Rider alumnus continues to work on self-made podcast during pandemic

By Cassandra Stathis

In 2018 there were over 525,000 active podcasts with 18.5 million episodes. Robert Rose, a Rider alumnus who majored in sports media, took the opportunity to join the popular media platform and created his own podcast “The Sports Media Student Podcast” in 2019.

 At Rider, Rose joined the Rider News as a sports editor, was a broadcaster on 107.7 Bronc and was a sports anchor for the campus TV studio. 

“I think the combination of lessons learned from professors in the classroom and the first-hand experience I got while in college helped me build a resume quickly and land great internships,” Rose said.

Rose’s inspiration to start his own podcast came from his “desire to learn how to host a podcast and help aspiring sports media students learn how to start their careers.” Along the way, he was able to interact with multiple faculty members that assisted him with his future career.

 “I was fortunate to meet a number of professors that helped me land internships and eventually my job,” said Rose.

Rose had the chance to make strong connections at Rider by being involved in so many areas across campus and used this ability to help gain interest in his career path.

“I got to reach out to interesting people in the industry to give people interested in sports media an idea of how the people they see on TV or read online got started in their careers,” he said. 

Rose went on to discuss how he conducts his podcasts when guests join.

“I start by talking about how the guest started their career, if they always intended on pursuing that path and then close with their advice for students,” Rose said. “The main part of the podcast is specific to the person I’m talking to, but usually comes from things that I have questions about after reading interviews they’ve done or listened to other podcasts they have been on.”

Aaron Moore, an associate professor of journalism, had Rose as a student. Moore described Rose as a “professional, mature and dedicated” student. 

“He stood out in the classroom with his professionalism, attention to detail and willingness to learn,” said Moore.

Moore said he found Rose’s podcasts to be a snapshot of his work ethic, and of the things he learned while in school.

“It’s entertaining and an example of the great work he can do just from a communication and delivery perspective but also the insight he has gained about the media industry,” said Moore.

Even with the recent pandemic, Rose continues to work on his podcast by speaking with potential stars and posting snippets of his work on social media platforms.

“I’m still trying to book guests for my podcast, and I started to post highlights from games I covered this year on TikTok to reach an audience of potential sports media students as a way to keep myself busy and grow the podcast’s audience in the future,” he said.

Alongside his podcast, Rose also works for a newspaper, York Dispatch.

“I’m still writing four stories per week and am grateful that I still get the chance to do that,” he said.

Rose stays optimistic and sees his current situation as a time for opportunity.

“I view this situation as a good time for current and aspiring sports media professionals to discover why they want to enter this industry and if they’re willing to make the sacrifices it takes to have a career in sports media.”