(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- WSOU 89.5 FM, Seton Hall University’s legendary student-run radio station, will celebrate 70 years of continuous operation on Saturday, April 14. Festivities include a gathering of more than 200 station alumni for dinner and the induction of three new members into the WSOU Hall of Fame: broadcaster Frank Garrity ’82, Bishop John O’Hara ’67, and Polka Party host and beloved teacher Professor Stanley Kosakowski. In addition, Music Choice music programmer Gabby Canella ’12 will be presented with the station’s Distinguished Young Alumna Award. The dinner and induction ceremony will be held at the Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, N.J. from 7:00pm – 11:00pm.
WSOU began broadcasting on April 14, 1948 when Father Thomas J. Gilhooly threw the switch that turned on the station’s transmitter. Envisioned as a station focused on experiential-learning and pre-professional development, WSOU has fulfilled that mission since its inception. Thousands of students got their first on-air experience at the station and many of them, including ESPN’s Bob Ley and John Brickley. WINS’ Glenn Schuck, NYC traffic reporters Christina Lang, Kelly Dillon and Christina Stoffo, NJ 101.5’s Jen Ursillo, and former N.Y. State Broadcasters Association president & CEO Joseph A. Reilly, have gone on to successful careers in broadcasting. Since 1986, WSOU has programmed a loud rock format that has earned the station a worldwide reputation for breaking new bands and recognizing emerging talent.
The WSOU Hall of Fame honors distinguished alumni who have made significant contributions to their professions and recognizes their involvement with Seton Hall University’s student-run radio station. Inductees are chosen based on their professional accomplishments, WSOU student career activities, service to WSOU and Seton Hall University after graduation, support of current students, personal examples of servant leadership, and involvement with alumni activities.
“WSOU really is unique among college radio stations, not only for its longevity but also for the comradery among its alumni.” said Mark Maben, the station’s general manager. “What has been inspiring to see in recent years is the number of current students who are drawn to radio. In the 21st century, the media landscape seems to change by the minute, but at WSOU we’ve seen that millennials and Generation-Z are as passionate about audio as the earlier generations that worked at the station.”
Part of the College of Communication and the Arts at Seton Hall, WSOU has always been more than a student organization. Since 1948, the station has been a hands-on learning lab focused on skills development and serving listeners. “The foundational commitment to experiential-learning is one of the reasons WSOU has produced literally thousands of station alumni who go on to radio, TV, new media, news, sports, music and entertainment industry careers,” said Deirdre Yates, Dean of the College of Communication and the Arts. “I’ve seen firsthand that there is no better place to ‘learn by doing’ than WSOU.” Recent research conducted in the University’s archives has identify more than 3,500 students who have been involved with WSOU over the past 70 years. More names are expected to be revealed as research continues.
Last month, in a reflection of the professional standards the College incorporates into its experiential-learning programs, WSOU was inducted into the Rock Radio Hall of Fame during the Rock Radio Awards ceremony in Las Vegas, Nev. The station has been the recipient of numerous national and regional awards, including the 2016 Marconi Award for Noncommercial Station of the Year, a Peabody Award, several New York International Radio Festival awards, and a Clarion Award, among others. WSOU’s sports department has earned recognition for its coverage Seton Hall athletics, especially for its game broadcasts, from the Associated Press, College Broadcasters Inc., the Pinnacle Awards, and the Garden State Journalists Association.
Since its switch to a metal and loud rock format in 1986, WSOU has become an industry leader in breaking new bands. The station gave the first area airtime, and in some cases the first-ever radio play, to household names such as Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, My Chemical Romance, Incubus, Linkin Park, and Five Finger Death Punch. WSOU’s signal reaches all five boroughs of New York City and much of northern and central New Jersey. More information about the station can be found online at www.wsou.net andwww.facebook.com/WSOUFM.
In addition to bringing alumni together from around the country, WSOU’s 70th Anniversary Dinner also helps raise money for the station’s scholarship fund. Established in 2013, the WSOU Student Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to individuals who are active at the station and engaged with the Seton Hall community. Supporting the scholarship fund is one the highlights of the evening, along with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“One of the things that strikes me about this year’s group of honorees is how each one of them has touched the lives of so many students,” Maben noted. “Whether it has been through teaching, mentoring, helping someone secure that first job or internship, or professional or personal guidance, Frank, Gabby, John, and Stan have positively impacted the lives of hundreds of individuals. Each of them is a shining example of Seton Hall’s commitment to producing true servant-leaders.”
The 2018 WSOU Hall of Fame Inductees & Distinguished Young Alumna Honoree
Frank Garrity is currently a sportscaster for NBC News Radio, and is also heard on Bloomberg stations in New York, Washington D.C. and Boston, as well as close to 100 stations in Georgia and Alabama. In addition, Garrity writes, voices, and produces the “Sportspass” feature that airs daily on iHeartmedia stations in 30 markets around the country including New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami. His professional radio career began at WSUS-FM, in Franklin, N.J. Multiple positions at WPAT-AM/FM in the New York market followed. From 1996 until 2016, Garrity was the weeknight sports anchor on New York’s 1010 WINS. During his time at Seton Hall, Garrity held numerous positions at WSOU, including station manager. He is an active community volunteer in Vernon, N.J. and at his parish, St. Francis de Sales church in McAfee, N.J. Since 2011, Garrity has been an adjunct professor at Seton Hall’s College of Communication and the Arts, teaching the courses “Writing for Radio” and “Radio Sportscasting.”
