By: Lathan Gil

The Rider men’s and women’s basketball teams have new broadcasters for the 2025-26 season. Broadcasting the men’s games this season on 107.7 The Bronc Retro are Kadie DiGiuseppe ‘27, Benjamin Shinault ‘26, and Josh Yuhas ‘27, and joining Owen McCarron ’26 behind the mics on the women’s side are Dante Walker ‘27 and Andrew Heckler ‘29. 

Owen is The Bronc veteran who will mentor Dante and Andrew and show them the ropes when it comes to calling college basketball on WRRC2. “This is my fourth season, and I think from the behind the mic perspective it becomes easier as it goes. You get to learn as you do it. I’ll guide them in any way I can. I will find their flow and let them shine.”

The Women’s Broadcasting Team!

Owen has been doing this for a MINUTE! His pure love for basketball and broadcasting is what keeps him coming back for more opportunities and experience, “I just love it! I can’t complain. It is so much fun being involved with Rider Athletics, plus its apart of my major for Sports Media.”

This season, Owen moved up a rung on The Bronc’s broadcast ladder. He’s the new play-by-play announcer for your Lady Broncs, while Dante and Andrew are your new color analysts. You’ll also be able to see Andrew getting everyone hyped before, during and after each game on The Bronc’s Instagram. For both of our new broadcaster’s game prep is the key to their success. According to Dante, “You have to do immense preparation. You have to know what’s going on. Who’s the leading scorer? What is their record like? What are the ups and downs? You have to understand more about the players on both ends to make broadcasting easier.”

The New Broadcasters!

Although these new recruits are learning on the job, expectations are high! For Andrew Heckler, who has been broadcasting since he was a junior in high school, there are certainly differences when it comes to broadcasting high school and collegiate sports. “I broadcasted football, basketball, soccer, hockey, and I found a real love for it! It is different here though, because in high school we had a video broadcast, so it’s a bit easier now because now it’s just audio.” 

“It is both easy and difficult. It’s difficult because you have to do research to know what you’re talking about, but it’s also easy because you are just talking. When it comes to color commentary put your own personality into it, so you can really make it your own.” Dante Walker added. 

Now Meet The Men’s Broadcasting Team!

Did you know, Ben Shinault is transitioning from broadcasting women’s to men’s basketball this season on The Bronc Retro! He believes there are differences between the two sports, especially when it comes to style, “Men’s games are more fast paced! The women’s games are a slower play style. I don’t mean timewise, I mean the way they play, the men just play faster.”

There’s a format our young student broadcasters must follow every game. It all begins with the pre-game show, which includes a one-on-one interview with coach, followed by 40-minutes of wall-to-wall action and coverage. Then our teams wrap the day or night up with a post-game show and the MVP of the Game. 

But as Kadie DiGiuseppe likes to say, it’s still all about research, research and more research, “Yeah, the research is crazy! We find out who the players are, we have storylines too. As an example, one of our sophomores was only held to two points in the Rutgers game, while in the last two games he got 17 and 20, so for storylines we figure out why that happened and things like that.”

The men’s broadcasting team has their work cut out for them on the sidelines this season, since 10 of the 14 members of this year’s version of your Rider Bronc’s are new, first-year players. “That’s very common in college sports now. Either they get NIL money, or they transfer. It is a common thing, as long as they get an offer.” 

Before Every Game …

The early bird always gets the worm and the best broadcast results. Whether the game is at home or on the road, our broadcast crew needs to be at the arena, set up and ready to broadcast 90-minutes prior to tip-off to be game ready. 

The crew said that they aren’t necessarily nervous about being a broadcaster, but Andrew Heckler said that for his first game, he was a bit anxious. “It was my first game, so I was kind of nervous about messing up, but I have been doing it since high school, so I know as time goes on it’ll be fine.”

Go Listen!

Every Rider Broncs men’s and women’s home basketball game, and select road games, can be heard all season on WRRC2, 107.7 The Bronc Retro. Go to www.1077TheBronc.com/Rider Basketball to learn more about our broadcast teams and to view a schedule of the games to we’re carrying this season on our Retro station,

By: Lathan Gil

107.7 The Bronc is now a five time in six year nominee of the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Radio Award for College Radio Station of the Year!

Although we were nominated four times in the past, this was the first time going to the ceremony for most of our student executive staff at The Bronc. Copy Director, Grace Juarez ‘27 shared the feeling she got when she found out we were going to the Marconi Radio Awards. “I didn’t know what to expect. It’s new to me. I don’t know what’s there! I really wanna look good! Seeing our school and the people we are going against, the anticipation is really what’s getting me.”

I asked one of our Music Directors, Bella Soto ‘27,  if she felt nervous about going, and she full-on rejected the idea of feeling nervous in the first place! “I was NOT nervous, I am actually really excited! I haven’t been to New York in a while! I am so excited to experience this. It’s a new experience and a big deal!

Stress on Stress on Stress!

After the nomination came out, it was quite literally the only thing on our staff’s mind besides Scream Screen. We were thinking about pictures, outfits, branding, we wanted to keep up the high quality content while having the pressure of the award on us. 

But we knew we would make it through and persevere because that’s just what we do. We achieved milestones like 107.7 The Bronc’s first-ever Radiothon, where we raised $55,000 in 74 hours. We just had the most attended event in Rider history with 2400 people at Scream Screen X. We broke and are continuing to break records, so we knew with whatever stress came, we would push through. Even the news director, Aidan Magee had a shooting comment on our work ethic “We know how much everyone works at the station. And we work hard! So if we win, we are winning with a BANG because we have done so much.”

