Behind the Scenes with Wrecker Radio

When Wrecker Radio broadcasts live from a Staples High School varsity football game, it can be difficult for the student hosts to mask school pride when a peer scores a touchdown or the team clinches a nail-biting win seconds before the clock expires.

That was the case Thursday at the Staples Thanksgiving Day game against Greenwich.

As DJ Sixsmith and Eric Gallanty painted the picture on the field with an on-air play by play, their fellow host Mike Nussbaum seemed hardly able to contain his excitement.

With 41 seconds left, Nussbaum focused intently on the game and grabbed the back of his friend's jacket as his eyes lit up when Sixsmith described what a win would mean for the Wreckers — a No. 1 seed and entry into the state playoffs.

As senior kicker Santiago Cuartas made the game-winning kick coupled with Staples late-game block of a Greenwich field goal, the hosts hugged and gave a thumbs up sign to their friends on the field.

"We were freaking out in the booth when they got that kick return," Sixsmith said to Wrecker Radio listeners and Staples Television Network viewers. "That was a great game guys."

Mike Nussbaum agreed.

"Talk about Thanksgiving, be thankful for this," Nussbaum said during the post-game show. "The Staples Wreckers are going to the state playoffs. I'll be thankful for that."

When Staples takes the field tonight at Wilton High School to play Xavier in the state playoffs, Wrecker Radio will return to the press box to keep listeners informed.

No matter how much they love their team, Sixsmith said he and fellow hosts try to be as neutral as possible when it comes to game-day coverage.

"I learned to avoid saying the word 'we' because even though we are Wrecker Radio and the Staples (Television) Network, we try to make a point of keeping everything unbiased and fair," Sixsmith said. "I learned that when I came into the program as a freshman — being unbiased makes it the best type of broadcast. Plus, I never know if other towns are listening. You just want to be fair to those people too."

A Fresh Start

Wrecker Radio is a student-run radio station that for the first time this year was broadcast live online via a video stream and live on the Staples Television Network, which broadcasts simultaneously.

This year is also the first year WWPT Wrecker Radio entered the John Drury High School Radio Awards, which were created to recognize excellence in high school radio broadcasting and are judged by industry professionals.

The Staples radio station won four awards, including: 

Best Sports Talk (3rd Place):  DJ Sixsmith, Mike Nussbaum, Eric Gallanty (Two Guys and a “Gal”)

Best Sportscast (3rd Place):  Eric Gallanty (Sportscast Update)

Best Radio Drama (Adaptation) (1st Place):  David Roth’s Acting Class and Jim Honeycutt’s Audio Production Class (A Christmas Carol)

Best Radio Station Advisor:  Mike Zito

"They are amazing," Zito said of the students. "They treat themselves as if they were professionals and they're really serious about what they do."

Sixsmith said the hosts spend hours before the games researching the opposing teams, reading articles online about previous games and learning as much as possible before a broadcast, since many last for at least three hours.

Sixsmith and Gallanty said they research team stats and keep binders of information on Staples and their opponents.

"The more research you do, the more you have to draw from," Gallanty said, adding that the broadcast is not scripted and they "just wing it."

Gallanty has been interested in broadcasting since he was in elementary school.

Sixsmith got into sports broadcasting when he ended his football career as a sophomore because of two concussions. While he misses playing the game, he said he's blessed to have opportunities in broadcasting. Aside from Wrecker Radio and STN, Sixsmith has appeared as a guest on the MSG Varsity Network, which is devoted to high school sports coverage.

"It's my dream to be a sportscaster," Sixsmith said. "It's so exciting and thrilling to cover. Every time I do a broadcast, I get this rush of excitement. I love painting the picture and making people understand what's going on. I love doing the broadcasting because I love sports so much."

From the Studio

While some of the students want to pursue broadcasting as a career, those behind the scenes are not so sure.

Though listeners and viewers see Sixsmith, Gallanty and Nussbaum live on TV, what they don't see are those working from the studio. 

Juniors Brandon Edelson and Ben Meyers coordinate the television cameras, game graphics and all the technical logistics necessary for a successful broadcast.

Edelson, the student network's producer, said he wants to pursue engineering as a career but wouldn't mind minoring in television production.

"It's a little too crazy for me though," he said. "There's no break."

Before a live broadcast, Edelson is usually up until 1 a.m. the night before preparing all the necessary graphics. Then after a four-hour nap he wakes to finish his work before heading to school to start the preparations.

Aside from the graphics, he also has to predict what the scores will be ahead of time and create graphics for them because the equipment Staples has does not allow him to just type the score into the computer. He has to make an image of it and then upload it.

The equipment he would need to simplify the process comes with a $5,000 price tag, which the school doesn't have right now.

Edelson has a wish list for the program, including wireless modules to broadcast live from areas such as the baseball field where that's not currently possible.

In the meantime, though, Edelson is working with what he has and always looking for ways to improve.

Though he was never a big football fan, Edelson said he's started watching all the Sunday football games on TV to see what other networks produce in terms of game-day graphics.

Meyers, a football fan, said he loves the game and would be interested in pursuing television production as a career.

While he roots for Staples to win, Edelson just hopes his pre-created scores will be correct to ensure a seamless transition. He's right about half the time, he said with a smile.

While he admits the broadcast can occasionally be chaos behind the scenes, he said he's amazed at the work of the on-camera hosts.

"They're really good," he said. "It's all in their heads and it's all in my hands."

"Yeah, there's never a moment when they say, 'Oh yeah,' and don't know what to say next," Meyers added. "They constantly work off each other."

Jim Honeycutt, another faculty advisor of the program, agrees the students dedicated to the station and the network are "legitimate talents."

"I would go as far as to say they are anomalies," he said. "That's how talented they are."

And, yes, Honeycutt expects to see many of them on TV after they graduate college.

"Of course, we'll see these guys," he said. "This is what they want to do."

Until then, tune into WWPT Wrecker Radio 90.3 FM, turn on Channel 78 for the Staples Television Network or go online for a video stream here.

Sixsmith, Gallanty and Nussbaum will be reporting live from tonight's state playoff game between Staples and Xavier.

They'll be sure to bring you accurate play-by-play coverage, and perhaps a few cheers for the home team.

Want to Help?

Those interested in sponsoring some of the student efforts on Wrecker Radio or STN, can e-mail staplestelevisionnetwork@gmail.com.