When I began attending SUNY Fredonia in 2009 I was undeclared and had no idea what I wanted to major in. After taking classical guitar courses I toyed with the idea of becoming a Music major, but ultimately decided that path wasn’t for me. My parents encouraged me to look into a degree in Communications, and after researching the department I found out that they had an Audio/Radio trajectory. I figured that would still involve music, so I signed up.  

My sophomore year I became an assistant Music Director for the school’s radio station, WCVF. By junior year I was Production Director, and in my senior year I was elected as Program Director.  

 

Something I noticed was that, while Fredonia had a lively music scene, we didn’t really have a focus on local music in our programming. The song files for WNY musicians that were in the system hadn’t been updated in years, and our only local showcase was occasionally simulcasting WBNY’s local show. With that in mind, in the Winter of 2013, I started a show called The Local Lo-Down, which focused on musicians not only in Fredonia, but Buffalo and surrounding areas in Western New York. I only had the show for one semester as I graduated that Spring, but I handed it off to Lexi Ziccardi (who you may recognize from 103.3 The Edge), a freshman who expressed interest in taking the reins. The show grew and changed over time, but it still exists to this day. 

During my college years I interned, and then worked, in the promotions department at Cumulus Media in Buffalo, before resigning to become a production intern at Entercom Communications (now Audacy). Upon graduating from Fredonia, I was hired and bounced between positions as a producer, part-time fill-in jock, and occasional traffic reporter.

Near the end of 2013, the company announced that it would be transitioning its 107.7 FM frequency to an alternative rock station: Alternative Buffalo. I immediately knew I wanted in and met with the hired PD, Nik Rivers, to propose doing a local music show. Thankfully, he had already had the idea and was receptive to my inquiry. In January of 2014 I became the host and producer of Localized, a regional music showcase that mirrored the same format I followed on The Local Lo-Down: an hour of local music with a live performance/interview sandwiched at the bottom of the hour.

I worked at Alt Buffalo for 4 years, and I’ll always be grateful for my time with the station. It was an amazing way to connect with the Western New York music community, not only as a radio host, but as an artist. It was also cool to have the experience of working some of the “big” shows, like Kerfuffle and the Kerfuffle Before Christmas, and conduct on-air interviews with such artists as The Violent Femmes, Walk the Moon, Wolf Alice, and Cake.  

In the Fall of 2017 I moved to Nashville, TN and in December was hired by WSM Radio, the Home of the Grand Ole Opry, as a freelance reporter. I created 3 pieces during my time there that were all focused around tourism and what was attracting people to visit, and live in, Nashville.

My time in Nashville was brief due to health issues that forced me to move back to Buffalo. For a time I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the chance to get back into radio, but fortunately, an opportunity came with BTPM The Bridge (part of Buffalo Toronto Public Media) to host the regional music program, The Scene. 

The show kicked off in May of 2023 and featured artists based in Western New York and Southern Ontario. In my time hosting the program, I had the pleasure of discovering many regional artists, in addition to interviewing several of them. I also got to chat with performers such as Ani DiFranco and had the opportunity to be a guest host on NPR Music's New Music Friday podcast. 

In September of 2026 I resigned from the station to pursue other opportunities. I'm not sure if radio will ever make its way back into my life, but I've learned to never say never.