One of The Bronc’s three Production Directors, Dan Loges ‘28 says he felt some pressure after finding out we were nominated. “Yeah, we work so hard, putting time into what we do. We have to craft it, and now there are a bunch of eyes on us, we want to make sure things stay up to par and up to standard. But obviously we got nominated because of our standard and work ethic, so we just made sure to stay there.”

On The Way to NYC!

The bus ride to the award ceremony was a very memorable moment! We sang karaoke, played games, and bonded as an executive staff. For a look at that you can follow us on Tiktok and Instagram to view those posts, reels and stories.. 

Arriving there was a grand entrance in itself. Leaving the bus to walk in the Edison Ballroom in Time Square, Aidan Magee was simply starstruck! “It was amazing. I knew how big of a deal it was, but seeing it all in person felt so fancy, even more than what I was anticipating.”

It was VERY fancy. They served Filet Mignon, salmon, and more! For Dan Loges, the food added to the moment, “Eating a Filet Mignon that I didn’t have to pay for…I knew it was going to be a great time.”

Leaving The Awards

For some of our seniors, it was their first and/or last time attending the Marconi’s. “I am graduating. I’m happy we got to bond and be with each other. In meetings and in the station we mostly only discuss work stuff, so just having fun, forming further bonds really made it bittersweet.” is how Aidan Magee described his NAB Marconi Award night.

Leaving the show was a bittersweet experience. We got to be around some of our peers and even had the opportunity to  learn a few things. I asked Dan on the bus ride back if he felt like we should go harder now, after the awards. “I think there is always a reason to push harder and push yourself farther. We want to be the best. So yes, seeing we were recognized five times in the past six years, what we do works. So we will keep on going.”

Thank You!

When interviewing Grace, Bella, Aidan, and Dan, I asked them who they would like to thank. They all said their parents, friends, and partners that helped them start in radio. However, I just want to give thanks to everyone on the executive staff for making the station what it is and has become. 

Thank you to Alli Burton, Kadie DiGiuseppe, Ellis Foreman, Jaden Foreman, Lathan “Laytin” Gil (myself), Grace Juarez, Juliet Inforzato, Dan Loges, Aidan Magee, Owen McCarron, Emily O’Conner, Lindsay Scarola, Richard “RJ” Seib, Bella Soto, Rosalyn Tiangco, Guy Varela, Cassie Vaz, and of course the man who pushes us to always be better, our general manager, John Mozes!

We could not be where we are without any of you, keep going and getting bigger.

By: Lathan Gil

On October 17, 107.7 The Bronc’s 10th annual Scream Screen will be scaring Rider Bronc’s in the BLC parking lot. This is one of the BIGGEST fall events on campus, and as an employee at 107.7 The Bronc, I can say, no matter what job you have, this event is one of the only things you are thinking about. Especially the week of the event. I asked General Manager John Mozes what goes through his mind the week before Scream Screen. And he described it with one simple word, “Panic. Anytime you put on a live event, you get nervous. Is the screen going to show up on time? Are the Trunk or Treat and Food Trucks gonna be there? So naturally you worry. However, our team is always well prepared. There’s just one thing we can’t control, the weather.”

The Pros at Adaptability

107.7 The Bronc is well-trained in the art of adaptability. I asked John if there was ever a time, on the day of Scream Screen, if something ever went terribly wrong and we had to change something on the fly; something we couldn’t control and it happened to be at the first-ever Scream Screen. “The original Scream Screen was supposed to be on the Campus Mall, and the Screen on the berm, and the cars were going to park on the grass. However, it POURED the night before. The grass did not hold the rain, so for safety, we pivoted on a dime and moved to the BLC staff parking lot. Then it happened AGAIN in 2023 and we had to move Scream Screen once again, because of Homecoming Weekend. Now Scream Screen is in it’s resting place, no pun intended, the Visitors lot.”

The First Scream Screen – and How It Came to Be

The crazy thing about Scream Screen I learned while interviewing John was that he came up with the idea himself! “The thought just came to me and the students loved it!”

Now, Rider University has always shown outdoor movies. However, John wanted this to be different from the rest. “I wanted it to be on the biggest screen imaginable, I wanted everything to be bigger. It started out very rustic – and now like most events we do, it grew into something great and that everyone looks forward to.”

The Staff and The Workload

On the day of Scream Screen, the 107.7 The Bronc staff is busy all day. Set-up starts at 10 am, then from about 2 to 4pm we have a bit of downtime to film promotional content like TikTok videos and Instagram reels, then at 4 pm (to quote John Mozes) “all hell breaks loose.” That’s when every vendor shows up, the screen arrives, everything is set in motion. And then at 6 pm, it’s go time!

The Films …

Every year the move The Bronc shows at Scream Screen is  voted on by the Rider student population! The top five movies this year are: Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Substance, Final Destination: Bloodlines, IT, and Sinners. Me personally, I want Five Nights at Freddy’s to win. I love that film. But something unbeknownst to me was that the movie is played from a DVD! And there is a technical reason behind not streaming the film. “You don’t really want to rely on WiFi. Just in case the Internet goes down, it is best to play the movie from a DVD. The first film to be shown, Scared Shrekless, has already been purchased, and the movie that won this year’s campus wide vote is locked away in our 107.7 The Bronc movie vault; hidden where no one can get to it.” 

