Thursday, Feb 26, 2015
The broadcast provides a one-of-a-kind experience for the student-run station
by Sarah Brown '15
Lights! Camera! Flowers! It is time again for the 186th annual Philadelphia Flower Show and the event is rolling out the red carpet. This year, designers will use Disney and Pixar films for inspiration, and on opening day, Saturday, Feb. 28, 107.7 The Bronc, Rider’s student-run radio station, will broadcast live from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. between the Entrance Garden and the Major Exhibitors at Entrance Hall A, the main entrance to the event.
“It's a terrific spot with lots of exposure for the radio station and provides a wealth of experience for our students,” says John Mozes, the radio station's general manager. “Of the quarter million people who attend the event every year, many will pass our broadcast booth on opening day."
Over half of the student broadcast team will be attending the Philadelphia Flower Show for the very first time. “It is a one-of-a-kind broadcast where they will gain valuable learning experience, definitely one we cannot duplicate on campus, from the largest event of its kind in the world.”
If Rider students, staff and alumni would like to win tickets to this year's event, listen to the broadcast on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 107.7 The Bronc, online at www.1077TheBronc.com or via the free Android and iPhone apps and follow along on the Bronc Facebook page. As the day goes on, the radio station will post pictures of various displays. If participants can guess the movie the display is about, they will win two tickets to this year's Philadelphia Flower Show, which runs from Feb. 28 to March 8.
On Saturday, the four shows that will be broadcast are almost exclusively student-run or student produced. "Turfs Up," a show about outdoor living, lawn care and maintenance, will air at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and is hosted by Darren Gruner of KentuckyBlue.com and produced by Kweku Sapara-Grant '15 and Justin Rodney '15.
"Your Pet Matters" will air at 10 a.m., hosted by Dr. Michael Tokiwa from the Animal Hospital of Kingston and Blawenburg and produced by Matt McGrorty '17.
"Sustainable You," a student hosted and produced show about ways to live a greener life, will be broadcast at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. This show is hosted by Meghan Korb '17, Mary-Lyn Buckley '18, Gianluca D'Elia '18 and Danielle Grisales '17.
At noon, tune in to "Inside Your Mind," a show that focuses on issues from mental health to addiction. In honor of the flower show, the hosts will discuss the psychological impact of flowers, as well as interview people and players involved in the flower show. It is hosted by Rider Alumni Margarita Leahy and Ian Smith and produced by Jillian Bellmonte '16.
The student staff and hosts will also interview the leadership team of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society that puts this event together year after year, as well as some of the major exhibitors.
For tickets and more information about the show, visit www.theflowershow.com.