Julie Bruno, '85. on Reconnecting as an Alum

Julie Bruno, '85. on Reconnecting as an Alum

Author: WJPZ September 18, 2023 Duration: 30:09
WJPZ at 50
HistoryEducation

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 went from being a big fish in a small pond to the opposite.

She met people from the far away lands of Long Island and New Jersey, and learned that she (gasp) had a wicked accent.   But she had the good fortune of being friends with the coolest girl on her floor - Merry Mary Mancini.  It was easy to follow her over to WJPZ.

To use Julie's own words, she was a "tertiary player" at WJPZ, but when she returned from a semester in Italy and the station went on FM, she saw just how popular WJPZ was getting.   She looks back at what that group accomplished, getting the station on FM, and can't believe what that team pulled off.

Following graduation, Julie worked briefly at WXXX in Burlington, Vermont before deciding the on-air route was not for herShe went home and worked at her home town's new outdoor concert venue, Great Woods.  From there she got connected to media sales where she sold television and then radio in Boston, culminating as national sales manager for legendary rocker WBCN.

Julie spends some time talking about how unique and special the WJPZ bond is.  The Banquet has reconnected her with so many classmates and helped her form relationships with folks who came up through the station after her.

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

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


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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

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WJPZ at 50
Podcast Episodes
WJPZ Legend and Radio Disney Vet B.B. Good - Class of '93 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:05
(Note link to additional content at the end of our show notes.)If we were to pick one alumnus who best represented the warm, welcoming atmosphere of WJPZ, it would probably be Sharon Goodman Michaels, aka "B.B. Good" fro…
Kelly Sutton, '92, WJPZ's First Female GM [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:46
Kelly Sutton, '92, is the first female general manager in the history of WJPZ. And, like many of us, the station launched her into a prolific media career.This Buffalo native went to Syracuse, in part, because of the opp…
Jordan Capozzi, Class of 2019 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:10
Jordan Capozzi grew up in Syracuse, and like many Salt City Natives, did not know WJPZ was run by college students. When his high school guidance counselor released how much he liked to talk (sound familiar?) she recomme…
SiriusXM Morning Mash Up Host Ryan Sampson, Class of 1999 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:06
Many of us have spent time on the air at various radio stations, but if there's one jock the current students know, it's probably Ryan Sampson, '99, the host of the Morning Mashup on SiriusXM's Hits 1.Like many of us, Ry…
Philly's Tina Stoklosa, Class of 1995 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:42
Today's guest is one of many alumni who took the lessons of WJPZ and applied it to every job she had before and after graduation.Tina Stoklosa is a Philadelphia native who was obssessed with the news growing up. The firs…
"Cousin" Danny Corsun, Class of 1987 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:10
"Cousin" Danny Corsun shares much in common with many of our alumni - a New York kid who liked sports and went to Syracuse. But as you'll hear today, his life's journey is as unique as they come.Danny started at WJPZ doi…
Jeanne Schad on Making The Alumni Association More Inclusive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:22
In her current role at LinkedIn and Microsoft, Jeanne Schad (Class of 1994) specializes in employee engagement. So it's not surprising that she's part of the team that's working to make the WJPZ Alumni Association and Ha…
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…

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