Tracey Turner ('00), Lisa Phillips ('03), and Sarah Fox ('02)

Tracey Turner ('00), Lisa Phillips ('03), and Sarah Fox ('02)

Author: WJPZ January 29, 2024 Duration: 48:29

Today's guests are three ladies, three years apart, who have formed an enduring frienship via WJPZ that has lasted over 20 years.

Tracey (Chilandese) Turner got to the station when Harry and Dena were running a skeleton crew, having just shepherded the station through it's second format change (back to Z89) in just a few years.   Trace joined the station as a sophomore, just as Matt DelSignore was taking over for Harry as GM and PD.  Harry provided guidance for promotions, and let his dynamic duo take over.

Sarah (Dumont) Fox had no desire to be on the air, but this Plattsburgh native soon found a love for Public Relations.  When Dena left, Sarah volunteered to take on that role, coordinating everything from alumni relationships to Banquets.

As these two ascended to station leadership, Lisa entered as a freshman.  This die-hard sports fan started doing on-air work and made fast friends off-air with Tracey and Sarah.  It was a friendship that transcended the walls of the station.

Today's guests credit their WJPZ lessons as great prepration for their careers.  Tracey has worked in music since graduation.  Sarah's been in healthcare PR, and Lisa went from NBC page to talent booker to Derek Jeter's outlet, The Players' Tribune.

In this episode, you'll hear about "Shake Your Bon Bon For Ricky Martin," a treacherous trip with a car full of balloons, and some heated moments in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.  (Poor Lisa had to share a wall with Jag one year).

But you'll also hear about enduring friendships, including Matt DelSignore joining Sarah for moral support on a week-long job interview trip to New York City before graduation.  Where did they sleep?  Tracey's couch and loveseat.

Throughout today's podcast, you'll hear about the inclusive culture of Z89 (as opposed to some more traditional classrooms).  The knowledge passed down over these 3 years are right in line with the last 50.

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/


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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
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]

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MTV's Matt Gehring and SNY's Sam Kandell, Class of 2018 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:28
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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…
Pete Gianesini, '94, SU Alum Prez and Friend of WJPZ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:29
Pete Gianesini, '94, did not technically work at WJPZ as a student. But nobody would doubt that he's an adopted member of the Z89 family. He's supported the station and its members from his time as a student, through his…
"Goofy" Bette Kestin, Class of 1993 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:00
"Goofy" Bette Kestin, Class of 1993, and currently Old Navy's Director of Media Strategy and Investment, is today's guest. This New Jersey native did not join WJPZ until her junior year, but quickly made up for last time…
Ben Green '85 On Keeping WJPZ's Teaching Legacy Alive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:33
Today's guest is the always passsionate Ben Green, aka Ben G, aka Mr. R&B, from the Class of 1985. He takes us from humble beginnings at Syracuse (including changing majors when he couldn't afford to rent equipment and b…
NFL Senior Coordinating Producer Mike Konner, Class of 1995 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:23
(Disclaimer: this was recorded Tuesday after Banquet, before Jag's voice was back to full capacity.)The Super Bowl, The NFL Draft, The Combine, even The Pro Bowl. If it's an NFL "tentpole" event, today's guest is directl…