A pair of former colleagues at Marshall University’s campus radio station is going to work together at WRNR in Martinsburg, WV. STAA member Spencer DuPuis is joining the station as a sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster.
“It’s exciting for me not only that I get to began my professional only a little over an hour from home, but also that I was one of two hires for this position. The other is my former colleague at WMUL, Nick Verzolini,” DuPuis grins.
Out of nowhere
DuPuis found the WRNR opportunity unconventionally. “Funny enough, because I live about an hour from WRNR and Martinsburg, WV the job popped up as a sponsored ad on Facebook,” he recalls. “I immediately got my materials together and emailed them to the contact person. Then I got a call a couple hours later asking me to set up an interview. It all happened in about a week.”
The fact that his first full-time sportscasting job is close to home is exciting to DuPuis. “I know the general sports realm of West Virginia and I get to be teamed up with a former colleague from college radio.”
Pandemic challenges
Hitting the sportscasting job market during the pandemic was less than ideal for DuPuis. “Graduating college in 2020 and trying to get a broadcasting job was a huge challenge. Something that I tried to do was to stay positive and work on my craft independently so I could stay polished.
Joining STAA
DuPuis joined STAA at about the same time he grabbed his diploma. He learned of STAA after seeing a replica of the trophy won by STAA’s inaugural Jim Nantz Award winner and DuPuis’ fellow Marshall University alumni, Adam Cavalier. It is displayed in a trophy case on the university’s campus.
“One way that my STAA membership has benefited me is being able to see job openings in my email a few times a week, especially during my busy weeks where I didn’t have the time to spend hours looking for jobs,” says DuPuis.
Fortunately for DuPuis, his sportscasting job search is on an indefinite hold as he and Verzolini join WRNR. “I think it’s going to be great for us to start our careers together as we worked very well together at Marshall,” DuPuis smiles.