SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– Like Varsity Pizza and the Carrier Dome, WAER is a place that many Syracuse University students and alumni know well.
The long-term relationship between the NPR radio station and University is about to grow significantly. In the fall, students who attend the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University can expect to see even more of a presence from the station.
WAER director and general manager Joe Lee said the station is now a department in Newhouse, which means they can work closely with classes and professors.
“It opens the door for other partnerships that could be project-driven and not necessarily have students in-house here,” said Lee.
In other words, this means that instead of holding a position at the station, students can build their resumes right in class.
The goal behind the change is to align the station with Syracuse University’s mission of giving students unparalleled experiences.
Serving the greater Syracuse area with sports, music and news, Lee said the station is well-known for its sports coverage.
“We want that same kind of importance and gravitas around what we do with journalism,” said Lee.
This change will better serve the University and give more focus to journalism.
The station has also added a fifth member to its newsroom for this cause.
Originally being a team of four, Lee said this new position will spend half of its time working on long-form pieces, and the other half of the time with students to deepen their journalism skills.
Working with over 120 students per school year, WAER will continue providing students with opportunities at its news station in addition to this new change in its reporting structure.
