Sports media major wins intercollegiate award

By Zachary Klein

Sean Harrington is the latest 107.7 The Bronc personality to win an award this academic year.

The senior sports media major won a 2022 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Media award in the best sports update category for his sports recap segment, “The Overtime.”

According to John Mozes, station manager for 107.7 The Bronc, the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Media Award is one of only two major awards given to colleges across the country.

“They’re like the Golden Globes, while the Marconis are like the Oscars,” Mozes said. “We were competing against schools like Temple University, University of Kansas and Auburn University, so definitely against some big names.”

Harrington was ecstatic when he found out he won the award.

“Going into it, I was just really happy that I was even a finalist, and I was even joking around saying ‘Oh yeah, I got this in the bag,’” he said. “But when I actually won everyone got really excited and it was just really awesome to get recognized for my work.”

“We were all together that night and had a watch party for the radio station and we were all watching it on TV screens,” Mozes said, “It’s our first-ever nomination and win for The Retro, our online-only streaming station.”

It has not been long since Harrington got involved with the station. He started during the spring semester of 2021 when he and his roommate were working for Mozes.

“I was put on a show called ‘The Feinline’ and worked with two other students where two guys would talk about their [sports] picks and bets for the upcoming weekend,” Harrington said. “I took over for the other two students after they graduated last May and did it throughout the summer up until the start of the school year.”

Justin Riebman, senior sports media major and sports director at 107.7 The Bronc, said that he met Harrington working on “The Feinline,” which airs on ESPN stations across the country.

“We gave Sean the role of ‘The Overtime’ to correspond with his class schedule,” Riebman said. “He was really nervous at first but as he kept on doing it and developing it, he just kept on getting better, reading ads, transitioning he really over time learned to have so much fun with it. Whenever Sean does anything he just has fun with it.”

With many exciting sporting events happening over the last several months, including thrilling finishes in college football, college basketball, the NFL, the NHL and the NBA, there were lots of choices on which games to cover for a segment consisting of just a quick update. Harrington was able to pick out a clear favorite event that he recapped for the program, an exciting college football game that occurred in October 2021.

“The game I really liked recapping was the Michigan vs. Michigan State football game,” Harrington said. “That was the same recap I used in the episode I won the award. The game was really back and forth and there was a lot of scoring and crazy statistics. It ended 37-33 with Michigan State winning.”

A native of Ocean Township, New Jersey, Harrington said that he is a dedicated sports fan of the New York Jets, the New York Yankees and the New Jersey Devils. However, leaving biases behind is very important when on air, and Harrington said he does not let his allegiances affect him while doing the show.

“I only talk about those teams when something relevant in the news comes out about them,” he said.

One of the most interesting parts of hosting any radio show consists of having the freedom to say whatever someone wants while on air, within reason. Harrington said that this is indeed his favorite part of doing “The Overtime” because of his ability to take the content in whatever way he sees fit.

“Whenever I do my show, I try to be informative with what news is discussed, but I also want to be entertaining,” he said. “I believe if people are entertained by what you have to say, you gain credibility from people, and they will be more likely to listen to what you have to say.”

Harrington was one of six students to be nominated for an Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Media Award at The Bronc. Other categories nominated include best use of social media, best station ID, best promo series, best giveaway and best station contest/promotional event. Harrington was the only student lucky enough to take home an award.

“I am very proud of Sean’s win, especially under my direction as sports director, and it was a great night to see him win,” Riebman said.

“I think he had all the elements that go in a good sports report – actualities, personality – but you still just never know how the judges are going to win,” Mozes said. “I think overall, they thought the same way we did and he ended up taking the prize.”

Harrington is now hosting a segment called “The Best Damn Sports Report” on the main FM station.

Logan VanDine is a copy editor for the Rider News and works for 107.7 The Bronc. VanDine had no part in the editing of this story.