Witkowski jumps from radio to television

By Gabriela Tobar and Madison Lewis

SENIOR communication studies major Nick Witkowski juggled being 107.7 The Bronc’s student general manager and a news production intern at Fox News, preparing him for his future career in media.

Witkowski began his 10-week internship on Sept. 12, working in New York City on 47th Street by Rockefeller Center. 

He worked on the set of Neil Cavuto’s live show and the “Your World” show, where he created the graphics and video included in the broadcasting system.

“[The internship included] the administrative and organizational skills that I learned through my experiences at 107.7 The Bronc,” said Witkowski. “I … shifted from radio to TV in … the span of one day.” 

Witkowski called the pre-internship interview personable and compared the communication with his higher-ups to the tight-knit community at Rider.

“I like … one-on-one experience; that’s why I chose Rider in the first place, because it was such a small class size,” said Witkowski. “[Rider and Fox News were] an opportunity to be a big fish in a small pond.”

He was able to get out of his comfort zone with the internship, preparing him for post-graduate life.

“Coming to 107.7 The Bronc and getting all these opportunities from John Mozes was me getting out of my comfort zone,” said Witkowski. “And I am ready to move up and … make these moves.”

John Mozes, general manager at 107.7 The Bronc and Witkowski’s mentor, spoke about how Witkowski has grown.

“Nick is driven, intelligent, creative and passionate. He has a strong work ethic. He is the perfect student to work in media,” Mozes said. 

Witkowski began working at 107.7 The Bronc before graduating high school and created his own ’80s show before focusing on production.

Witkowski became fascinated with “Wake Up Rider,” the campus’ weekday morning show, which he eventually hosted for two and a half years. 

“He was the creative force behind ‘Wake Up Rider’ all while becoming production director,” Mozes said. 

Witkowski was production director for three years and was nominated for a few Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems media awards for his work.

“Nick doesn’t miss an opportunity. If an opportunity is presented in front of him, he will take it. He’s very ambitious, and he’ll try anything,” Mozes said. 

Witkowski wanted to try new things within the radio station, prompting him to work on “The Bronc News Flash” and “Getting Down to Business,” the daily news and business reports on The Bronc and The Bronc Retro. 

“Nick is not afraid to try anything, and he is not afraid to fail. So he tried as much as he could to figure out exactly what he wanted to be and what he wanted to do when he got out of Rider,” Mozes said.

Mozes emphasized how there are many different facets to the radio station, and Witkowski tried them all in the last four years, which elevated his confidence in the field. 

“Nick has grown immensely. He has grown personally, professionally and creatively. He is a well-rounded, marketable student, who I see big things ahead of him when he leaves Rider,” Mozes said. 

Witkowski took advantage of the opportunities presented to him, according to Mozes. 

“Nick’s drive and how he sees his career and …  how he wants to succeed was his own internal mechanism that drove him. Nick’s a very unique student. He’s different from most Gen Z kids,” Mozes said. 

Witkowski will return to Fox News in the spring for another 10-month period, where he will be a news production intern again.

He gave 107.7 The Bronc a lot of credit for his success with Fox News. Witkowski mentioned that his pre-existing audio production skills made the transition smoother. Instead of learning new equipment and skills, he expanded upon his knowledge from the radio station.

“I was a sponge,” said Witkowski.

He had five classes, responsibilities at the radio station and other extracurriculars in tandem with his internship.

“Take every opportunity you can because Rider has them all,” said Witkowski. “You just have to seek them. You have an opportunity here to make something of yourself.”

Witkowski advises other students to take opportunities, even if it seems like too much to handle.

“Never say no. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll figure it out,” said Witkowski. “There is a reason why you were given the opportunity, and there is a reason why you were meant to complete it.”

Throughout the internship, Witkowski covered topics such as live hurricane coverage and election updates. He covered stories with key players in politics, like Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Witkowski said he was never into politics; now, he finds himself researching and learning more about history, laws and other aspects of news reporting. He emphasized the importance of looking at the Republican and Democratic angles of each story.

“At the end of the day,” said Witkowski, “we are broadcasting to 18 million Americans, and we take that very seriously.”

Witkowski plans to be in front of the camera during his spring internship. “I want to continue to do so in any capacity, whether it’s hosting, production, editing … I just want to do it … I love the industry and I just want to keep going.”