The Bronc revved and tuned in at Philly auto show

By Rob Leitner 

A team of students from the 107.7 The Bronc staff traveled to the Philadelphia Auto Show on Jan. 29 to broadcast live from noon to 4 p.m.

The Bronc was the first college radio station to broadcast at the auto show, the fifth largest show in the nation on social media.

The show took about a year of planning which resulted in over 700 vehicles parked on the 700,000 square foot display floor in the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The auto show staff contributed more than 30,000 on site labor hours setting up and removing displays for the event.

Andrew Zayicek, a junior digital media major, has worked with The Bronc since his freshman year, and helped set up The Bronc’s stage at the auto show and conducted interviews.

“When I walked into the event I was amazed by the size of the venue and the amount of cars it held,”said Zayicek. “Seeing that gave me a perspective about the thousands of people I was going to be broadcasting in front of. During this experience, I had the opportunity to interview vendors, directors of the auto show and even the first girl to earn a win and pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series, Mo’ne Davis.”

The auto show opportunity aligns with Rider’s learner-centered mission to provide students with a real-life experience that builds on the knowledge students have acquired through classes, according to  General Manager of 107.7 The Bronc John Mozes.

“Broadcasting live from a prestigious event, like the 2017 Philly Auto Show, provides our students with an incredible engaged learning experience that will make their résumé pop and stand out from the crowd when looking for employment opportunities post-Rider,” said Mozes.

Meghan Korb, a senior public relations major, was in charge of The Bronc’s social media posts from the event. Korb primarily used Facebook and Instagram to promote the broadcast.

“It was a lot of fun taking pictures of everyone and trying to come up with innovative ways to get people interested in the event,” said Korb. “It’s important to be involved outside of the class room in events like this because it’s an experience that can better yourself.”

107.7 The Bronc received the Best College Radio Station in N.J. for 2016. The Bronc was the first ever college radio station to broadcast from the Philadelphia Auto Show, the first college radio station to broadcast from the Philadelphia Flower Show and the only college radio show to broadcast from both.

Mozes said,“Excited is an understatement.With so many successful and award-winning college radio stations in New Jersey as well as the N.Y. and Philadelphia metro areas it is an incredible honor to be selected by the Philly Auto Show to broadcast live from an event that attracts over 250,000 attendees annually.”