Only a handful of colleges and universities go to Radio Row, and this year Bryant is among them.
Since the start of the 2025-26 academic year, 10 undergrads have been advancing their sports broadcasting skills in preparation for their trip to Radio Row, a massive, week-long media event held during Super Bowl week. The event serves as the central hub for broadcasters, journalists, podcasters, and content creators as they produce live coverage leading up to the big game.
Students will engage with industry professionals and produce content, contributing to media coverage of one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Here, Bryant News takes you inside the undergrads’ journey to Radio Row.
August
It’s a Monday morning in mid-August and Professional in Residence Christian Fauria is preparing for the upcoming semester. His co-run course, “Advanced Sports Broadcasting: Road to Radio Row,” will begin in several weeks with Communication and Language Studies Department Chair and Communication Professor Chris Morse, Ph.D.
The details are still being ironed out, such as what day they’ll fly to Santa Clara, California, and when they’ll return, but this much is certain: a group of 10 juniors and seniors will be attending Radio Row in the lead-up to Super Bowl LX; they’ll attend media night, sit in on the Commissioner’s Press Conference, and interview athletes and coaches.
With a total of 12 Radio Row passes, Fauria’s goal is to have students treat the experience like a business trip. They’ll be conducting live shows that will broadcast in Eastern Standard Time, cutting interviews into 20- and 30-second clips, and breaking news in real-time.
“I want to show that there’s a new player in town,” Fauria says of Bryant’s presence at the massive media event in February.
September
For an hour and twenty minutes once a week, undergrads meet with Fauria and Morse in a Unistructure classroom. While their class time is limited, Fauria expects the group to be in constant communication throughout the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
“You can’t do this casually,” he says, emphasizing that undergrads will need to keep up with NFL news.
The 2025-26 NFL regular season is already off and running. The Philadelphia Eagles, coming in as the reigning Super Bowl champions, defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the league’s kickoff game over Labor Day Weekend — starting an 18-week trek that will determine which NFL team will claim a 2026 Super Bowl victory.
Fauria and Morse go over foundational skills with students, such as how to run a show and how to create a radio program show grid. They learn how hosts lead the show and engage listeners through commentary and analysis, and how commentators offer their own insights and opinions on sporting events. Seeing a show grid mock-up, they unpack the process of how shows come together and the importance of structuring what you’ll talk about, when you’ll talk about it, and how you’ll express it.
October
“Hello…hello…testing…”
Gathering in WJMF’s radio station headquarters, today’s class session is dedicated to getting used to the station’s headsets and seeing which combinations of people could work well for a sports show.
The first pairings are Chris Sanders ’27, Jacob Turbitt ’26, and Luke O’Brien ’27. For 20 minutes, they run through a mock show, discussing everything from why the Bengals’ signing of Joe Flacco was a great call to the pros and cons of having Bad Bunny as the halftime show performer. Following their recording time, Morse provides some initial feedback: cut down introductions, be careful about repeating statements, and, when you ask a question, throw in your opinion before passing it off to someone.
Once the different pairings have gone, Fauria wraps class with a debrief. Undergrads share that hosting is harder than expected while others comment on how they came in stressed, but time flew once the conversation started rolling.
“Before we know it, we will be on a plane,” Fauria reminds them. “You have to be proactive. You have to be aggressive. You have to own your opinion. You have to jump in when you think you can. If somebody disagrees with you, it's okay. It's going to go great.”
November
The next three weeks move quickly for the group.
Just before the Thanksgiving recess, show pairings and show lineups are announced, and the three newly partnered cohorts start developing a social media presence. Creating Instagram accounts under their show names there is:
“Beyond the Row” with Zoe Bates ’26, Alyssa Swerdlick ’26, and Kori Zelano ’26.
“Four Wisemen” with Andrew Brow ’26, Matt Cook ’26, Zach LeBlanc ’27, and Jacob Turbitt ’26.
“No Huddle” with Chris Sanders ’27, Aurora Pedwell ’27, and Luke O’Brien ’27.
Noting the significant milestone, Fauria explains that he and Morse determined pairs based on what they believe will make the strongest lineups.
December
Sliding on headphones and easing into the WJMF couch and chairs, the “Four Wisemen” are recording four 15- and 30-second advertisements for their show. They kick it off with a Swing Juice ad:
“Hey New England, Jacob here. While we all love football, we love golf almost just as much. And let's be honest, half of us dress for golf like we're hoping the course has no mirrors. The polos are stiff, the colors are weird, and you end up looking like you're headed to your nephew's confirmation instead of a tee time. Swing Juice fixes all of that. Swing Juice is the golf lifestyle brand for people who actually have a personality….”
As they move through their ads, there are fumbles, retakes, a few swears when the same word tongue ties them repeatedly. But that’s all worth it for the smooth recordings they end up with.
Before they leave for the holiday break, Fauria shares that he wants each group to do a full two-hour show with ads as a practice before they leave. Additionally, if they want to re-record ads or develop longer ones, then go for it.
“I want you guys to be creative, and I want you guys to stand out,” he says. “When we walk into Radio Row, I want people to recognize who we are, what we're about, and how serious we are about what we do.”
January
“Welcome to ‘Beyond the Row,’ I'm your host Alyssa along with my co-hosts Kori and Zoe. Today we're going to be interviewing Maria Stephanos,” says Swerdlick, who leans into the radio station’s microphone and greets Stefanos with a smile.
Stephanos, who co-anchors Boston’s WCVB NewsCenter 5, has covered the Boston Marathon bombings, the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins, the 9/11 attacks, and more over her 30-plus-year career. Visiting campus to do a story on the Bryant students going to Radio Row, Stephanos joins the four women for a 15-minute live segment of their show. Chatting about Stephanos’ career, questions span from how she centers herself in moments where things are going really fast to what the biggest difference is between reporting on a championship celebration versus a crisis, since both draw massive crowds.
She also shares career advice with the group, such as being yourself and not letting a microphone or camera change who you are as well as listening to what people are saying and not thinking about your next question.
“When you go to the Super Bowl, the more you're just real, the more they will react to you, the more sugar you'll get,” Stephanos says.
Follow along as undergrads document their Radio Row experience through exclusive interviews, insights, and more. To listen live, visit WJMF. From Feb. 3 through Feb. 5, No Huddle will be live from noon to 2 p.m. EST, Four Wisemen will be live from 2 p.m. EST, and Beyond the Row will be live from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Individuals can also follow their live stream at these times. For more content, follow along on Instagram: @bryantsportsindustries, @officialnohuddle, @fourwisemen, and @beyondtherow.