Jonah Karp hated when he missed “Loud Mouths.”

Growing up, he rushed to get his homework done before 5:30 p.m. everyday, so he could watch “Loud Mouths” and Adam Schein on SNY, a sports-talk show. He would tape it if he missed it.

Tuesday morning, Karp not only met Schein, but interviewed him.

“I led off my interviewing basically fanboying over him,” Karp, a junior at Syracuse University, said.

For the first time, current-Syracuse students are represented at the Super Bowl Radio Row. Karp, Jackson Ajello and Drew Carter air live twice per day on Z89, gather clips for Citrus TV segments and sound bites for WAER, Syracuse’s student-run radio, television and National Public Radio stations, respectively. What started as an insult to Karp in Dennis Deninger’s Super Bowl class last year turned into a new opportunity for Syracuse students. The three, along with Deninger, are in Atlanta at one of media’s largest stages, spending six days immersed in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

“You see it all the time on TV, and you’re like ‘That’s insane,’’ Ajello said. “But until you’re there, you don’t get a full grasp of what a madhouse it is.”

From left to right, Jackson Ajello, Drew Carter and Jonah Karp pose for a picture at Super Bowl radio row.Courtesy of Dennis Deninger

Their first taste of the media frenzy came during Super Bowl Opening Night on Jan. 28, when at least two thousand media members joined the SU crew on the floor of State Farm Arena and 10,000 spectators filed into the stands.

The week after the Super Bowl last year, Karp sat in Deninger’s Super Bowl class, where they broke down components of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots event. The last slide of Deninger’s presentation, a “parting thought,” as Karp said, showed three sophomores from St. Bonaventure at the Super Bowl. And Karp recognized one.

It was Joe Ceraulo, one of Karp’s friends from Syosset (New York) High School. There, they ran a sports talk show together, and went to separate communications schools after graduation. Ceraulo was a leading part of St. Bonaventure’s project to send down students to the Super Bowl.

“The fact that it was recognized by my professor, in class, in front of everyone, that kind of kicked my butt a little bit,” Karp said. “It lit a fire under my butt, I was a little jealous.”

Deninger’s message was clear: If St. Bonaventure can go, why can’t Syracuse?

Carter (left) and Karp (far right) converse with Ed Werder, who will be reporting at the Super Bowl for Westwood One Courtesy of Dennis Deninger

Immediately after class, Karp walked up to Deninger and said that he wanted to go. If Karp could get a group together, Deninger was on board.

Karp spent the ensuing months making that a reality. Before this week, the most famous media figure he met was Kevin Burkhardt, a former field reporter for New York Mets telecasts. Karp went to Newhouse events where individuals like Bob Costas and Mike Tirico spoke, but that doesn’t compare to Atlanta.

“It was just wild,” Karp said. “Aside from the fact that we were rubbing shoulders with the people we watch on TV, it’s just being there.”

Funding was an issue during the entire process. When planning for the trip first began, Karp wanted just Z89 to broadcast from Atlanta, not only because it would take Z89 out of WAER’s “shadows,” but also since Z89 provided more flexibility on-air. However, the station had just submitted its budget the week before. So Karp went to WAER, and its budget was set too. Karp was able to use WAER’s name on the media credentials, but received no funding. Along the way, though, Ajello, the sports talk director at WAER, teamed up with Karp.

“This is what Syracuse, what Newhouse, does best,” Ajello said. “Better than everyone.”

Courtesy of Dennis Deninger

Still in search of funds, the two went to Citrus TV. They didn’t receive money, but could use the station’s camera equipment. There, the senior Carter joined their group.

Rachel Vassel, a SU alum living in Atlanta, offered her house for the week. Her invitation saved the group thousands of dollars, Karp said. The four ended up paying for plane tickets out of pocket, but Karp hopes they end up getting reimbursed.

This week, the SU group interviewed Scott Hansen and Andrew Siciliano from the NFL RedZone Channels. They spoke with Akbar Gbaja-Biamila from American Ninja Warrior, Reggie White’s son Jeremy on promoting mental health in the NFL, and Jermichael Finley, a former Green Bay Packers tight end, among others. On Media Night, the more prominent players who graced the podium on weren’t likely interviewees, so they walked the floor. When they leave Atlanta on Saturday, they’ll have left perhaps having started a legacy for SU students.

“As much as we could plan ahead,” Karp said on Tuesday, “and figure out what events were going on, we tried our best. And so far, it’s been incredible.”

Published on February 2, 2019 at 11:15 am

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