By Kiara Catanzaro
News Editor
Three St. Bonaventure alumni will be inducted into the WSBU-FM 88.3 The Buzz Hall of Fame tomorrow at noon to honor their professional achievements.
The inductees include Justin Craig, ‘97, a program director at ESPN’s New York City station, Tom Schuh, ‘84, a programming and marketing specialist with WECK Radio in Buffalo and Dominic Genova, ‘75, a sole-proprietor.
Schuh said he will dedicate his honor to his wife, Bridget Schuh, who passed away last month.
“I am dedicating my honor to my wife Bridget, who passed away in January after a six-year battle with breast cancer,” Schuh said. “Although she was not an alumna, she accompanied me on many trips to St. Bonaventure and loved our friends there.”
Elmer Ploetz, ‘81, said the WSBU Hall of Fame is an opportunity for Bonaventure alumni and current students to connect.
“For many St. Bonaventure alumni, some of their best times were spent in a cinder-block set of rooms on the second floor of the Reilly Center,” said Ploetz, now a journalism professor at SUNY Fredonia. “The alumni are looking to give back to the university and the station.”
In 1998, WSBU-FM established its Hall of Fame, but after the induction of the first class, it was left without attention for several years.
In 2011, some radio veterans from Bonaventure, primarily Schuh, decided to revive it and inducted a new class in January 2012, which was scheduled to coincide with homecoming weekend, Ploetz said.
“Last year’s event was dedicated to remembering Pat O’Sullivan, ‘83, who had recently died,” Ploetz said.
Ploetz said members are inducted by nomination of current Hall of Fame Members and the current WSBU Board selects the inductees.
“The inductees have a combination of dedication and achievement at the station and a level of success in their lives after graduation,” Ploetz said. “Some have gone on in radio, but others have not. However, we have all retained a love of the station and the medium.”
Mike Arena, station manager for WSBU-FM, said he looks forward to learning about how the inductees used their skills from WSBU in their real-world experiences.
“I really just want to learn what I should be focusing as a journalism student in terms of life after graduation,” Arena said. “From a radio aspect, what skills are crucial and what about working in college radio translated to their professional lives past the Buzz.”
Schuh offered advice to students who hope to work in the field in the future.
“Students hoping to work in media today must have a much more well-rounded background than we did 30 years ago,” Schuh said. “We could specialize in radio programming, but now you have to know all there is to know about traditional, new and social media. One thing that hasn’t changed is the need for real-world experience. Get an internship every summer.”
There will be a small reception after the induction of the new members. Once inducted, Craig, Schuh and Genova will receive plaques for their membership into the Hall of Fame.
