WKDU to broadcast basketball games | The Triangle

WKDU to broadcast basketball games

Drexel University Athletics Department announced a partnership with the independent student radio station WKDU Jan. 5 that will allow them to broadcast Drexel’s men’s basketball games live. Coverage has so far included the first two colonial association games and WKDU will continue to cover the remaining men’s basketball season.
“Drexel men’s basketball, while only a mere change in the content and format of WKDU’s programming, marks the conception of a beautiful collaboration between Drexel University and WKDU,” Cooper Beaupre, the Program Director of WKDU, Cooper Beaupre, in an email.
Mike Tuberosa, Associate Athletics Director for Communications and Rob Brooks from Drexel Athletics are the broadcasters for the games. However, WKDU retains its autonomy by ensuring that those working behind the scenes to make sure that the broadcasts are aired on live are Drexel students. Specifically, Billy Bauer, former sports editor of The Triangle and Shane O’Connor, current arts and entertainment editor, are tasked with this job.
Although WKDU and Drexel Athletics have tried in the past to work together, this is their first official partnership. According to WKDU General Manager Esmail Hamidi, the negotiations for their collaboration began in 2013 after WKDU decided to accept the Athletics Department’s request to air some games on the radio station.
“In the past, WKDU’s relationship with Drexel Athletics has been rather non-existent…This year however, the current executive staff of the station has chosen to move closer to the University,” Beaupre wrote.
He continued, “We’ve chosen to provide our listeners with an alternate form of programming that hasn’t existed on WKDU in a long time.” According to Hamidi, the only past coverage of athletics included broadcasting of basketball games in 1973 and a failed attempt to begin broadcasting the women’s basketball games in 2008.
“Other avenues into programming, other than music, have been made. But this is a big thing because it is not just music,” Hamidi said.
The partnership is detailed in a contract between Drexel Athletics and WKDU and will be revised each year to determine if it should be continued.
“Creating connections within the Drexel community is always good. Our target market is students and if we’re doing more things to serve more interests then it’s more likely that people will encounter us,” Hamidi remarked.
“It’s exciting for our program and for our fans to have our games back on the radio…It is a great opportunity for our alumni and supporters to hear our games on the radio,” Head Coach James “Bruiser” Flint said in a press release.
Hamidi also said that he is confident that women’s basketball games and other sports may be broadcast by WKDU in the future.

Photo courtesy: WKDU Radio
Photo courtesy: WKDU Radio