Editor’s note: Peter Gianesini is a senior director of programming operations for ESPN Radio. The 16-year ESPN employee attended Syracuse University and worked as a student at WAER Radio from 1992-94.
Many celebrated sports broadcasters, producers and executives learned their trade at Syracuse University’s WAER 88.3 FM Radio. Because the sports department is entirely student-run, it is the ultimate training ground – not to mention a tight-knit fraternity of people who love sports and radio. This weekend, WAER will induct ESPN’s Mike Tirico as the fifth member of its Hall of Fame.
I’m not going to detail Mike’s accomplishments or the events he has covered in this space. Those milestones alone make him a Hall of Famer – and, frankly, there are far too many to mention. What makes Mike’s induction so special is that WAER is honoring an individual who has arguably given back to his school, fellow alums and students more than anyone else in the program’s history.
Sampling of ESPN play-by-play announcers who are alums of WAER:
- Jason Benetti
- Carter Blackburn
- Mike Couzens
- Sean McDonough*
- Beth Mowins
- Dave O’Brien
- Dave Pasch
- Anish Shroff
- Doug Sherman
- Mike Tirico
*McDonough will soon be inducted into the WAER HOF
Additional WAER alums at ESPN:
- Executive Vice President, Programming and Production John Wildhack
- ESPN Radio producer Bill Ennever
- ESPNRadio.com associate editor Josh Macri
- Coordinating Producer Steve Vecchione
- ESPN Radio anchor Jon Versteeg
Thirteen years later, in 2007, I had the pleasure to work with Mike in launching his radio show. September 20 was identified as the date for the first Mike Tirico Show. When I called Mike to run this by him, he said he had to be in Syracuse that same day for a building dedication at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Right away he knew what to do.
Mike wanted to debut the show from WAER, where we started his broadcasting career and where he could share the event with the current crop of students. He was also able to leverage his relationships with fellow Syracuse alum Bob Costas and men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim to have them join him in-studio. That day, many of the attending students had that same look of awe watching the show I had while touring ESPN with him in 1994.
I am honored to call Mike a colleague and a friend and I’m thrilled he will be recognized with this weekend’s WAER Hall of Fame honor.
