From WJPZ to Rihanna, Fall Out Boy and Lizzo - Adam Eisenberg '95

From WJPZ to Rihanna, Fall Out Boy and Lizzo - Adam Eisenberg '95

Author: WJPZ June 12, 2023 Duration: 32:16

We've had podcast guests in the radio, news, and sports arenas, but today's episode features an alumnus who has spent most of his career working with artists in the record label world.     Adam Eisenberg always knew he had a passion for music.  And when he came to WJPZ his junior year, he quickly became friends with Dion Summers, Kafele Khalfani, Marvin Nugent, and so many  of the great class of 1995.He was heavily involved in the radio station, both on air and as assistant program director.

Following graduation, Rocco Macri helped him get in the door at Hot 97 in New York, where he realized he had a passion for aritst relations, moreso than being on the air.   Following a stint in Baltimore living with his Cuse roommate Dion, Adam headed to LA for a record label job.

In over two decades, Adam's worked with Toni Braxton to Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, Lizzo, and Jack Harlow, just to name a few.  He tells a great Toni Braxton story, but he really went viral by being on Rihanna's now infamous 777 - when she did 7 concerts in 7 countries in 7 days.   Bringing a bunch of press and contest winners along seemed like a good idea at the time....

From on the label side and the artist management side, Adam credits his success to the lessons he learned at WJPZ, as you'll hear throughout this podcast.   And we pick back up on an issue raised by Adam's close friend and roommate Dion Summers in this episode - where he describes the pushback that he received as program director.  What was that like from Adam's perspective?

But we can't end on such a serious note - we close with the story of Adam, Nicki Minaj, and a picture that went viral of NIcki signing the chest of a previous WJPZ at 50 podcast guest.

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: 100

WJPZ at 50
Podcast Episodes
How This Podcast Landed Jason Palladino, 1997, a New Gig [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:44
Jason Palladino, aka Jay Sweet, from the Class of 1997, always approaches a new gig with a sense of fearlessness. So it's no surprise that he would be our first alumnus to land a new job because of the WJPZ at 50 podcast…
Christy (Ogonis) Vincent, Class of 2005 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:57
Today's guest is an all-star in the worlds of business, digital, and all things WJPZ. Christy Vincent (nee Ogonis), from the Class of 2005 arrived on campus with a passion for music, but it was at an activity fair that B…
Katz Media's Scott Taylor, Class of 1993 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:46
Today's episode is a great listen if you've ever been interested in sales or the ad rep side of things. Scott Taylor, Class of 1993, has been at Katz Media for his entire 30 year career, since graduation. We start with h…
Dr. David Crider, Pulse Summer Staffer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:23
For our first post-Banquet podcast, we get a fresh perspective today. Dr. David Crider, now a professor at SUNY-Oswego, was a high-school summer staffer at WJPZ during The Pulse years. It was the foundational knowledge h…
Interviewing our Host: Jon "JAG" Gay, Class of 2002 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:35
Today, we turn the tables on our host and put Jon "JAG" Gay, from the Class of 2002, in the hot seat. Doing the honors is his classmate and one of this year's Hall of Fame inductees, Matt DelSignore. Matt starts by askin…
Lauren (Levine) Corriher, Class of 2010 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:49
Lauren (Levine) Corriher grew up in Syracuse and in radio. Her father Ed owns radio stations in Syracuse and Utica, and Lauren was listening to WJPZ on the bus to and from middle school. In fact, 13 year old Lauren was r…
Chris Velardi - WJPZ Class of 1995 turned SU Employee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:10
Chris Velardi, Class of 1995, is the Director of Digital Engagement and Communications of SU's Office of Alumni Engagement. He joins us today to walk us through his time from Connecticut to Syracuse to Connecticut to Syr…
Hall of Famer Carl Weinstein ('88) and son Cole ('21) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:57
As we count down to Banquet, we've got a special episode of the podcast today. WJPZ Hall of Famer Carl Weinstein, Class of 1988 joins us along with his sole Cole, who followed in his WJPZ footsteps and just graduated in…
Stephen "Tex" Kurtz, Class of 2005 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:14
There are a number of people, on the technical side, that have worked tirelessly to keep our radio station going for half a century. Over the last 20 years though, Stephen "Tex" Kurtz is at the top of that list.Born in r…
A Short Message from Jag [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:52
Email Jag: jag@jagindetroit.comHey everyone, it’s Jag with a couple of quick announcements about the podcast.First and foremost, I can’t thank you enough for your incredible support of this project. Thank you to those wh…