During my time at San Diego State, one of the best decisions I made was joining KCR college radio. I originally found out about the organization through co-workers and fellow colleagues. KCR is student-run and promotes students' voices to be heard across a variety of shows throughout every day of the week. I have been a part of KCR for about three semesters now and I've had a wonderful experience.
Being in KCR was intimidating at first. I still remember what the motions were like. We had an information session on a Friday night to learn about what to expect from joining. We were paired with our co-hosts and slotted into the part of KCR we felt would best help us to succeed. We had to come up with a show name and a preferred day and time for hosting the show. There were so many options to choose from. We could either join the news, video, social media, sports, music or entertainment side of KCR (I chose sports, naturally). Then the next day we had a training session on how to work the live studio. It dove into learning all the dials and controls behind the microphone.
Next thing you know our schedule of weekly shows was released that same day and every member found out. I remember being overwhelmed with so much information all at once. It was scary thinking somehow I was supposed to get my act together and make my radio debut less than a week later.
Things started off on the wrong foot in the first week. I had no idea what I was going to talk about. I struggled to coordinate with my co-host of getting practice sessions in. It just felt like a recipe for disaster was bound to happen. The only bright spot of the week was having the opportunity to shadow other members with their shows. Little did I know that I'd be partaking in those shows and making my debut on the air for the first time (it went well).
A few days later it was time for my show to launch. The official debut of Saturday Night Showtime launched on Sept. 16, 2017. I recall being very nervous yet excited. The first couple weeks were a bit shaky. Of course, we were both just testing out the waters and learning to talk with one another. My co-host and I oriented our show purely about sports. Over time things started to run like a well-oiled machine. I can't believe how far we've come. It boggles my mind to this day thinking about the early struggles of finding enough material to talk about for an entire hour. Now it's like we don't have enough time to talk on the air.
Being in the studio every week is a blessing. I never knew how much of an impact my voice could be over the air. I encourage anyone to give radio a chance and let their thoughts be heard. Even if you're not considering a career in radio, I believe it can only help in just trying out something new. Having your own show can turn out to be a lot of fun. You get to choose the topics, play whatever music you feel like and work with some interesting people.
I'm eternally grateful for having a wonderful co-host. Jake Hurwitz has been a co-host on the show with me since the very beginning. It's great to work with him every week and get our takes on things going on in the world of sports. He is truly a man, myth, and legend. Jake was recognized and nominated for best hockey play-by-play commentary last year in the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) awards for sports. Pretty impressive considering the award was competing with every other college radio station in the United States. We've both had some very fond memories over the semesters. Saturday Night Showtime would not be the same without him.
The show has been quite the success. It's something I look forward to doing every week. Jake and I have fun interactions with frequent callers, guest speakers and throwing our absurd tangents over the air.
This semester we were able to accomplish a lot of things. For instance, we busted out an entire weekend's worth of play-by-play commentary of the 2018 Aztec Club Soccer tournament back in September. We participated in covering a handful of games for the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament in March. At the beginning of the school year, we helped out the Associated Press with coverage of some preseason games for the NFL. Our efforts earned us the award of being recognized as KCR college radio's "best sports show" for the fall semester.
I am so thankful for the opportunities presented while being a part of KCR. Regarding my pursuit of a journalism degree, I can see myself making it in the radio industry. It makes me wonder why I didn't join sooner. I figured it's all part of the journey and I look forward to creating more memories to cherish for the rest of my life.
