SUNY Adirondack’s broadcasting studio has served as a gateway to generations of broadcasters in the region.
Program’s evolution signals a new era of broadcasters
As technology continues to morph the radio and TV industries, SUNY Adirondack has adapted its two-year Associate in Applied Science degree in Radio and Television Broadcasting to keep up with the times.
“The Broadcasting degree has changed in so many ways. We've added more courses to the program's core requirements, especially on the TV and video side,” said Kevin Ankeny, professor of Radio and TV Broadcasting.
Keeping the curriculum fresh has strengthened program's relationship with other degree programs on campus.
“We’ve increased our collaboration with the Media Arts program, where students in that AAS program now have an option to do a video concentration in addition to focusing on graphics, web design or photography,” Ankeny said. “Even though we're still broadcast-centric to a certain extent, our courses provide the fundamental skills to bring audio and video to other platforms. While the diploma says ‘Broadcasting,’ our students can use their production skills for podcasting, video streaming and other new media ventures.”
Preparing students for real-world careers has required technology upgrades.
“Although our physical space on campus is the same as 20 years ago, we've managed to cram in a lot more gear. Last year we re-equipped the TV studio with professional HD cameras and a server-based control room with hard-drive recording and playback,” Ankeny said. “Our live studio production uses a workflow comparable to local broadcast TV. Students also shoot video in the field with the same cameras as the journalists posting content on cable news websites. Plus, we've got lighting, grip and sound equipment for digital filmmaking that we didn't have 10 years ago.”
WGFR radio was first established on campus in 1977.
Rocking the airwaves and beyond
WGFR radio has been SUNY Adirondack’s soundtrack for more than 40 years.
Since 1977, the college radio station has been a creative outlet for hundreds of SUNY Adirondack students from all majors.
“Because any SUNY Adirondack student can participate through a training program, WGFR gives students a way to express themselves and develop confidence,” said Kevin Ankeny, professor of Radio and TV Broadcasting. “Being successful in live radio requires you to plan and sequence content, think quickly, work with strict time constraints, engage an audience, speak clearly and concisely, and stay focused and in the moment.”
According to Ankeny, the skills students learn at WGFR make them marketable in a variety of careers.
“I frequently encounter former WGFR staffers who tell me they got a job or a promotion because their WGFR experience made them better communicators. We all have an inner DJ looking to get out,” he said.
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As host of WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s 'Roundtable' and 'Book Show,' Joe Donahue has interviewed a number of well-known figures, including Gloria Steinem.
Popular broadcaster got start at SUNY Adirondack
Joe Donahue is host of WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s “Roundtable” news program as well as the popular weekly “Book Show,” a celebration of both reading and writers.
One of the most respected names in the Capital District, Donahue credits much of his success to the lessons he learned while studying broadcasting at SUNY Adirondack in the 1980s.
“My time at SUNY Adirondack was such a meaningful and emotional experience. It was the best communications program around. Professor Ron Pesha influenced so many people in broadcasting. I couldn’t find anybody who even came close to his knowledge. He was an absolute gem. A lot of good people out there owe their careers to him,” Donahue said.
Donahue worked at radio stations in Glens Falls while at SUNY Adirondack and continued to work as he finished his bachelor’s degree at the College of Saint Rose. He began working at WAMC in 1994.
In an era when journalism is struggling to survive, the public radio station is thriving.
“People really support the station. They give us money to continue to do what we do,” Donahue said. “They are supporting the number of reporters and the quality we put out.”
Alumnus Cody Izzo chats in the SUNY Adirondack studio with Professor of Radio and TV Broadcasting Kevin Ankeny, right.
Engineering a strong career
SUNY Adirondack alumnus Cody Izzo recently transferred from a television broadcasting engineer job at News 10 in Albany to its sister station in Austin, Texas.
“This is my biggest move by far, and it is a great opportunity. I wouldn’t be able to do what I am doing without the knowledge I got at SUNY Adirondack in the Radio and Television Broadcasting program,” Izzo said.
Getting hands-on experience during his college years gave him an advantage in the career market.
“I have gone directly from the TV studio in Washington Hall to massive events and used literally the same video equipment. I also think that SUNY Adirondack is fantastic at letting students explore and really find what they want to do for their career,” he said.
Izzo said the college’s curriculum lets students develop a diverse skill set based on their career goals.
“We were given a great deal of freedom to explore the curriculum how we wanted. I was more interested in the technical and engineering aspects of the program, so I gravitated toward the TV studio and radio station, whereas some other friends were more interested in foley and sound design, so they were given opportunities to explore that,” he said.
He is enjoying his time getting to know a new city and state, but he remains connected to his alma mater.
“I still have plenty of colleagues and friends that I keep in touch with back up north,” he said.
"Because of SUNY Adirondack, I was able to enroll in an internship, which provided me with college credit, financial compensation and experience to enter the market after college. I utilized college resources to build my resume and cover letter. After applying to multiple groups, Clay Ashworth of Regional Radio Group hired me as an intern. Through my internship I learned more about the radio industry. The skills I developed were extensions of the basic knowledge I learned from SUNY Adirondack. I learned how to utilize prior knowledge and implement while also adapting to the changing environment to which all broadcasters deal with for a living. SUNY Adirondack gave me the basic industry information and experience to help me get the job I have today. I highly recommend SUNY Adirondack to students seeking a career in broadcasting." — Peter Wilhelm, SUNY Adirondack alumnus and account executive at Regional Radio
