Emmy Winning Reporter Eva Zymaris, Class of 2014

Emmy Winning Reporter Eva Zymaris, Class of 2014

Author: WJPZ October 16, 2023 Duration: 28:18

Eva Zymaris, Class of 2014, has gone from Z89 News Director to Emmy winning reporter in New Haven Connecticut.  And she credits so much of her career success to the WJPZ family.

This New Jersey news aficionado quickly learned that Syracuse was the school for her.  As a sophomore, despite her desire to pursue a career in television, she was drawn to WJPZ.  She mentions the culture set by folks like Jeff Kurkjian, Allie Gold, Jeff Cucinell, and more.   Eva went from doing "89 second news updates" to the executive staff and co-hosting the Z Morning Zoo.

She was also quick to tap into our amazing alumni network - bringing business cards to her first Banquet.   She shadowed Steve Donovan's morning show.   She spent her second Sirius Radio internship on Rich Davis's morning show.  

After school, Eva landed her first reporting job in Western Massachusetts, after much persistence.  This cultivated a relationship with the 413's favorite native son, Jeffy K.   Eventually, Eva moved up to WTNH in New Haven Connecticut, the former home of Chris Velardi.

Today's guest considers it a privelege to be able to meet folks in her community and tell their stories.   While she loves the human interest side of reporting, she was awarded for her and her team's coverage of a murder case that started before Covid and continues today.  You'll hear about that too.

Eva tells the story of a valuable lesson she learned from PD Rashaud Thomas when the station was temporarily running out of Newhouse.   And she leaves us with some rock-solid advice for students and young reporters who want to pursue a career in the field.

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

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

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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: 50

WJPZ at 50
Podcast Episodes
A Tribute to Hall of Famer Larry Barron [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:52
For episode 89 of this podcast, we wanted to pay tribute to a man who sits on the Mount Rushmore of WJPZ History, Hall of Famer Larry Barron, from the Class of 1987. As we celebrate his life, career, and mentorship, we a…
GM Shruti Marathe, Class of 2019, on Larry Barron and JPZ Culture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:04
You might say Shruti Marathe was destined to be General Manager of WJPZ. She followed other alumni in working at her high school radio station in New Jersey. And when she got to Syracuse, her peer mentor was none other t…
DEI and Higher Ed Guru Kafele Khalfani, Class of 1995 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:55
Since graduating SU in 1996, Kafele Khalfani has done it all - moving from the advertising world to following his passion to help young people. Today you'll hear about his career in higher education, as well as his time…
Sal Capaccio - from WJPZ to the Bills Sideline and Damar Hamlin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:16
Today you will hear two incredible stories from Sal Capaccio, Class of 1995. The first is his own "origin story." At 37 years old, he quit his job to follow his dream. He and his wife moved back to his hometown of Buffal…
"Hot Shot" Scotty Bergstein, Class of 1989 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:30
Today's guest gobbled up every airshift he could, and now makes his living directing commercials, after learning under Ridley Scott.Scott Bergstein came to Syracuse, like many, chasing the sportscaster dream. When he saw…
MTV's Matt Gehring and SNY's Sam Kandell, Class of 2018 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:28
WJPZ has formed many deep bonds and friendships - and that is certainly the case for Matt Gehring and Sam Kandell, who served as PD and GM respectively, for the Class of 2018.As you'll hear, their origin stories differ g…
Julie Bruno, '85. on Reconnecting as an Alum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:09
A few days before Banquet 2023, Jag sat down with fellow Massachusetts Native Julie Bruno from the Class of 1985. Julie's from the small town of Mansfield, and was the first in her family to go to college, and quickly we…
"Pop Pop" Mike Murphy, Class of 1995 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:28
(Thanks to alum and Newhouse professor Tina Perkins for editing this week's episode.)Mike Murphy, from the WJPZ Class of 1995, has gone from Z89 sports to the face of sports in the state of New Hampshire, having called m…