Section Title

Operations Manager, 90.5 WERG

BA, Electronic Media/Communication Arts, Gannon University

Theatre, Communication & Fine Arts

I am the Operations Manager for 90.5 WERG, Gannon University’s student-operated, 3,000-watt FM-broadcast radio station. Gannon students are placed in charge of day-to-day operations: such as executing airshifts, scheduling program logs, compiling and reading newscasts, maintaining the station website, selecting music for our playlist, planning and running promotions, delivering live play-by-play audio during sporting events, recording promos and public service announcements, and all the other duties that make-up a successful broadcast operation. Before coming back to Gannon (I earned my bachelor’s degree here), I worked in commercial radio, most notably at WXTA Country 98, where I was Music Director and hosted the midday show. As an electronic media specialist with expertise in the production and execution of professional live broadcasts, I am proficient in digital editing and the utilization of scheduling software, fluent in the programming and maintenance of studio computer systems, and am familiar with FCC broadcast law and procedures. I manage and direct a student and volunteer airstaff of approximately sixty individuals at 90.5 WERG.

At Gannon University, you can get involved right from Day One. Things start coming at you fast and furious, so it’s a good idea to get a planner and use it! As you are looking for your niche, it’s easy to start overbooking yourself and get overloaded. Be involved, but at your own pace. All of that having been said, if you want an airshift on WERG, come and see us! What I’ve always loved about Gannon is how quickly you are welcomed into the fold. We have freshmen hosting Sonic Sunrise, WERG’s morning show. Sophomores hold management positions at the radio station. There’s no need to have to wait for your senior year to have those doors open to you.

Professors often have distinct personal experiences to share that complement the theory of the textbooks with real, practical knowledge. As Operations Manager for WERG, I strive to impart what I’ve learned to my students, much as I was taught during my undergrad days at Gannon. The surrounding city of Erie offers much in the way of personal and cultural enrichment. Want to see a show? Walk up to the Warner Theatre. Like roller coasters? Visit Waldameer Park. Take-in a day at the beach? Head over to Presque Isle. Into sports? Baseball at Jerry Uht Ballpark and hockey at Tullio Arena—both within walking distance and reasonably priced. Fancy a road trip to a big city? Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Toronto are all just a few hours away. If you prefer something “closer to home,” log-on and see what’s going-on tonight right here on-campus.

Every student has his or her own success story, and they are all wonderful to hear about and share. More than once an alumnus has come back for a visit and we’ll start talking about his or her career. My favorite is when a graduate relates a personal work experience wherein a coworker has asked, “Where’d you learn how to do that?” and the answer is, “I learned it at Gannon.” That’s the highest praise I can hear.

I teach the practical applications and techniques of broadcasting, and all of that learning is done in the “laboratory” that is WERG radio. Be it news writing, producing a sports update, organizing a live remote broadcast, structuring an airshift, scheduling a music log, manipulating digital audio files, promoting campus events, programming the studio computers, writing code for the station website, or any of the other myriad duties inherent in the operation of a professional broadcast outlet, it all comes back to doing what we love: writing, producing, and performing!

As broadcasters on an audio stage, offering “theatre of the mind,” we are always looking around us for ways to be relatable to an audience. We analyze ratings data, monitor other stations, determine usage trends for electronic media, follow pivotal cases in broadcast law, and are always on the lookout for ways to improve ourselves professionally. Never let yourself reach a point where you say, “The station sounds good enough” or “I know everything I need to know to make this work”!

laprice002@gannon.edu