Who’s Made The Grade In Media
Jeff Derderian, GoLocalProv Media Critic
Who’s Made The Grade In Media
This week we’ll look at our two state schools and see what kinds of “media stars” have come out of them. For the record, Rhode Island College is my school which is home to WXIN radio – which as you’ll see was the starting point for many people you see and hear today on the radio and on TV.
With so much focus on the costs of education, a fundamental question gets raised. Does someone who wants a career in media *have to* attend one of those fancy J schools? Some that come to mind which have a good reputation of being among the best are Columbia University (Masters only), Northwestern University, University of Missouri, and Syracuse University to name a few. Media jobs are not always the easiest the so having a leg-up by going to the "best" schools might seem to make sense. But maybe not.
How RI Schools Measure Up
First, let’s look at Rhode Island College. In comparison to URI, they seem to have the edge on students who have made it in local media. Here’s a look at some of the grads who after their education at RIC who at one time made a living in the media or are still doing it:
John DePetro/AM 630-WPRO Talk Show Host
Bill George/Radio Program Director/Clear Channel
Mike Gonsalves/On-Air/94-HJY
Davey Morris/On-Air/92-PRO FM
Danny Smith/Executive Producer of Family Guy; former co-host of PM Magazine
Jane Fusco/Newspaper reporter
Arty Goldstein/WPRI sportscaster
John Boyle/Syndicated Talk Show Host/Los Angeles based
As the list shows, Rhode Island College has an impressive list of people that clearly are household names in Rhode Island media. RIC has both a radio station and TV station which for the size school it is makes for a great hands on-experience for students.
URI More National Media Jobs
University of Rhode Island tips the scales a bit when it comes to grads that have gone on to hold jobs in National media. Like RIC, URI has a campus radio station. Here’s a list of the famous faces and names that went on to some type of media gig.
John King, Host/CNN
John Geddes, Mangaging Editor/New York Times
Nicole Herrington/Copy Editor/New York Times
Ryan Sloane/Producer/CNN
Adam Wiener/Producer/CBS
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April Fulton/Food and Features editor/NPR Washington, DC
Steve Greenlee/Features Editor/Boston Globe
Josh Fenton/Co-Founder/GoLocalProv.Com
Gregg Perry/News Anchor/Reporter/WHJJ, WHJY, WPRO-AM, 92-Pro-Fm
John Palumbo/Publisher/RI Monthly
Tom Ward/Owner/Valley Breeze Newspaper
John DeLuca/Anchor/Channel 6
Tara Granahan/AM-630 WPRO Morning Drive Host
Bill Corey/Sports Editor/Providence Journal
Are Those Expensive Schools Really Worth It?
So, it goes without saying that Rhode Island schools sure have their share of media pro’s who got real jobs and not just some fancy degree. And while a degree from Columbia sure is prestigious – so is the price tag. Try about $50,000 plus per year. At URI and RIC – in-state tuition is only a fraction of the cost.
You don’t need a degree in rocket science to see the difference.