On Wednesday, August 24, 2022, Villanova took a big step to ensure that the ON AIR signal remains strong. The University purchased Cabrini College’s shared license, beginning exclusive full-time FM operations for the first time in its history. Read more about WXVU’s history and mission here.
This semester, I am teaching English 2023, Journalism. A high school and collegiate journalist who also worked as an intern and production assistant for WHYY-91 FM’s “Radio Times With Marty Moss-Coane” in Philadelphia, I began my career after college as a newspaper and magazine reporter and editor. I graduated with a master’s degree in Journalism from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in 2005, and today, humbly and proudly share my expertise and experiences with students through English 2023. My students, in turn, share with me daily their knowledge and insights related to journalism in the 21st century when smartphones and social media make accessing information nearly instantaneous.
My goal in this course is not only to explore theory with my students, but also to put those concepts into practice through the creation of audio journalism. As a class, we have discussed what it means for something to be newsworthy and are exploring the topic, “Dining On and Around the Main Line,” through diverse perspectives and multiple angles. We’re conducting research, identifying sources, and crafting interview questions: How are restaurants able to thrive in a post-COVID-19 world? How will restaurants continue to innovate to survive? From labor shortages to the high cost of rent and ingredients, what are among the greatest challenges facing small-business restauranteurs? How does the restaurant service economy, based so strongly on tips, affect a restaurant’s survival and staff longevity at the restaurant? Now, we switch gears. As a Villanova student, what do you look for in casual, healthy dining off campus? How does price point influence your dining decisions? When you want to splurge with friends on an evening out, what types of restaurants do you enjoy?
These are just a few of the multiple directions my students are exploring individually and in small groups. As we’ve discussed, reporting is a messy business. But through our reporting processes, the stories we seek to tell will reveal themselves more clearly.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to my Villanova colleagues, Deena Leh and Nick Langan, who welcomed my Journalism students into WXVU The Roar studios on Friday, October21, and shared with us the station's long-standing commitment to radio in the public interest. We look forward to more and more collaboration.
Stations like WXVU produce diverse content designed to educate, enlighten, inform, and entertain. At Villanova, all students from all academic majors are encouraged to get involved.
The opportunity to put theory, knowledge, and classroom lessons into practice will allow my curious and hardworking students to strengthen a variety of skills, such as reporting, interviewing, writing, research, and editing. In addition, experiential learning like this supports students' academic, professional, and social development.
