Give them a listen and a donation: Award-winning Rider station holds first radiothon

To paraphrase Jon Landau, I have seen the future of radio, and it's the station at Rider University.

So many of the people we have working at New Jersey 101.5 cut their teeth at 107.7 The Bronc."

This weekend they will hold their first ever radiothon, which starts and ends with Wake Up Rider on Friday at 8 a.m. and Monday at 10 a.m. The goal is to raise $10,000. It's definitely a worthwhile cause.

Their Wake Up Rider morning show now in its 7th season consists of Alli Burton, Jack Jock, Ellis Foreman,R J Sighbe Owen Nelson, Brian Tobin, Owen Mccarron (The OG), who won the 2025 Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems Media Award for Best Morning Show.

Among Rider's Awards...

📻 2025 Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems Media Award W0nner for Best Morning Show

📻 2023 and 2024 Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems Media Award Nominee for Best Morning Show

📻 107.7 The Bronc won an IBS award for Best Radio Station in 2023.

📻 107.7 The Bronc and 107.7 The Bronc Retro have been nominated for 35 IBS awards and has won five since 2021.

📻 WRRC-FM has been nominated for four National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Radio Awards in 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2019.

The crew joined me on my New Jersey 101.5 show Tuesday night, along with station general manager John Mozes, to discuss their upcoming first-ever radiothon, which is happening this weekend. Their goal is to raise $10,000

Mozes provided some Bronc history.

"The radio station started in 1962 as WRCR-AM by Michael Brooks '63. For years, Rider has had an on-and-off relationship with the radio station. It went through many call letter and dial position changes until 2008 when I came aboard and gave the station an identity, connecting it with the university mascot, and making it a part of the fabric of the university simple by changing the name to 107.7 The Bronc, instead of calling it WRRC-FM".

Mozes took the Bronc to another level for not just radio but all that is now involved with broadcasting.

"I tried to model the radio station as much after a commercial radio station and doing more than just broadcasting. Here the students learn to create more than on-air content. They get the entire media experience by also creating content for our website, digital media, social media, email marketing, blogging. You name it, we do it to expand our on-air and online profile to expand our SEO.

"We also host the biggest contest and events on campus that garner crowds of 2,000 people or more including Scream Screen: a gigantic drive-in movie and trunk-or-treat, the Eggscellent Egg Hunt - where we fill 10,000 eggs with $30,000 in prizes including a Royal Caribbean Cruise for two to the Bahamas and more. We even give away a brand new Toyota every year to a graduating student with our Cruisin' From Commencement contest. So at The Bronc students learn everything that makes broadcasting function and succeed today.

"We also made The Bronc available not just on the FM dial, but listeners can also tune in to listen online on our website at 1077TheBronc.com and on app on Apple, Google Play, Audacy, Alexa, TuneIn, MyTuner, and more.

Oh, and we also now have two radio stations, 107.7 The Bronc and 107.7 The Bronc Retro, our online/streaming radio station that plays the classic hits of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s."

What's it like mentoring these kids? Any success stories of who went onto what?

"I'm not a wealthy man, but watching these students thrive here at 107.7 The Bronc makes me very rich. Most of our students stay with The Bronc all four years they are here at Rider University and they come from all different majors and minors and to watch them grow and become not just media professionals but strong leaders is simply priceless.

"Currently, we have students working for Audacy, Beasley Broadcasting, Bravo Network, DC News Now, Fox News, iHeart Radio, the PGA, Press Communications, Royal Caribbean, Townsquare Media, QPrime and more. They are working all over the U.S. from New York to Miami; Washington, D.C., to Nashville to Los Angeles as morning show hosts, on-air talent, creative directors, graphic designers, marketing professionals, podcasters, content creators and more."

What do you need the $10,000 for?

"We're doing the Radiothon for two reasons: 1) to maintain and upgrade our equipment, computers and software, so we can 2) continue to provide our students with the engaged-learning and real world experiences they need to expand their skill set and make them more marketable, so they will be placed at the top of every employers interview list and achieve the strong career outcomes they came to Rider for and will receive when they graduate."

As a broadcaster who knows what it's like getting started in radio and knows John Mozes and the great job he has done with these young broadcasters, I can highly recommend donating whatever you can so their hard work can continue. Please go to 1077TheBronc.com/Radiothon and give what you can.