SANTA CLARA, CA – As I asked Christian Fauria for a little bit of time Wednesday afternoon on Radio Row, he immediately said sure, but give him two seconds.
That’s because the former Patriot and and WEEI co-host was leading by example, making sure a few students wrapped up an interview in a timely manner with Ben Volin from the Boston Globe at Bryant University’s booth.
Fauria has a co-run course at the school called “Advanced Sports Broadcasting: Road to Radio Row,’ alongside the Language Studies Department Chair and Communication Professor Chris Morse, Ph.D. It’s a venture that’s already paying dividends for a mix of 10 seniors and juniors who have guests rolling in throughout the week.
Bryant has joined other college TV or radio stations such as Ithaca, Marist and of course, Syracuse. It’s an incredible opportunity at the hub of the NFL world.
But, it’s not just an opportunity to connect with other schools, the Bulldogs are there to compete.
Fauria was a Super Bowl-winning player after all.
“It just came about because we wanted to do something different,” Fauria said. “We wanted to stand out. We wanted to be unique. We wanted to let all the other schools that are doing the same thing realize we’re just as competitive, we want to be just as relevant as them. So, we decided to start our own radio show and bring it into the heart of all the competition.
“So, we vetted out the students, we found the 10 best and then, this is what we got.”
Bryant isn’t necessarily in Northern California this week to ‘beat’ other schools’ radio stations or content departments, but show that they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in a cut throat week where everyone’s time is the biggest commodity.
“What you’re doing is, you’re competing for guests, you’re competing for relevance, you’re competing for standards, you’re competing for how good you are,” he said. “All of that stuff is part of it. So far, when I look at it, how these guys are hustling, how they’re going to get some of the interviews they’ve gotten, how they’re handling themselves in this environment, I’m just really impressed.”
While the 10 students in the Moscone Center will probably never get a bigger opportunity during their time in Smithfield, Rhode Island, the football program could play a role in helping get even more views and listens for the young media squad.
“My thing is, do I care whether the football team is good or not? Absolutely,” said Fauria. “It brings notoriety to the team, to the school, it gives eye balls to the school and it gives them an opportunity to talk about them. Then, everyone’s interested in talking about the team. So, yeah, when the football team is good, everyone benefits from it.”
Fauria is also looking big picture, even though it’s hard to believe you can get much bigger than the Super Bowl.
“I want to keep doing it. I want it to look better,” he added. ” want it to sound better and I really want…when people in this industry talk about Bryant University’s broadcasting students, they understand the high standards they’re getting with these students.”
