, roles, years, and small rituals intact. It is especially rewarding for people who care about student media, Syracuse, radio craft, sports broadcasting, or the way a campus organization can become a lifelong network.
Made for: For WJPZ alumni, Syracuse media followers, student broadcasters, and listeners who enjoy detailed oral histories of how people learn a craft inside a campus institution.
What sets it apart: The show's value is its continuity across decades: current student leaders and longtime alumni describe the same station culture from different eras, with concrete roles, rituals, broadcasts, and mentorship stories doing the work.
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.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Through alumni interviews and current student voices, WJPZ at 50 shows how campus broadcasting teaches adaptability, leadership, collaboration, and practical judgment.
WJPZ at 50 turns station memories into lessons about learning through responsibility. Jon "JAG" Gay interviews alumni and current student leaders, moving from early days on air to the choices, mistakes, and working habits that followed.
WJPZ memories become career field notes, giving you alumni lore with consequences.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Bella Galan and Lizzie Gottlieb show how WJPZ builds radio skills, leadership, and belonging by doing.
WJPZ at 50 uses Bella Galan and Lizzie Gottlieb to show how a student station teaches by doing. It starts with freshman shifts and first on-air nerves, then moves into the heavier work of leadership, where the lesson stays the same: watch the people ahead of you, stay close, and…
Student radio turns into live sports production, with WJPZ experience meeting Bananas game-day chaos.
Chris Sacchi's path runs from WJPZ Syracuse into the Savannah Bananas game-day machine, where he clips trick plays, backflips, strikeout celebrations, and the occasional walk-up song while the crowd is still loud enough to swallow everything else.
A warm alumni conversation that turns station lore into a story about training, memory, and shared culture.
WJPZ at 50 comes across as a warm alumni conversation about a college station that taught radio by making people do the work. Dan Girard gives the details real weight: Professor Wright calling in after Syracuse beat West Virginia, the sports sign-off built around "Take Me Home…
A Syracuse radio memory becomes a clear story about creativity, mentorship, and what lasts.
Jim Gallagher starts with the Denny's on Erie Boulevard and keeps circling back to what radio felt like in practice: writing material, shaping morning-show bits, and finding ad ideas that fit the station's own rhythm.
A warm alumni story about learning by doing and carrying that lesson into every job that followed.
Jennice Conner's story lands less as nostalgia than as a look at what WJPZ Syracuse seems to have taught her for work beyond the station. It moves from Syracuse beginnings to the habits that followed: showing up, adapting quickly, helping without being asked, and staying useful…
Campus radio from the wrong side of reality.
Campus decisions, Northeast news, and Northeast priorities.
How research culture changes in practice.
Conversations from inside the IT channel.
Bella Galan and Lizzie Gottlieb join WJPZ at 50 as the current GM and PD.
He walks through the game-day editing grind behind the Bananas.
Jack brings the show back after a little over a year away because Dan Girard nudged him to do it.
This episode features an interview with Stephen 'Tex' Kurtz, a key figure in WJPZ Syracuse's history, discussing his journey from Texas to Syracuse and his discovery of the radio station.
This episode features an interview with Ben Green, a 1985 Syracuse University alumnus, discussing how he chose Syracuse to pursue filmmaking and his early experiences with the university's radio station WJPZ.
This episode of WJPZ at 50 features an interview with Howard Deneroff, a 1989 Syracuse alumnus and executive producer at Westwood One Sports, discussing his journey into sports broadcasting and connection to the university's radio station.
This episode celebrates the 50th anniversary of WJPZ Radio by interviewing alumni about their experiences and the station's impact.
An interview with a deaf former general manager of WJPZ radio about his journey in radio and the station's impact.
An interview series celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio, featuring alumni discussing their experiences and the station's impact on their careers.
Two Swifties discuss Taylor Swift's music, album versions, and fan theories in a lighthearted conversation.
A podcast celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio at Syracuse University, featuring interviews with alumni about their experiences and the station's impact.
Jim Gallagher's story opens at WJPZ and quickly turns into a memory of the Denny's on Erie Boulevard.
John Jagay welcomes Jennice Conner, class of 1995-ish, and teases the twist in her Syracuse timeline.
An interview series celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio, featuring alumni discussing their experiences and the station's impact on their careers.
A podcast celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio at Syracuse University, featuring interviews with alumni about their experiences and careers.
Host Jon Gay interviews Jordan Capozzi, a Syracuse alum, about his journey from listener to student radio participant and how WJPZ shaped his media career.
A podcast celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio at Syracuse University, featuring interviews with alumni who share their experiences and career paths.
An interview series celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio, featuring alumni discussing their experiences and the station's impact on their careers.
Host Jon Gay interviews alumna Jeannie Shad about her career and the impact of WJPZ radio on her life.
This episode honors the late Larry Barron, a key figure in WJPZ history, through memories shared by alumni.
An interview with a former general manager of WJPZ Radio discussing how she discovered the station and its impact on her college experience and career.
An interview series celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio, exploring how the student-run station trained alumni and fostered lifelong relationships.
An interview with an alumna of WJPZ Radio discussing her journey into media and the station's impact.
A podcast celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio at Syracuse University, featuring interviews with alumni about their experiences and careers.
Host Jon Gay interviews alumni Matt Goering and Sam Kandel about their experiences at WJPZ radio station and how it shaped their careers.
A podcast celebrating 50 years of WJPZ Radio at Syracuse University, featuring interviews with alumni about their experiences and the station's impact on their careers.
An interview with alumnus Mike Murphy about his journey from high school to Syracuse University and his career in sports broadcasting.
An interview with a Syracuse alumna about her time at WJPZ radio and her career in sports broadcasting.
This episode features an interview with Pete Gianesini, a 1994 Syracuse alum and friend of WJPZ radio station, discussing his journey to Syracuse and early radio experiences.
This episode features an interview with Betty Keston, a 1993 Syracuse alumna nicknamed 'Goofy Betty', discussing her journey to Syracuse University, her late discovery of the campus radio station WJPZ, and her experiences in communications.
This episode features an interview with Ben Green, a 1985 Syracuse University alumnus, discussing his journey to WJPZ radio station and how it shaped his educational experience.
This episode features an interview with Mike Conner, a senior coordinating producer at NFL Network and WJPZ class of 1995, discussing his journey and experiences at the radio station as part of the WJPZ at 50 anniversary series.