Rider partners with ONNJ, sponsors morning show
By Grace Bertrand
Rider entered into a new media partnership with On New Jersey, the state’s only 24/7 TV network for news, sports and entertainment, allowing the university to consistently highlight the campus community.
The partnership comes after ONNJ collaborated with Rider, covering the gubernatorial debate in October when it was hosted by the university.
Tatiana Sciancalepore, executive director of marketing and communication at Rider, told The Rider News, “Our relationship with ONNJ has been building for a while, starting with the gubernatorial debate, where we really saw how aligned we were in terms of civic engagement and the kinds of stories we want to tell. From there, it felt like a natural next step to deepen the partnership.”
With the statewide partnership comes the announcement of Rider as a presenting sponsor for the network’s flagship morning program, ONNJ Mornings with Ken Rosato.
The partnership will introduce on-air segments on the network that spotlight Rider’s academic programs and campus life traditions. ONNJ covered Rider’s annual Eggscellent Egg Hunt, organized by 107.7 The Bronc, on March 31 to kickstart the partnership.
Rosato, host of the morning program, said in an April 2 Rider press release, “As someone who’s spent decades connecting with viewers across this region, I know how powerful local storytelling can be.”
The network will also feature recurring segments of conversations with Rider faculty, staff, students, administration and alumni.
Rosato continued, saying that the partnership allowed ONNJ to introduce new voices, ideas and stories to their audience, “shaping the future right here in New Jersey.”
Lisa Marie Falbo, co-founder of ONNJ, shared a similar sentiment, adding that, “This partnership allows us to bring real voices, real perspectives and real impact to our audience every single morning.”
Falbo shared that she was pleasantly surprised to see Rider “show up” as not just a sponsor, but also a partner with the TV network, actively helping to shape the stories about Rider.
Sciancalepore explained that the hope is for the on-air segments to allow Rider to showcase its students, programs and faculty to a much broader audience. The goal of facilitating a partnership with the network, in addition to a sponsorship of the morning show, she said, was to “help reinforce Rider’s visibility and keep us top of mind.”
“This sponsorship represents an exciting opportunity to expand Rider’s presence and connect with audiences across New Jersey in a way that feels authentic,” Sciancalepore added. “Looking ahead, this gives us a platform to be more active in statewide conversations and continue building meaningful connections beyond campus.”
