Busted Halo Producer and Cleveland Sports Vet Krista LePard, Class of 2012

Busted Halo Producer and Cleveland Sports Vet Krista LePard, Class of 2012

Author: WJPZ September 4, 2023 Duration: 34:01

Today we visit with Krista LePard, Class of 2012.  She's a Cleveland native who loves getting paid to watch sports.  And her and her husband Clay's career paths brough them  back to her hometown.

Krista was more focused on TV when she got to campus, but always looked across the hall and saw how much fun Alex Brewer and the crew were having at WJPZ.  She knew she didn't want to do sports at Z89, she just wanted to have fun. This turned into airshifts and the morning show.

She started dating her now husband Clay just before he graduated in December, and they had to navigate a long distance relationship that included much of the first year of their marriage, as they worked in various markets.

As Fate would have it, Clay, a Massachusetts native, landed a reporter job in Cleveland, so it was time for them to be together in Northeast Ohio.    Krista was able to associate direct Indians/Guardians and Cavaliers games for what is currently Bally Sports Ohio.  She did that before and after their daughter was born.  We spend a few minutes talking about not only the changes to baseball, but the precarious financial situation that these Regional Sports Networks (RSN's) find themselves in currently.

After the pandemic, Krista learned that a show she interned for, Father Dave's Busted Halo show on Sirius XM, was looking for a fully remote producer.   The work-from-home flexibility was ideal for her.  And she was the perfect fit for our most recent WJPZ Hall of Famer - as a former intern and fan of the show.    Krista tells us about the show, and puts some misconceptions about it to bed.   One thing that is true though, is the talent and relatability of Father Dave.

Link to Father Dave's Episode: https://wjpzat50.simplecast.com/episodes/dave-dwyer

Urgent: The University did NOT approve funding for this year's WJPZ sports staff to travel to away games, and they need your help.  You can donate here: just scroll down to WJPZ. https://bit.ly/helpz89sports

The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.

Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50

Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag:  jag@jagindetroit.com.

Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events?  Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/

Want to be on the show? Email JAG at jag@jagpodcastproductions.com

Connect with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


For fifty years, the student-run airwaves of Syracuse University's WJPZ at 50 have been more than a radio station; they've been a launchpad. This oral history project captures that legacy not through dry facts, but through the voices that built it. Each episode is a conversation with a different alumnus, from the pioneers of the 1970s to recent graduates, tracing how their hands-on experience in what's called the "world's greatest media classroom" shaped careers in broadcasting and far beyond. You'll hear personal stories of late-night broadcasts, technical mishaps turned into triumphs, and the forging of lifelong bonds that created a unique professional family spanning generations. This podcast digs into the real, often messy, work of learning by doing, revealing how a campus station became an enduring institution. Tune in for a collection of fifty interviews that together form a living archive, celebrating the people, not just the programming, behind five decades of student-led radio.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

WJPZ at 50
Podcast Episodes
WCCO's Steve Simpson, Class of 1985 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:26
Today's guest is Steve Simpson, morning news anchor and editor at the legendary WCCO in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He's WJPZ Class of 1985, and he tells us some great stories from Syracuse, as well as a lengthy radio career…
Hall of Famer "Neon" Dion Summers, Class of 1995 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:30
For most of our alumni, today's guest needs no introduction. He's a WJPZ Hall of Famer, he's the VP of Urban Programming for SiriusXM, and he's got as charismatic an individual as you'll find in our group. From the Class…
Happy/Father Dave Dwyer, '86, Hall of Fame Inductee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:02
Today's guest will be inducted into our Hall of Fame at this year's Banquet. His classmates know him has "Happy" Dave Dwyer, but now his listeners on SiriusXM's Busted Halo show know him as Father Dave Dwyer. Before he g…
Imaging Guru Maureen "Mo" Cooper, Class of 1999 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:43
Maureen "Mo" Cooper from the Class of 1999 is the first voice you hear at the beginning of this podcast. An imaging guru, she and Ed LaComb ('85) have done the production for this show. A Central Square native, Mo grew u…
Liz (Doyon) Gupta, Class of 2014, on Rebuilding The Station [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:30
Liz Gupta (nee Doyon), always knew she wanted to be an attorney. And when she learned that an undergraduate degree in journalism would provide her a great foundation, she headed off to Syracuse. And while she knew what s…
Kendall B, Class of 1992, On 30 Years in Radio [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:52
"If you stay ready, you ain't go to get ready." - Sugar FreeThat lyric is a mantra that Southern California native Kendall B has lived by ever since he got to Syracuse University and WJPZ. When a morning show co-host did…
Hall of Famer Bill Bleyle and Carol Mason, Class of 1976 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:55
Hall of Famer Bill Bleyle is liking a name you know as synonymous with the founding of WJPZ in 1972-1973. Today he's joined by another trailblazer, his classmate Carol Mason, to take us back to the very beginning of WJPZ…
Hall of Famer Greg Hernandez, WJPZ Class of 1976 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:56
In the first of two episodes featuring original JPZ'ers from the 1970's, we sit down with Greg Hernandez. In addition to being one of the key figures at the start of WJPZ, he's had a fascinating career since, working wit…
Hall of Famer Larry "Rocket" Ross, Class of 1992 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:44
Today's guest is Hall of Famer Larry "Rocket" Ross, from the Class of 1992. He was at the station when WJPZ-FM was really coming into his own, but we start today by hearing about the one air shift he'll never forget. He…