Talkback

On the finale of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman looks back at the five decades of WAER and Syracuse alumni who have been interviewed for this podcast. Since April, 52 play-by-play announcers, TV anchors and talk show hosts have explained what SU meant to them and the path they took after leaving the Hill. This episode, begins in 1968 with Len Berman and ends this past March with 2020 Sports Director Jack McMullen. Along the way, we look back at the common lessons learned during the pandemic and across generations who all came through WAER.

With the Big Ten and Pac-12's decisions to postpone fall sports—including college football—the ramifications of those choices are endless. This week on Talkback, host Cooper Boardman hears three different perspectives on the future of the sport: Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, Matt Chazanow, voice of Washington State in the Pac-12, and Paul Peck, play-by-play for the University at Buffalo of the MAC.

With major sports leagues back in action, adaptation is at a premium. On this week's episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman looks at the winding career paths of podcast pioneer Seth Everett and Phoenix Suns broadcaster Jon Bloom. The 90's SU grads talk about making the most of opportunities and rolling with the punches.

Basketball comes back this week inside the bubbles in the NBA and WNBA. On this week's episode of Talkback, Orlando and Bradenton take center stage. Minnesota Timberwolves play-by-play radio voice Alan Horton walks through the challenges ahead for the NBA's Disney World reopening, and 2018 WAER Syracuse alum Sean Salisbury details calling the WNBA season from a studio.

With Major League Baseball's return marking the end of this sports drought, host Cooper Boardman dives into the challenges ahead and what the return to baseball means with ESPN's Jeff Passan, Boston Red Sox TV announcer Dave O'Brien and Houston Astros radio announcer Rob Ford.

The fifteenth episode of Talkback comes less than three weeks before the National Hockey League restarts its season. Two NHL voices—Jim Jackson of the Philadelphia Flyers and Steve Goldstein of the Florida Panthers—join the podcast to break down the sport's return in Canadian bubble cities.

The NBA was one of the first dominoes to fall on March 11, when Rudy Gobert's positive test halted the league's season, and ultimately, sports. Now, it plans its return in a Disney World bubble. This week on Talkback, Adam Schein, John Jastremski and Noah Eagle explain what that return looks like and what it means to those inside and outside the basketball world.

The college experience provides groundwork for the future, but this week on Talkback, a return to Syracuse means creating that future. Host Cooper Boardman talks with two SU professors, Matt Park and Rich Cimini, who work in the industry and return to teach and mentor students.

This week, Talkback hosts a reunion for the class of 2018. Host Cooper Boardman chats with three recent Syracuse and WAER alums about their last few years and what it's like to be two years out of school in the middle of a pandemic.

Times of crisis require voices people trust, both in the community and nationally. On this week's episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman talks to WAER alumni who have spent the past months covering their communities.

College sports connect fans throughout the country, and college memories connect those who came through Syracuse. On this week's episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman takes a cross country trip to learn more about Orange alums who have become college voices.

With two months before the start of the preseason, Talkback examines the National Football League's unique advantage—time. Host Cooper Boardman talks with three NFL play-by-play broadcasters about the state of the league's return, what they miss most about the game and how they have helped their communities.

Ever since sports vanished overnight, the question remains when they will return. As the complex answers trickle in, more questions emerge. On this week's episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman looks across the sports landscape at the road ahead.

As the calendar nears June, ballparks across the country are still silent. On this week's episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman talks with two Major League Baseball announcers who grew up around the game of baseball. They share the experiences that shaped their love for America's National Pastime.

Family comes first. On this week's episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman talks with three WAER alumni about the impact of family on their life and how they created one in Syracuse.

Pushing forward may be difficult right now as we all search for a sense of purpose. On this week's episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman talks with three WAER alumni from three separate decades about how their station experience shaped their own ambitions.

Without many of its many usual reminders, hope can seem lost. On this episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman looks at the journeys of three WAER alumni finding hope in their own lives and in the present moment.

Uncertainty rules our lives in the world of COVID-19. On this episode of Talkback, Cooper Boardman talks to three WAER alumni about how they deal with it. We'll hear from Jason Benetti of ESPN and the Chicago White Sox about finding positive in the day-to-day, Steve Bunin of KING5 in Seattle on what it is like to cover the pandemic and Pete Gianesini, the Senior Director, Digital Audio Programming at ESPN, who explains what the Worldwide Leader in Sports does without live events.

You never know what you had until it is gone. On the second episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman examines the absence of college sports. WAER alum Beth Mowins talks about softballs growth and Olympic postponement, Anish Shroff explains what is next for college lacrosse and Kevin Fitzgerald looks back on the college baseball stories he never had the chance to tell. Reporting for this episode was done by Jenna Fink, Jaron May and Gill Gross.

The sports world came crashing down on March 11. It was only a sign of what was to come. On the first episode of Talkback, host Cooper Boardman talks to three WAER alumni about the day that everything changed. TNT/CBS broadcaster Ian Eagle talks about what was lost with the cancellation of March Madness, ACC Network's Jay Alter discusses how he handled seasons coming to an end while he was on the air, and former WAER Sports Director Jack McMullen walks through the emotions of the final college basketball game played.