Student media organizations restructure; merge follows universitywide changes

By Cal Sutton

The Rider News, 107.7 The Bronc and Rider University Network are merging into one centralized Student Media Center at Rider, wrote Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Kelly Bidle in a universitywide email on Jan. 22.

According to Bidle’s email, combining the three organizations has a goal to help student media outlets on campus mesh with “today’s current corporate media landscape.”

In an email to The Rider News and 107.7 The Bronc staff, Bidle stated that the reimagined structure aims to shift student media “into a bold new direction that would provide even greater opportunities for Rider students.”

Bidle stated in an interview with The Rider News that bringing Rider’s media outlets together and allowing students to earn certificates of involvement is useful when they are looking for jobs in a competitive environment.

“We’re looking to develop a certificate program that actually gives you that credential … to say ‘I worked in news, I worked in TV, I worked in radio.’ I can’t imagine how that won’t give you a competitive advantage,” Bidle said.

The addition of a certificate-earning program from involvement in the media center helps encourage students from any major to gain hands-on experience that may strengthen a resume or make a candidate stand out to a potential employer.

“The skills they’ll learn in the media center will help them in whatever they do in whatever career they choose. … [hands-on experience] should be great talking points in an interview,” Mozes said. 

The certificate program is still in the works with the media department chairs and Rider’s administration, according to Bidle.

Amid the creation of the centralized media center, administrators appointed John Mozes, general manager of 107.7 The Bronc, to be the executive director of the Student Media Center at Rider.

Mozes initially introduced the idea of a single media center for students on campus eight years ago.

While the development of the SMCR was not related to the layoffs that occurred in the new year, Mozes said, “It just seems now is the right time at Rider to do something like this, to grow the three media entities.”

Mozes’ plan within the SMCR is to help each of the three student media outlets gather their own revenue through fundraising and partnerships, in hopes for each outlet to reach a level of self-sufficiency so the organizations do not have to rely on funding from the university and can gain access to new opportunities.

“By generating revenue, that’s going to give students more opportunities. … it’s going to give them an opportunity to grow their brand,” Mozes said.

After multiple attempts to contact individuals involved in Rider University Network, The Rider News did not hear back.

Rosalyn Tiangco, student general manager of 107.7 The Bronc and senior arts and entertainment industries management major, voiced her eagerness for the SMCR to hit the ground running.

“I think that this is a really great opportunity for all three, [The] Rider News, film and TV and The Bronc, to really collaborate with each other and to really benefit off of what each of us does as an organization,” Tiangco said.

Tiangco expressed excitement to be in her role at 107.7 The Bronc while student media on campus is going through such a substantial shift.

“I’m really excited to help John get this off the ground. Obviously, with this kind of merger, all of our roles at the station get a little bit more expanded … but all of us as a team are very excited for this,” Tiangco said.

One thing that Bidle, Mozes and Tiangco agree on is how versatile the communications skills are and how important they are to employers in a competitive market for media jobs.

The SMCR, according to Mozes, came to fruition with the help of “an administration that is looking to put student engagement first.”