The audio from the film will be broadcasted from 88.9 (so make sure you tune your cars to it so you can hear the audio crisp and clear). Some may wonder, “Why not broadcast it from 107.7? And the answer to that question is simply: we have other broadcast obligations the same day as Scream Screen. “We have Lawrence High School Football, and we are already committed to that. One thing I try to teach our students is that you can still have events and run regular programming, all at the same time, so we do that. Also, imagine tuning into 107.7 The Bronc to hear the biggest hits and best variety and hearing Final Destination: Bloodline, Five Nights at Freddie’s, IT, Sinners or The Substance instead. You’d be so confused.”

When Is The Job Done?

At the end of the day, the staff’s job isn’t done until the movie starts. By that point the trunk-or-treat is over and the candy is gone, the food is gone, and everyone’s in their cars. During the movie, we clean up and get ready to go home, while a few staff members stay behind to move cars out.
On average, somewhere between 1500 to 1700 students, faculty, staff, family and friends show up to Scream Screen. DeLorzeno’s The Burg serves about 800 – 1,000 slices of pizza, Yoo Cuz hands out about 500 cheesesteaks and fries, and TCC Hibachi goes through HUNDREDS of bowls. Do you want to be a part of one of the biggest events on campus? Then come to Scream Screen X on Friday, October 17, 2025, in the BLC Parking Lot. It’s free and SPOOKTACULAR!

Don’t Scream at the Screen When I Say This, But There is a Blood Drive On Campus!

The Scream Screen Blooddrive is Wednesday October 29 and Thursday October 30 from 10am to 5pm in the BLC Cavalla Room. Giving a pint saves a life! Iso Rampulla ‘26 has donated every year since coming to Rider and I asked her to debunk some of the myths associated with donating blood.

Debunking The Myths

First, donating doesn’t actually “hurt.” In Iso’s words “In a weird way, they prick your finger to check your iron levels. And THAT hurts more than actually getting your blood drawn. If you don’t look at the needle you will be fine.”

What to Know Before You Donate

Second, if you have low iron, there are ways to bump it up before you give blood in order to donate. “Hearty meats, poultry, fish, and cereals have high iron. It’s all about hydrating and taking care of yourself before donating. Donating right after lunch and eating a hearty meal is the best. Just make sure to eat beforehand.”

Now, as someone who personally does not know what their blood type is, I asked Iso, if you can find out your blood type when you donate, and the answer is, “YES!”

Before you donate, you must fill out a questionnaire. The team at Miller-Keystone will ask you if you are on medication, if you have received a tattoo recently, if you have travelled out of the country in the last six months, and if you’ve been sick recently.

Donating doesn’t actually take that long! And after you donate they give you snacks and water, so you can replenish energy before going back home. Iso stressed the importance of eating and drinking after you donate blood, after an experience she had in high school . “I donated to skip my math class, and I was new to donating at the time, so I didn’t eat anything. After I donated I had to go to my acting class, and I remember sitting in the theatre and practically just falling asleep. They let me out of school that day because of it. I drove right to McDonald’s, ate something and instantly felt better. So eating before and after you donate blood is VERY important.”

Iso’s Inspiration

Iso got her inspiration to donate from her family! “Our family has a great relationship with donating blood. We have been donating for a long time. For a long time I was not good though. I would have to get blood drawn a lot due to health issues and I was so scared of these needles. But when I was able to donate, I changed my perspective, and now I love it.”

“But What’s In It For Me ???”

If you attempt to donate this semester at 107.7 The Bronc’s Scream Screen Blood Drive you’ll receive a free jump pass for Sky Zone in Hamilton! And everyone who attempts to donate blood could win a $250 Visa gift card! Make sure to schedule your appointment for either October 29 or 30 in the BLC Cavalla Room!

By: Lathan Gil

Emily O’Conner ‘26 is an Arts & Entertainment Industries Management major at Rider University. And as a senior, she gets to do an Independent Study which earns her credit. This replaces a class she is unable to take this spring, because she’ll be participating in Rider’s Semester in LA program. So, I sat down with Emily and asked her about her independent study with the CURE Insurance Arena and alternative rock band – Toad The Wet Sprocket, assisted by General Manager 107.7 The Bronc, John Mozes.

For Those Who Don’t Know … Who Are They???

Before writing this blog, I had absolutely no idea who the band was. Most current college students would probably say the same thing. For this independent study, Emily had to do immense research. She was surprised to find Toad The Wet Sprocket sold four million albums worldwide, has two RIAA certified platinum albums, and two top 20 Billboard Hot 100 Hits. “Toad The Wet Sprocket is a band of originally four members from Santa Barbara, California, they started when they were 15 years old, and in the interview they did with Wake Up Rider they detailed they used to play at bars and they would strictly do original music because the places they performed at weren’t paying based on ASCAP or BMI [music licensing fees]. So they had to come up with original material on the spot.”

How Did This Unexpected But Iconic Collaboration Come About?

107.7 The Bronc and the CURE Insurance Arena have crossed paths before for different events, and luckily because of the high professionalism the radio station gloriously possesses, they inherently wanted us back. “We were building a great relationship with Cure Insurance Arena as 107.7 The Bronc. We were doing [live remote] broadcasts there with the Punk Rock Flea Market and Red, White and Brew. And they saw how professional of students we were, that they wanted to expand our partnership. And they decided Toad The Wet Sprocket would be great to come in on and help with marketing and to get it out there. So when John [Mozes] told me about the idea, and how we could do an in-person giveaway, which we have never done before. John and I came up with the idea and how to do the giveaway and it definitely turned into something bigger than I thought it would be.”

