WCCU Radio, Coastal Carolina University’s radio station, is growing by incorporating a new sports network separate from their current stations.
WCCU Radio is a platform where students from all majors perform their own shows involving music, talk shows, sports and more, with live shows seven days a week between 8 a.m. and midnight.
The station gives students the opportunity to gain experience in broadcasting including entertainment, programming, marketing and on-air performance. These opportunities have the potential to lead students to achieve their future career goals.
Their staff at the news station is currenlty looking for new students to be on the radio, and past and returning members are willing to train the newcomers on the basic skills and knowledge associated with producing shows.
“I think kids that want to get involved in sports but were never either athletically able to compete in sports or can be able to talk about sports for hours, I think it’s a great opportunity for them to get a real experience in the field because the sports network offers a lot of opportunities,” Junior Program Director Mason Gross said.
Gross has been a part of the radio station since his sophomore year. He chose to pursue the new sports network because he felt Coastal didn’t have a sports only network or an outlet for everything sports. He believes the new students coming in for this network in particular will be really good for their future as sports broadcasters.
The sports radio station provides an environment where students aspiring to work in broadcasting and the communication field can build their expertise, whether they choose to host a show on air, produce behind the scenes or assist in directing shows and podcasts.
“If you want to do broadcasting, they can help you with that, or if you want to learn how to be a station manager in general, you can do that,” senior Victoria Floyd said. “If you want to be the sports manager where you just help other students figure out what they want to do, you can do that.”
Being with WCCU Radio since her freshman year, Floyd has been able to gain field experience towards her major in sports communication. Floyd said her motivation for becoming a sports communication major follows in the footsteps of her father.
“I chose the sports network because my father is like my role model when it comes to a career path,” she said. “He’s a football coach and I love what he does, so I wanted to do the same thing but I want to talk about it instead of playing it.”
Sophomore Sports Director T.J. D’Onofrio joined the radio station last year. D’Onofrio has always had a passion for sports, for he has been playing and talking about sports his entire life.
“Get involved. You want to join, you got to actually put yourself out there, it’s easy to join and half-heartedly join. If you want to be in it, you really got to throw yourself and be like I wanna do this, make a name for yourself to really get out there,” D’Onofrio said.
The new sports network is looking for any students interested in broadcasting or gaining new experience. Students are welcome to join at the beginning of each semester and prospective students may contact Faculty Adviser Jeffrey Ranta at [email protected].
