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From the first time Owen McCarron saw 107.7 The Bronc, he knew С����Ƶ was the right fit. Four years later, the student-run radio station helped launch his career.

A senior radio and podcasting major with a minor in sports media, McCarron will join Public Media Engineering as a broadcast systems engineer in New York City after graduation.

During his internship with Public Media Engineering this spring, McCarron gained hands-on experience maintaining broadcast equipment, running cables and troubleshooting systems for major radio clients in New York City. In his full-time role, he will help maintain and install broadcast equipment for clients including Spanish Broadcasting System and MediaCo, which owns stations such as WBLS and Hot 97.

“When I started my internship, I wondered if I was going to be doing a lot more watching than actually doing work,” he says. “But by my third week, I was being taught how to actually build equipment that we’re surrounded by every day in the broadcasting world.”

He says 107.7 The Bronc prepared him well for that environment.

“From working as promotions director to student chief engineer to hosting our award-winning show, Wake Up Rider, I’ve always considered the work that I did at The Bronc to be my real-world experience,” he says.

Throughout his time at Rider, McCarron built a strong résumé as an on-air personality, including being named Senior Broadcaster of the Year by Rider’s Department of Communication, Journalism and Media, but he found himself increasingly drawn to the technical side of broadcasting.

That interest, he says, was encouraged by John Mozes, general manager of 107.7 The Bronc and executive director of Rider’s Student Media Center. Before McCarron officially became the station’s student chief engineer, Mozes began giving him more technical responsibilities.

“I very quickly realized, ‘Oh, he’s building a pipeline,’” McCarron says. “He knows that if he keeps giving me more tasks, and I keep getting them done, I’m going to eventually start to be like, ‘Oh, I could maybe be the engineer.’”

McCarron says Mozes has “pretty much perfected the system” of identifying students’ strengths, helping mold them and guiding them in the right direction at the station.
“He explained to me, ‘There are people who don’t have the patience for this, and there are people who do, and you’re one of them,’” McCarron says. “I took that very appreciatively, and I ran for it, and I honestly haven’t looked back since.”

The experience ultimately helped McCarron discover a path that combines broadcasting, problem-solving and the hands-on technical work he loves — skills he will carry into his role with Public Media Engineering.

Beyond the radio station, McCarron has served as an orientation leader, admissions tour guide, Greek ambassador and leader in Theta Chi fraternity. With each opportunity he embraced, he says, he became more confident in his ability to connect with others, lead and grow.

“Rider really does just serve it all to you on a platter,” he says. “They give you the tools for success, and they say, ‘Take them.’ And when you take them, and get as involved as a lot of students on campus are, that’s really what helps you grow.”