The Interview With Wake Up Rider

Emily had so many ideas for this project, and she was actually able to use most of them. One idea was to have lead singer, Glen Phillips be interviewed by our  IBS Award winning morning show, Wake Up Rider. This is huge for 107.7 The Bronc, as this is the biggest artist they have ever had on their show, so far. This will give The Bronc an even higher national profile (since the industry is all about who knows who). The WUR gang interviewed Glen Phillips of Toad The Wet Sprocket. According to Emily, “There is a lot to learn from them [The band] as creative artists and what they went through.” Emily also had the idea to post teasers and different parts of the interview which are available to view on Wake Up Rider’s Instagram.  Click here to watch part one. Parts two and three will be out next week!

Win Your Tickets Now!

Another idea that Emily [and John Mozes] had was to do an in-person ticket giveaway. The first of its kind at 107.7 The Bronc. The ticket giveaway for their showdate on October 11, 2025, at the CURE Insurance Arena will be taking place at special locations, including two of our sponsors: DeLorenzo’s The Burg Pizza in Levittown Friday, October 3 at 5:30 p.m., and the Trenton Farmers Market in Lawrence Saturday, October 4 at 11:30 a.m. Two lucky contestants will have fun challenges to compete in and complete to win the tickets. Make sure to be on the lookout!

The Takeaway

As a senior at Rider University, Emily is really thinking about the future and her long-term career. This opportunity has given her the chance to work with industry professionals in a professional venue. The experience was definitely not easy. “I had to come up with all the ideas myself and apply them. There was no playbook or rules. We just had our first giveaway on October 1, and we really had to learn how to adapt. If people weren’t winning tickets we had to change questions. We had to think outside the box to gain more traction, so they could see Toad The Wet Sprocket, but also know who we are as 107.7  The Bronc.” 

According to Emily, she’s definitely going to use this experience to her advantage and will make sure the hard work she put into this pays off. “It is definitely on my resume that I have been doing this marketing campaign and I have scheduled this around what we are doing at the station, like Scream Screen X on October 17. This has definitely helped me prepare for the future.”

Make sure to follow 107.7 The Bronc on all platforms to get updates on all of our giveaways and events! And make sure to be on the lookout for Wake Up Rider! Remember, if you see us at Delorenzo’s The Burg, or the Trenton Farmers Market, you may win tickets to see Toad The Wet Sprocket!

By: Lathan Gil

The start of the 2025 – 2026 academic year is finally here! And 107.7 The Bronc has some fangtastic events coming up! One of them is Scream Screen X, our annual drive-in movie and trunk-or-treat experience. Starting on September 15, Rider students get to vote from 13 movies to watch on Friday, October 17, on one of the biggest inflatable screens on the East Coast.

Nothing ever stays the same at 107.7 The Bronc, and Scream Screen will have some small but great changes this year. “A lot of sponsors, student orgs and more will be at Scream Screen, but some new stuff is the Haunted Hula Toss!  It’s a giant ring toss. You throw hula hoops on Halloween characters. We also have an obstacle course, that’s new this year!” Rosalyn Tiangco ‘26, the Student General Manager at 107.7 The Bronc revealed to Beyond The Mic.

For the food lovers, of course we’re coming prepared for y’all. We are going to have food trucks and food vendors like Yooo Cuz, Bronc Bites, DeLorenzo’s The Burg Pizza On The Go, Monster Energy, TCC Hibachi, B2 Bistro + Bar, and Ice Cream Emergency.

This year’s sponsor of Scream Screen is Advance Auto Parts in Lawrenceville.
With fan favorite films Five Nights at Freddy’s, Sinners, Nosferatu and more in the mix, vote here to make your voice heard with what film you want!

107.7 The Bronc Is Going to The Marconi Radio Awards!

I don’t know if you know this secret, but 107.7 The Bronc is nominated for College Radio Station of the Year! The reel created by Wake Up Rider host, Owen Nelson ’27 helped the radio station get nominated by the National Association of Broadcasters! 

Then on a sunny August day, the video nominations came out, and based on our reactions which you can watch here, we were quite surprised and delighted at the thought of being nominated. And with our fifth nomination in six years comes some pleasure and pressure to the staff! 

Rosalyn Tiangco was one of the first to know, “All of the staff found out practically at the same time. Emily [O’Connor ‘26] and I were at the radio station about to go to the sponsor when John called to tell us, then the rest of the staff found out around 15 minutes later. But then we had to start thinking about costs of transportation and the content we will have to push out afterwards in the event we win. We certainly do not get a break, but we aren’t complaining. We got nominated!” 

And certainly, the hard work is paying off since 107.7 The Bronc raised $3265 to fund our transportation to and from the event. Find out if we win the most prestigious award in college radio on the radio industry’s biggest night Tuesday, October 21!

Give a Pint to Save a Life

Almost two weeks after Scream Screen is our annual Scream Screen Blood Drive! Everyone who donates (or attempts to donate) blood on Wednesday October 29, and Thursday October 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the BLC Cavalla Room will receive two Sky Zone jump passes! This event is a real generous thing for our Broncs and the entire Rider community to participate in. It’s all about community for our student GM, “I love this event because it is so accessible to the campus, and we can help each other out and feel like a community.” To schedule an appointment to donate, go here.

The Soda is Going to Pop at This Top Chef!

