For years, seniors Jake Asman and Dan Budick have held their radio show, “The Asman and Budick Show,” in the confines of Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park Hall. This February, they’ll be live from Radio Row.
On Oct. 28, the two seniors announced that they will be broadcasting at the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston. They will be the first students ever from the college to be a part of Radio Row.
“To now have the opportunity to take our show to Radio Row is a dream come true,” Asman said. “We are grateful to be the first-ever students from Ithaca College student media to broadcast our show from the site of one of the world’s biggest sporting events.”
The two became friends in eighth grade and attended Syosset High School in Syosset, New York, where they worked at WKWZ Radio, the school’s radio station.
“That’s really where we found out we had such a passion — such a love — of radio,” Asman said.
Asman and Budick continued to pursue their love for radio when they enrolled at the college in 2013. During their second semester as freshmen, Asman and Budick pitched a sports talk podcast to the executive staff at ICTV and released their first show on iTunes and ICTV.org on Feb. 19, 2014.
“Ithaca College opened the door for us to do those kinds of things,” Budick said. “The [Roy H.] Park School [of Communications] allowed us to do the show consistently and gave us the platform.”
The best memory the two had on the show, they said, was when they were able to invite Bob Costas, host of the NBC Olympics since 1992, on the show. While Asman was working at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this past summer, he met Costas and was able to air a prerecorded interview with him over the phone.
“Bob Costas is really the face of sports, whether it’s NBC or what he does for MLB Network — I mean, he is as big as it gets in sports broadcasting,” Budick said.
The story of how Asman and Budick got the chance to be at the Super Bowl goes back to when they studied at the college’s Los Angeles program in Spring 2016. They originally tried to get to the Super Bowl when it was in San Francisco, which would have been a six-hour drive, but it did not pan out how they expected, Budick said.
This year, they applied for the chance to be a part of the festivities back in October under Ithaca College Radio. They heard back less than a day later and were given the opportunity to broadcast their show from Radio Row for three days, which they gladly accepted.
The Park School will also be funding their flight to Houston along with the transportation while there.
Asman said he is ecstatic to be granted this opportunity and does not want to disrespect the NFL in his role.
“The biggest thing for us is, ‘Hey, if we get the opportunity to go, we’re not going to let you down, NFL,’” Asman said.
There’s still much to work out before they land in Houston, including equipment needs, when they’ll interview special guests and what they’ll talk about when they’re on air. Much of that will be in the hands of senior Jake Chernok, producer of the show.
“A big part of my job will be fighting it out with other producers for guests,” Chernok said. “We’re already talking about bumping some elbows, and I’m working hard.”
The show will be broadcast in large part for fans of teams in the greater New York area. However, Asman said they will also welcome listeners from other areas of the country.
“The thing about the Super Bowl is it appeals to a national audience,” he said. “So any team you root for or any type of fan that we can attract, we’ll quietly take them as a listener.”
Budick said his opportunity to work the Super Bowl will be worthwhile.
“What I hope to get out of it is a great sports experience,” Budick said. “To say we’re going to be a part of the Super Bowl is the most exciting for me.”
