MADISON  – St. Joseph School journalism students hit the airwaves Friday, Aug. 12, when Jackson’s Catholic radio station began carrying their live, weekly coverage of Bruin football. The award-winning Bruin Sports Radio, staffed and managed by high school journalism students, will broadcast all home-and-away varsity football games live Friday nights on WJXC-LP FM 107.9. Bruin Sports Radio also will be available online through TuneIn Radio.
“Students call every game, offer expert analysis and do an entertaining job in the only program of its kind in the Jackson area,” principal Douglas Jones said. “The live broadcasts are a great way to showcase the talented students in our award-winning journalism program.”
Airtime for all football games on Bruin Sports Radio is 6:45 p.m. every Friday with the coach’s pre-game show; kick off follows 15 minutes later. Each broadcast includes a live halftime show and a post-game analysis show.
Bruin Sports Radio is part of the school’s journalism program. Besides Bruin Sports Radio, high school journalists also publish a newspaper, The Bear Facts; publish a school yearbook, The Shield; and produce a weekly newscast available on YouTube, Bruin News Now.
The Mississippi Scholastic Press Association named Bruin Sports Radio in April 2016 the state’s top student-produced streaming program. The MSPA named the coach’s pre-game show the state’s best student-produced pod cast.
The radio broadcast team includes junior Michael Corkern III, junior Nick Zouboukos, and freshman John Baladi, who will share responsibilities for play-by-play and on-air expert analysis. Others on the broadcast team are senior Matthew Hendley and freshman Will Turner, who will produce and host the coach’s pre-game show and live halftime show.
“Our students do an amazing job every week,” Jones said. “By producing a live, weekly radio show, they gain valuable, real-world experience they could not receive anywhere else and they develop skills and talent that will help them throughout the rest of their lives.”