Rider Student Top Chef is coming back Tuesday, December 2! And with it is a new theme! In honor of Rider’s partnership with Liberty Coke and Coca Cola, the theme of this year’s Top Chef competition is using Coca-Cola products as one of the ingredients.

Yup! The theme is to infuse one of Coke’s many products into your recipe and the food you create. Rosalyn has some tasty tips for students who want to enter this year’s contest, “You could put Fanta Orange in chicken and make Fanta Orange Chicken! Thats the whole idea of it, just incorporate a Coke product in the food.” 

The Bronc always chooses the theme, Rosalyn revealed. “The inspiration behind it was an idea to expand our brand and promote someone else. So having the theme be soda helps [Coke] and helps [The Bronc]. It is also interesting to see how students incorporate it in their dishes.”

Make Sure to Show Up & Show Out

The Fall semester is filled with some soda poppin’ events. Make sure to listen to The Bronc and The Bronc Retro, watch out for our email blasts and check out 1077TheBronc.com to see updates on these and more events! Make plans now to attend Scream Screen X October 17 in the BLC visitor’s lot. Drive in, go trunk-or-treating, paint pumpkins, play games, vote now and watch the movie you voted from your car at Rider’s biggest Fall event.

By: Lathan Gil

The academic year is starting! And with that, two of your FAVORITE shows at 107.7 The Bronc are starting back up again as well! Wake Up Rider and The Bronc Box Score! But, at The Bronc we can’t keep things the same for too long! We have some new treats and surprises with these new shows starting again.

Starting a Legacy on The Bronc Box Score

Lindsay Scarola ‘27, the Sports Director at 107.7 The Bronc, is not only the first female Sports Director at The Bronc, but also the first female host of The Bronc Box Score. 

What is The Bronc Box Score? Well, if you are a fan of Rider sports, it is a fan’s greatest dream for what this radio show can bring them! “It is an on air live show, which is now sponsored by B2 Bistro & Bar, where I interview Rider University athletes and coaches and we see how the season is going!” 

The process of who gets selected to be interviewed really just depends on the season, “Right now we would talk about both Rider men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, and volleyball. The soccer teams made it to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference finals last year. So based on the season, that determines who is interviewed.”
The first episode was with Chad Duernberger, the coach of the Rider Men’s Soccer Team! Click here to listen to Lindsay’s interview with coach on-demand on your favorite podcasting platform.

Lindsay Scarola has a love for sports that originates from her childhood. And combining that with her love for radio & broadcasting, made her career at 107.7 The Bronc. “I grew up playing softball, which then grew into basketball and volleyball. My family [and I] are big Yankees fans! I love them. I love their announcer, Michael Kay. I met him before. He is very nice. I love sports and I said ‘why not also get into media?’ In high school we had a TV studio and I became the technical director and I became in charge of the sports department. And now I’m the Sports Director!” 

Being the first female Sports Director & Host of The Bronc Box Score is a very joyful experience for Lindsay and she hopes to inspire others “I enjoy it so much! At Rider, Sports Media has a great presence here, however I feel a lot of women are scared to join, because they see mainly men. But I hope when they see me here as the Sports Director that they feel more safe to reach out. Which has actually been happening!”

The Bronc Box Score airs every Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. and it lasts the entire academic year! Make sure to listen live on 107.7 The Bronc!

It’s Time for Wake Up Rider!

Wake Up Rider! One of the staples at 107.7 The Bronc has been on the air for seven seasons. With the eighth season underway, there are a lot of high hopes and pressures facing the hosts..

One of the glorious hosts, Ellis Foreman ‘27 is very calm and hopeful for the upcoming season! “It’s my third season on Wake Up Rider,  I’m really excited to go in and be the ‘old guard’ this year. The segments are always fun to do, like Unfair Trivia, Am I The A-Hole? And I’m also excited for the new hosts and as the winners of the [2025] IBS Media Award for Best College Morning Show, I am hopeful we can repeat. We have a lot of fun stuff planned.”
As said before, nothing truly stays the same at 107.7 The Bronc for long. On the eighth season of Wake Up Rider we also have new segments to keep our audience engaged. “A new segment from our new host Sofia is called, ‘Are You Smarter Than an Eighth Grader’’, she is asking us actual questions and because this is before we’ve had our coffee in the morning, we think it’s going to be real fun!”

Wake Up Rider is more than just a show, there is the Morning Bagel Run, and the Jewelry Spree! Students can apply to win their class a box of 18 bag here!

Wake Up Rider includes games, deep talks, and interviews with artists, comedians and more. The “Artists Spotlight” airs daily at 8:45 a.m. on Wake Up Rider.  On this segment the crew spotlight’s some of their favorite artists. When I asked Ellis who he would want to interview (dead or alive) he gave some fabulous answers!

1. Michael Jackson
2. Justin Bieber (in 2009)
3. Kanye West (now!) (Ellis shows concern over the FCC guidelines but nevertheless thinks it would be a crazy interview.
4. Prince

And lastly but certainly not least!

5. Chrisean Rock and 6ix9ine (When asked why, he said “Just to ask them ‘why’)

Wake Up Rider Season 8 started back up on Labor Day and can be heard Monday through Friday from 8 to 10 a.m. until Friday, December 12. Make sure to WAKE UP and listen! And if you want to sleep in, every episode is uploaded to Spotify and Apple Podcasts! So you have no excuse to miss it! Click here to listen!

