By: Marissa Spencer
At the forefront of WRRC’s early days, one of the station’s most influential students came to be; Radio’s own Tom Lawler ’11, a Rider alum who is most certainly in action.
Now a seasoned radio veteran, Lawler had been dreaming of the airwaves since he was a child. Lawler had a previous introduction to the world of radio from his father’s successful career within the industry and a pre-collegiate background in professional commercial radio. “That was one of the things that drew me to Rider…I thought I could do something with this place,” said Lawler.
“When I started there the station wasn’t even on 24 hours a day,” added Lawler, who was determined to bring that station to the next level. “WRRC and later The Bronc was sort of my laboratory, I was the program director, but also the chief engineer for the station.” Once again the motivation and passion of our staff runs strong due to the unwavering dedication the early Bronc team possessed.
“I spent roughly five years at the Bronc, in fact, I was there before it was The Bronc,” he added. Before The Bronc came to be the early staff was overseen by IT faculty employed by the University. However, WRRC was missing a massive key component; a general manager that would ultimately promote growth within this media community, setting up WRRC for unfathomable success.
“Myself and the others that came through WRRC at the same time saw the potential…After a year or two of us putting effort into the station, the school said okay… we are going to get you a dedicated general manager,” he said, eagerly describing the introduction of the station’s General Manager, John Mozes.
“We were all in agreement that the station had to evolve”, added Lawler. And evolve it did. Lawler and the executive staff at the time reimaged the station, overhauled the automation system, and took to revamping the music/sound of the radio station. “We were ready for it to become The Bronc,” Lawler exclaimed.
John Mozes
It’s no surprise cultivating this community promoted Lawler further in his future endeavors. With a diverse background in radio, television, and IT, Lawler has remained one of the most versatile employees in the ever-changing media industry.
“I work for a division of RCS Sound Software. My main job is to travel or work remotely to service and install automation systems at radio stations across the country,” explained Lawler expanding on his career today. “My side gig is as a contracting engineer for television stations and radio stations,” added Lawler. Both valuable skill sets evolved from his time transforming WRRC into The Bronc alongside a multifaceted and talented executive staff.
“The radio station was our clubhouse, I spent many late nights there…it was very rewarding…that ability to experiment and gain valuable knowledge has led me to being continually employed in radio for about 20 years,” Lawler said proudly. A statement not many have the chance to utter. Whether it be WRRC, 107.7 The Bronc or RCS, Lawler has successfully translated the many Bronc skills he learned and developed into a profitable and passionate career.
Lawler’s advice for upcoming media professionals is simple, “If you can just pivot and do multiple things at the radio station and the media company you will have a paycheck.” Further proving the value of gaining experience in every aspect of the station, our collegiate community and onward.