The Most Reverend John O'Hara was appointed by Pope Francis as Auxiliary Bishop of New York in 2014. Prior to entering priesthood, O’Hara had a distinguished career as a broadcast journalist. Active in news since his first day at WSOU, he was the station’s News Director for 1966-67. He worked in the newsroom of WERA in Plainfield, N.J., and then from 1971 to 1980, was a reporter and later promoted to News Director for WMTR/WDHA in Morristown, N.J. During his time in radio, O’Hara mentored numerous young journalists to help them launch their careers. In the fall of 1980, he entered Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. and was ordained to the priesthood in 1984 at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral by the late John Cardinal O’Connor. He has served as a parish priest at Saint Charles Parish and the Parish of Saint Teresa of the Infant Jesus, both on Staten Island. In 2012, O’Hara became the Archdiocese of New York’s first Director of the Office of Strategic Pastoral Planning, appointed by Cardinal Dolan. He is also a member of the ecumenical/interfaith Committee of Religious Leaders, which works to promote understanding and dialogue among people of all faiths living with the five boroughs of New York City. A loyal WSOU alumnus and Seton Hall Pirate, Bishop O’Hara is a visible presence at station and University events.
Stanley Kosakowski, better known as “Cousin Stan” around the studios of WSOU, was a highly influential Seton Hall University professor and the long-time host of the “Polka Party.” He joined the faculty in 1953 and taught a variety of courses in management and business during his nearly 50 years at Seton Hall. A love of polka music and radio led to his involvement at WSOU, where he was fixture for many decades until his death in 2002. WSOU’s transformation from mono to stereo broadcasting in 1973 would not have been possible without his tireless fundraising and cheerleading for the effort. Both in the School of Business and at the station, he influenced generations of Seton Hall students through his guidance, wisdom, and rigorous standards. Kosakowsiki was also active in a variety of Polish-American organizations and served as a Hudson County Tax Commissioner. His Hall of Fame award is being given posthumously.
Gabby Canella is the third individual to be honored with the WSOU Distinguished Young Alumnus/a Award. The award was created in 2016 to recognize the accomplishments of recent graduates. Canella, who served as WSOU’s Music Director during her time at Seton Hall, is Senior Programmer, Active Rock & Metal for Music Choice, which reaches almost 70 million cable households in the United States. She is also currently a DJ on WDHA-FM in Morristown, N.J. Previous career stops include Roadrunner Records and SiriusXM. Canella is very active in the WSOU Alumni/Student Mentoring Program, where she regularly shares her expertise with current staff members. She also volunteers with the Community Foodbank of New Jersey, Music Choice Cares, and St. John the Apostle Church in Clark, N.J. She also loves to help out with various animal shelter charity events for WDHA. Canella has been nominated for a number of industry honors and was recently named Non-Traditional Rock Programmer of the Year at the Radio Contraband Rock Radio Awards.
The 2018 inductees into the WSOU Hall of Fame join a distinguished rooster of station alumni. The current members of the Hall of Fame, in order of induction, are: Bill Rock ’69. Jim Malespina ’71, Bob Ley ’76, Monsignor Thomas Gillhooly ’33, Thomas Parnham, Steve Nenno ‘50, Pat Parson ’60, Reverend James Pindar ’50, Robert Wussler ’57, Glenn Schuck ’85, Robert Windrem ’68, Bernie Wagenblast ’78, Bob Picozzi ’72, Matt Loughlin ‘79, Pete Tauriello ’76 and Richard Koziol.
The College of Communication and the Arts is a dynamic community where students, scholars, artists, theorists, critics, practitioners and professionals all thrive together. The college’s academic programs focus on the 21st century digital culture. Its goal is to inspire and enable students to lead, create and communicate with responsibility, passion and excellence. The college offers eight undergraduate programs: Art History; Art, Design and Interactive Multimedia; Visual and Sound Media; Communication; Journalism; Public Relations; Music and Theatre as well as three graduate programs: Museum Professions; Public Relations and Strategic Communication. The New York metropolitan area provides the college the ability to facilitate internships for over 80% of students, with many of these internships leading to full time employment post-graduation. Additionally, the college offers three accelerated programs, enabling students to graduate in five years with a master's degree.
One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall University has been developing students in mind, heart and spirits since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 rigorous academic programs, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Business.
Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. In recent years, the University has achieved extraordinary success. Since 2009, the University has seen record-breaking undergraduate enrollment growth in addition to an impressive 95-point increase in the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen. In the past decade, Seton Hall students and alumni have been awarded nearly 20 Fulbright Scholarships as well as other prestigious academic honors including a Rhodes Scholar. In 2015, Seton Hall launched a new School of Medicine as well as a new College of Communication and the Arts. A founding member of the new Big East Conference, the Seton Hall Pirates field 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports teams. The University’s beautiful main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles from New York City – offering its students a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The University’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. For more information, visit www.shu.edu.
