WVOF, Fairfield University’s radio station, is putting students on the air and on the road this winter, covering Fairfield men’s and women’s basketball games live for the 2007-2008 season.
“WVOF is trying to be everywhere,” said Dan Stanczyk ’08, director of the sports broadcasting program at the station.
In past years, Fairfield students have acted as commentators on men’s and women’s basketball games both on the air and through high-speed Internet streams to WVOF’s Web site.
When necessary, WVOF-ers replace University-hired John Cummings as the color analyst, or the secondary commentator, for the men’s games.
Students assist University-paid Bob Heussler, former broadcaster for New York’s WFAN and current broadcaster for the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, who covers the play-by-play action for the men.
Brendan Monahan ’10, a communications major who decided to come to Fairfield because of WVOF sports, has acted as color commentator a number of times in the past.
“It’s an invigorating experience,” said Monahan. “It’s live – whatever you say is final, and you have to think on your feet.”
Outside of the professional broadcast that a student might sub for, other WVOF members contribute to a separate Webcast of the game.
“No matter what, you’re getting experience,” said Monahan.
Stanczyk, the host of his own WVOF sports talk show called “Sports Edge,” said that an important part of student sports broadcasting is making sure that the student’s work is on par with that of the professionals, Heussler and Cummings.
“It’s fun, but at the same time we have to maintain a level of professionalism and credibility,” said Stanczyk.
This year, WVOF plans to expand student involvement, both within the studio and among the general Fairfield population, in order to increase its number of listeners.
The broadcasting team is considering hosting pregame WVOF shows at The Levee, where students can gather and rally before heading off to the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Other plans include having WVOF-ers call in during time-outs to describe the atmosphere of the game and talk to fans, and increasing the number of on-air interviews with basketball coaches and team members.
However, Stanczyk said the bigger problem is not the lack of listening on the radio.
Rather, it is the lack of attendance at the games that is troublesome.
“I’d rather have packed stands than people listening to the radio,” said Stanczyk.
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