By: Lathan Gil

Zach Jones ‘25, is making history at 107.7 The Bronc. He has created our first-ever video podcast, called Alumni in Action. The first episode drops Sunday, September 7 at 8 a.m. You can either go to The Bronc’s YouTube Channel to watch, listen on-air on 107.7 The Bronc or go on http://1077thebronc.com/AlumniInAction to listen to the podcast on your favorite platform

For Zach, this was a great way to way to cap off his college career and create his legacy at 107.7 The Bronc while completing an independent study requirement, so he went to 107.7 The Bronc general manager,  John Mozes with an idea. “John really said he wanted to do it. And this is technically an independent study, so I needed another class, so I needed something with a heavy workload to get the credits. John and I talked and we decided to do something with the alumni.”

Bringing Back Alumni

Even though he’s a recent Rider alumni, this project has Zach feeling like he’s still in college, “ I feel like it hasn’t hit yet; that they [and I] are on the same plane. I did my first interview and I saw the person sitting across the studio from me as an adult and me as a student, but I think eventually it will change.”

As the title of the video podcast suggests Alumni in Action is about the alumni of 107.7 The Bronc! Zach’s first interview is with Rob Brown ‘22!
Rob Brown created his own legacy through an independent study at the radio station with Wake Up Rider;  107.7 The Bronc’s hit morning show, weekdays from 8 to 10 a.m.  A Communications major with a concentration in Radio & Podcasting, Rob held several positions at 107.7 The Bronc. He was WRRC’s Promotions Director his sophomore year; Production Director during his junior and senior years.

The interview with Rob Brown for this new podcast fell into Zach Jones’ lap. “John Mozes came to me and asked me if I wanted to interview him. I agreed, because I feel like him being the creator of Wake Up Rider is a very crucial thing. That show is the biggest show at the station, and I feel the most popular and most marketed. I feel it was only right that the creator of our most popular show should come and see how much impact the show had.” 

For Rob Brown, saying “yes” to this project was a chance to give back to the station that has given him, so much. “I thought it would be fun. There are always new ideas coming out of The Bronc, and I really love going back and seeing what’s going on. I miss what we do. John has been wanting to do something with cameras, so when I found out they were doing this I was over the moon.”

Creating The First Video Podcast

Zach Jones is not a stranger to radio. He majored in Radio & Podcasting with a minor in Sports Media and was heavily involved at The Bronc. He hosted the first men’s basketball pre-game show live on 107.7 The Bronc and live in the SRC Atrium called The Hype. He also was one of the student sports anchors on The Best Damn Sports Report on WRRC and The Overtime on our sister station WRRC2 two days a week. 

However, he still had to learn some new things for this new visual podcast. “A lot of things were new to me. I had to learn how to set-up the cameras, and then I had to learn how to make lower thirds and title screens … I had great help from our Chief Engineer Owen McCarron ‘26 and our Social Media Director Emily O’Connor ‘26. 
Zach Jones is ready with what is to come with The Bronc’s new video podcast. “It makes me excited it’s the first video podcast. I don’t feel any pressure. I’m really excited for what’s to come.”

How About A Little Preview

In the first episode of Alumni in Action, Zach Jones asks Rob Brown about his time at Rider and what he’s doing now. I personally got a little sneak peek into Rob Brown’s career and it is very similar to his time at Rider, “I work at a radio station. New Jersey 101.5, I am a producer there. I used to listen to 101.5, so going there now is like a full circle moment.” In fact, Rob is the lead producer for Deminski and Moore, weekdays 2 to 7 p.m.

To see and hear more, you will have to watch and listen to the podcast!

What Does Zach Hope to Gain?

With this being Zach’s final act at 107.7 The Bronc, I asked him during this interview what he hopes to gain from this experience for his career. His answer really spoke towards the future of his own career. “I hope to gain knowledge. I would be gaining a lot from imaging, writing promos, [designing] digital ads, and seeing how that runs. And also, I get to gain knowledge from alumni. The people who have seen the world, and what they did to land them a career post-Rider. Because in this world today that is hard.”

Finally, Zach Jones has some advice for his own freshman self, which could apply to any other freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or even seniors reading this. It is very short and simple. “Don’t ever say no. Take every opportunity. Don’t say no to anything in college.”

By: Lathan Gil

2024-2025 was one of the most successful years in 107.7 The Bronc’s history! And, it was no coincidence that our Radiothon was one of the most successful events we’ve ever had. With your help we raised more than $55,000 to invest into the radio station, so we decided to use some of that funding to upgrade our equipment!

One of the first things we wanted to improve was The Bronc’s DJ equipment. Student General Manager, Rosalyn Tiangco ‘26 had an approach of not judging the book by its cover. “There was nothing really wrong with it, but because we used it for so long with all of our events, it got natural wear and tear. And we want to be the best radio station we can be, so we wanted to make sure we have the best equipment to make us sound the best.”

Our resident DJ and Promotions Director, Jaden Foreman ‘27 is the person who uses this equipment the most. He however, has a different outlook on the need for new equipment. “It’s about reliability. The old equipment was heavy, a bit much to lug around, and it was limited and damaged. There were signs for us to upgrade.”

What’s New?

107.7 The Bronc was able to acquire a brand new 600-watt, seven channel portable Fender sound system complete with lighter speakers, two wireless microphones, plus two wired microphones, and microphone stands!

This new DJ set-up will be used on and off-campus for Open Houses, Admitted Students Days, Scream Screen, The Eggscellent Egghunt, at both indoor and outdoor events. 

