Longtime radio host and Fairfield professor Dennis Quinn, along with a few dedicated new media students, are creating a new sound on the airwaves of WVOF.
The radio show, “Buzz,” will premiere on WVOF, 88.5 FM, and be streamed on the station’s Web site this Friday, March 14. The show will bring a “fresh and dynamic approach to the news of the day,” said Quinn, who is a professor of the new media, television and radio department at Fairfield.
“The basis of the show is a youth-oriented NPR [National Public Radio] program,” he said. “The program aims at the 18 to 30 age demographic and will not be restricted to news only.
“The show will contain no commercials and broadcast various types of music for about a third of the air time.”
Quinn, the executive producer of the program, deferred all the credit to the students and said he would use his experience in radio broadcasting to help the students with any problems they might encounter.
Carl Lombardi ’09 is the producer of “Sports Buzz,” a segment of the program that covers different sporting events. He said he has been interested in this type of position ever since he played sports during high school.
“‘Buzz’ is something that I am proud to say I am a part of,” he said. “Everyone has worked so hard, and it will be cool to finally hear the finished product on WVOF.”
Quinn explained the dynamic variation of the show.
“One episode will be based on love and relationships, while another will be all about classic rock,” he said. “On one show, we discuss the curveball pitch in baseball and combine student opinions with the input of a physics professor on why it is so effective.” Quinn said the program will be based on a different theme each week and will include on-campus stories, interviews with bands and student forums on popular news topics. He added that one show will include an interview with University President Fr. Jeffrey von Arx.
While “Buzz” is being produced by the students of the new media program, Quinn stressed that an ultimate goal of the program is the involvement from students campus wide.
“You don’t have to be a radio production major in order to be a part of the program,” Quinn said. “Anyone with an idea for a story or strong opinions on a certain topic is encouraged to come forward to us with them.”
Gabriel Rojas ’09 will be working side by side with Quinn as the show’s announcer. He noted that the idea of a commercial-free radio program is gaining mainstream popularity, but has yet to dominate the airwaves.
“There has been, and continues to be, a movement to seek audio entertainment with the least commercials as possible,” said Rojas. “Overall, we’re attempting to prove wrong the skeptics [of commercial-free radio programming], which at first included myself.”
“Buzz” has its own e-mail address at heybuzzus@gmail.com, which was created to allow students to voice their opinions and submit their ideas to the show.
James Moresca ’10, a self described aficionado, is the producer of a unique program that dissects classical rock songs.
“I was originally going to be in charge of marketing,” Moresca said. “Then, Mr. Quinn came to me and suggested this idea to me, and I just ran with it.”
Quinn said the radio show’s team will hold a contest for on-campus bands to create the show’s theme song. On-campus bands are encouraged by the show’s creators to submit their recordings.
Lombardi said, “‘Buzz’ is something that I would listen to if I wasn’t a part of it, since it’s got a little bit of everything.”
“It has sports, music, and news and presents it all in a way that caters to the average Fairfield, or college, student.”
Leave a Reply