OWWR Station Manager and SUNY OW Lecturer Joseph Manfredi Photo Credit: Giovanni Dainotto
When COVID-19 cases were rising at an alarming rate back in March, Media and Communication Lecturer and Old Westbury Web Radio (OWWR) station manager Professor Joseph Manfredi, who has been in his position for nearly 15 years, closed the doors at OWWR two days before the campus did. During the week of March 15th, New York had 221 cases, by the next week it reached 5,500 cases. When asked if it was tough decision to close the station, Manfredi said “It’s always tough when you have to tell your on-air staff members, you’re telling all these people they can’t come in anymore.”
While media is considered essential, Manfredi did not feel OWWR could stay on-air without consent from the college’s administration and ensuring the safety of his staff.
This left many staff members wondering where OWWR stood, but Manfredi didn’t let the staff down. With countless emails, Zoom meetings, and one-on-one virtual meetings, OWWR was still strong. Sandra Cerrone, a.k.a DJ Sandra D, who hosts Sweet Beats on Friday’s from 11 to 1 P.M,, was shocked when the station was instructed to close its doors. “My first thought was ‘I cannot believe this’ but at the same time I understood how incredibly dangerous it would be to be on campus,” she said.
Like Sandra D, many other jocks were itching to have their voices broadcasted somewhere. She turned to Instagram. “My next immediate thoughts were ‘how can I entertain people and bring them new artist and interviews?’ It was then that I came up with the idea of my Insta-series ‘Sweet Beatz Saturdays,’” she added.
SUNY OW’s alumni Marvin Argueta, who hosts his weekly soccer show Goal Zone on Sundays from 7 to 8 PM, turned to Instagram to broadcast his voice and keep his listeners engaged. “My first thoughts when the campus closed down were very unfortunate because we work so hard to give the best possible programming weekly and it’s uncertain when we would return live,” he said. But once Argueta started his weekly Instagram live broadcasts, the challenges kept piling on. “The hardest thing was getting content because sports were on pause. I had to create content such as ‘The Top 20 Soccer Players in the World’ It was not easy, but it helped me.”
Throughout the months OWWR was off the air, Manfredi was planning “The Rise” since the pandemic began, starting with an email featuring a picture of a Phoenix rising from a fire. “I had kinda been planning the resurgence since I locked the doors,” he said. “I had an idea of how to resurrect OWWR using CDC guidelines, industry organizations, publications, and monitoring international broadcast operations.”
But opening the station was not going to be easy, as the staff had to attend mandatory training sessions on safety precautions, cleaning protocols, and logistics that all approved staff have to follow. “The biggest theme with our return is safety,” said Manfredi. “It’s practicing all these safe habits. Washing your hands upon entry, upon exiting. In addition to all of the cleaning practices, we clean the consoles, equipment, wires, door handles. We rely heavily on what the staff member before has done.”
On June 19th, the college administration approved Manfredi’s plan to open with a significant reduction in density. On June 26th, the station opened its doors and the rules were strictly enforced. OWRR staff members must wear a mask from the moment they leave their car. After a staff member finishes their tasks or shows, they must use the cleaning products supplied in the studios to sanitize the area and equipment. This is also followed by an exit form with a strict checklist of areas to sanitize to ensure everyone’s safety.
Currently, OWWR is in the midst of their fall programming that started on September 13th. “We have approximately 15 to 18 shows on their air, but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily here,” Manfredi said. “A lot of the shows get dialed in remotely or sent to production to put in rotation.” He explained that another reason the radio station is open is to keep students engaged in their crafts as they continue to learn.
To listen or to learn more about OWWR, visit OWWRNY.org for schedule information, COVID-19 resources and to connect with them on social networks. OWWR has a variety of shows ranging from sports, talk, and a variety of music genres.