Jaden Foreman describes the new setup as “a mini concert in a way.”

The Selection Process

The new upgraded items were hand selected by General Manager John Mozes. “I reached out to John about getting new stands, because the old ones had to be replaced” For Jaden Foreman it’s also about the little things, “I also reached out to him saying we needed new cable ties. But John was the one who picked out the new Fender system. He sent it to me. I thought it looked really good, and then when we got it, it was like a piece of cake!” 

What Goes Into an Event?

The process from inception to execution on paper really seems kind of simple the way Jaden Foreman explains it, “First a student organization or campus department fills out a DJ request form. When we get the form, we get the date, location, and everything they want. We put it in our calendar, then we reach out to the person and confirm the information. Then we put together a team, its usually me and two to three other people. We show up two hours earlier, so we can troubleshoot and test stuff to make sure it works. Then we do the event. We play music, take requests, and when it’s done we break it down and bring it back to the station, then wait for the next one.”

What Goes Into the Job?

On paper, DJ-ing may seem easy right? … WRONG! A lot of knowledge is actually needed in order to be a great and versatile DJ. “I have an understanding of music. The DJ turntables are a musical instrument. You don’t need to know EVERYTHING about music, but you need to know how it works. You need to know how to count it, what keys things are in, how to come in on a certain beat. Dj-ing is really about knowing music.” 

On top of music, you also need immense stage presence. The audience has to be captivated by your performance with how you interact with them. If you don’t have the audience you don’t have a show.

For Jaden, his upbringing instilled the love for music in him. “I was raised all around music! When I started DJ-ing, it was my father who actually introduced me to it. He was Dj-ing then eventually [he] let me have a turn. Then over a few months I gained an understanding of how the system works.” 

At the end of the day, the two things he cites that are needed to DJ are;

Music History

Basic Music Theory

Events on Events on Events

In a little light-hearted moment, I asked Jaden what his favorite events to DJ were. And to my surprise, they were the biggest events that 107.7 The Bronc does every year! “It’s so hard to just say one! I think every event we do is very fun. Scream Screen was a lot of fun, because we had a LOT of Halloween music, The Egg Hunt was fun too, because the weather was great, it was outside, and everybody was just on the field and it was fun to see. Everyone came out for those!”

See us using the new equipment at Welcome Week and during your favorite Rider University event this academic year.

By: Lathan Gil

Diana Gebbia graduated Rider University in 2014, with a Radio, Television, and Film degree. While she was at Rider, Diana wasted no time getting involved at 107.7 The Bronc during her freshman year. “My two friends had a radio show, and they asked me if I would like to do a show with them. So, we set it up and it was called Lady Time, and it was on Friday nights. We would pick themes each week and play songs based off that.”

It was through her one-hour Friday night show with, that would sell Diana on doing more at The Bronc than just Lady Time! “I went on to have a show every year after that. I eventually became News Director my junior year, then in my senior year I did a show at Killarney’s Public House called The Friday Night VIP After Party, where I would go around the bar and ask people if they want to play games. And that really made me fall in love with talking to people and doing radio!”

Luckily, Diana was lucky enough to score an internship at New Jersey 101.5, the #1 radio station in New Jersey. “They hired me to do promotions work, then I got an official job with them as soon as I graduated. The morning show producer was leaving and the Monday after I graduated they asked me to do the job!” That Internship was the starting pointing to her future.

What Is She Doing Now?

Although Diana’s career began on-air in radio, now most of her work is behind the scenes. “I was on the air for 10 years, but now I’m doing regional account management, I also worked in the traffic department for eight years with Townsquare Media, where I’ve been since I graduated.”

Diana has done just about everything one person can in media from writing  TV and movie reviews for Scribe Magazine to social media, “I would do reality TV updates, I did a virtual talk show called the FNL Network Talk Show.” In fact, Diana also hosted the hit podcast Bleav in Bravo Besties with Bleav Podcast Network and more.

Did you know Diana DJ’d weeknights from 7 p.m. to midnight on 92.7 WOBM-FM in Ocean County, NJ?

And now, she’s doing something completely unexpected! She’s training to become a professional wrestler! “Now I’m in pro-wrestling school. I want to be a manager, but I also really want to do wrestling. It makes my mom really nervous!” Her time at 107.7 The Bronc is having an impact on this new career choice and endeavor, “My microphone skills from 107.7 The Bronc really helps in this new world, because you have to be able to be witty on the mic and improv whenever they need you.”

Very Unique Career With That Degree She Earned

Yes. You heard that correctly. Diana earned a degree in Radio, TV & Film, moved to LA in 2019, has worked in entertainment for 10 years, and now she does regional account management AND is a wrestler! Very Impressive. 

However, Diana does say she still uses everything she learned at Rider University every day. “It’s helpful to know the ins and outs of formatting shows, how people sell a sponsorship. I can tell them what to fix, and also my on-air experience helped me with doing clocks and how to make the station flow. My major really did help me with all of that.”

107.7 The Bronc As A Profession

Diana believes that her time at The Bronc really helped her transition into both her adult and professional life. She agrees with her fellow 107.7 The Bronc alumni, “John Mozes really runs that station like it’s an actual professional radio station. Its real world. It’s not much different than when I walked into 101.5. It was just different software and a different office. Having John instill that in us; giving us a routine and different departments, I was VERY prepared.”

If there are any key differences, the only one that Diana found noticeable was very interesting. “The music. At 107.7 The Bronc you could pick your own songs, somewhere else, it’s all picked by a music director, so unfortunately you can’t pick and play what you want. Other than that, it’s just the size of the station and the software.”

