Academics

Student-driven CommRadio set for live broadcasts from Super Bowl

Brandon Pelter (left) and David Arroyo will lead Super Bowl coverage for CommRadio with live shows three nights in the week before the game and a live post-game report. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

It’s another “super” opportunity for students who contribute to CommRadio, the internet-based radio station housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State, and those involved plan to make the most of it.

Two students from CommRadio, Brandon Pelter and David Arroyo, will be on location in Atlanta for the Super Bowl from Jan. 28 through Feb. 4, providing live coverage from “Radio Row” for three consecutive nights and content for the online outlet throughout the week, including a live post-game show.

As hundreds of media members from around the world converge on Atlanta for the game -- and all that accompanies it -- senior journalism majors Arroyo and Pelter will be working on their own reports. Their shows will air live from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 30 and 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 31 and 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 1.

This marks the first time CommRadio students have conducted live shows from Radio Row, which serves as the home of many media outlets from across the world at the Super Bowl. A variety of experts and guests visit the area the week before the game to meet with media members to pitch a product or share their message.

In addition to their on-site contributions, more than a dozen other students will provide reports to and support the shows from the CommRadio studio on campus.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity and a total team effort,” Pelter said. “Lots of people will have a hand in making the shows special. When you have two hours a night for three nights in a row, that’s a lot of time. It’s exciting.”

They will be live again after the post-game trophy presentation on Feb. 3.

CommRadio general manager Jeff Brown consistently tells prospective students that the student-driven station provides hands-on opportunities from the time a potential contributor steps on campus. This year alone, the station has broadcast dozens of varsity sporting events, home and away, and has produced hundreds of hours of news and talk show programming.

For nearly a decade, CommRadio has covered the NFL Draft from start to finish, including weeks of draft preparation and reporting. For student leaders at the station, the Super Bowl seemed like a logical expansion of programming.

CommRadio may be found online at http://commmedia.psu.edu/commradio, or by downloading the RadioFX app for mobile devices and searching for Penn State among the available student radio stations.

Last Updated June 2, 2021