Some Happy Faces Diana Got To Meet

Working in the entertainment field, you are going to meet some well-known people. So, I asked Diana, “who were the three nicest celebrities you met?” And this list was actually very unique and different from what was expected. “The first one off the top of my head is Tia Mowry. We had a whole conversation about wellness, because we were at an event for her vitamin line, and how wellness isn’t available to everyone, but it should be, and she was trying to market it to make it available for everyone. Becca Tilley who was on The Bachelor was very nice. We spoke for a little bit. She does a podcast and I told her I loved it and it was so nice! Oh, and also she smells very nice! The last one is hard … I met Hailey Duff at that same red carpet, she was very sweet. Those are probably the three nicest I’ve met.”

Fun fact: Diana met Demi Lovato in a bathroom after seeing The Barbie Movie!

What To Take From 107.7 The Bronc

At the end of the day, Diana remembers this moment the most from her time at The Bronc, “The Friday night show at Killarney’s is very special to me. It was so much fun. I even had a show there that just so happened to fall on my 21st birthday, it was so much fun.”

And to the current students at 107.7 The Bronc, Diana has some very wise words, “What you put into it is what you are going to get from it. Taking time to work in the studio, or to ask to do a commercial or to do work, don’t waste time. Do it. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Speak up for yourself.”

Diana really loves what she does, and she says that without 107.7 The Bronc, she would not be able to be where she is. Just make sure to keep working hard and you will achieve everything you put your mind to.

By: Lathan Gil

The 2024-2025 academic year was filled with every and event you could think of; from Scream Screen to Rider Student Top Chef; The Eggscellent Egg Hunt to Cruisin’ From Commencement.

New Event for a New Year

Sprinkled among our many successful campus traditions, were some new events the station had never been done before, including Club Pub and our first-ever Radiothon.

The motion to start The Radiothon was led by Communication Studies major Nick Witkowski ‘25 and Arts, Entertainment and Industries Management and Film and TV major Emily O’ Conner ‘26. General Manager John Mozes was reluctant at first, “Emily, Nick and others have been asking me for years to hold a radiothon and, of course, I said ‘No’ at first, because all I’m thinking about is ‘How are we going to fit it in to our schedule? But this year I thought we had a good leadership team. We had the perfect group of students to lead it. All the stars aligned.”

On top of having the right people, John Mozes also felt the station’s experience would play a big factor. “Because we do events like Scream Screen and The Eggscellent Egg Hunt so well, that’s why we can add an event like the Radiothon to our repertoire. Because we have the experience.”

It all paid off, literally. Over the span of 74 hours, 107.7 The Bronc raised almost $56,000!

Milestones & Traditions

107.7 The Bronc’s Scream Screen is an event that is reaching a milestone in the upcoming ‘25 – ‘26 academic year. This drive-in movie and trunk-or-treat experience is turning 10 years old, so this year we are giving it a sense of nostalgia! All of the 13 film options students will have the opportunity to vote for, on one of the biggest inflatable movie screens on the East Coast, will be movies from the past 10 years. One movie from each year Scream Screen has been in existence, from 2016 up to 2025, along with three additional movies from the past decade.

In an attempt to achieve this 10-year milestone, one would think that every year we would want to outdo ourselves. But at 107.7 The Bronc John Mozes’ approach is a little different. “We don’t try to outdo our own events, but we do tweak our events. We try to add more food trucks, or add more games. In fact, in 2024 we added a maze to Scream Screen! We always try to find ways to enhance our events to make it more inclusive, engaging, and something more for people.”

Adding onto an event and making it a little bit more unique increases it’s lifespan, but also maintains the essence of these events that we love as a community. “It is the tradition that Rider community looks forward to and talks about.”

That’s Why We Upped The Ante!

For The Eggscellent Egg Hunt, we decided to tweak some new things to give it something new for new students and returning ones who are used to the past. For this Egg Hunt we added prizes like a 2.5 Diamond Pendant from Peroni’s Hidden Treasures and a cruise to The Bahamas courtesy of Josh Harry Travel.

Along with that, for a BIG tradition, Cruisin’ From Commencement, because it was the 10th anniversary, we decided to be special with the prizes. Of course the main prize was the 2025 Toyota, but the second place winner was able to win a Cruise courtesy of Josh Harry Travel, and the third place winner won $1,000 dollars from Fulton Bank.

Planning in Advance

Planning for every event takes place a LOT OF TIME in advance. Just ask John Mozes, “The day after Scream Screen we already schedule the date, book the screen and start getting ready for the next year. The day after The Eggscellent Egg Hunt is the same thing. We make sure we have at least the dates and times along with locations planned out.” 

How to Describe The Bronc’s Events

While interviewing John Mozes he had the great idea to play word association. Where I name an event the radio station does and he says a word/sentence to describe it. And what he had to say really gave a lot of insight into how these events go. 

Midnight Breakfast = Wish I thought of that idea!

Morning Bagel Run = Took Wake Up Rider to the next level!

Our Blood Drives = Wish more students donated blood!

Cruisin’ From Commencement = Most rewarding contest.

New Student Orientations = Chance to show what The Bronc can do for you!

The Eggscellent Egg Hunt = Chaos!!!!

Scream Screen = Our most unexpected success!

The Radiothon = Past met the present to create the future.

And lastly … CLUB PUB = Getting students to think they can have fun on campus on a Thursday night!