Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Sports Debate Club trip to WIP about more than just hot takes
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Sports Debate Club trip to WIP about more than just hot takes
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School students with a passion for sports had the opportunity to share their own “hot takes” with 94 WIP radio personalities during a tour of the radio station in November.
The unique experience was made possible by parent Dave Scopinich, who is Vice President and Director of Sales for Audacy and father to Matt Scopinich, a twelfth-grader who leads the Sports Debate Club at PW. Audacy owns several radio stations serving the Philadelphia region, including the sports talk radio station WIP.
On the field trip, 43 students participated in a panel discussion with afternoon radio hosts Jack Fritz, Spike Eskin, Ike Reese, as well as Rod Lakin, WIP’s Brand Manager. The speakers discussed their careers, what led them to their current roles, strategies for effective sports debate, and offered advice for students looking to go into the sports industry. Following the discussion, each member of the club had the opportunity to record a "hot take" with WIP producer Moshe Kravitz.
Students were then given a tour of the Audacy studios, including the sales and marketing departments, programming areas, and the KYW newsroom. During the tour, they also met high school graduates Dutch Reardon, now a sales associate for Audacy, and Justin Morganstein, a Digital Content Producer for Audacy.
As if the behind-the-scenes access wasn’t enough, the Sports Debate Club was featured as part of the “Top 5 at 5” segment that aired on the afternoon show following their visit. Spike, Ike, and Jack talked about their top five moments from visiting with students.
Sports Debate Club members appreciated the chance to interact with radio personalities they are familiar with, but the lessons learned went far beyond meeting local celebrities. Twelfth-grader Jackson Sutcliffe said it was eye-opening to go behind-the-scenes.
“It taught me exciting things like how it takes really hard work to get into the positions the sports broadcasters we met did,” he said. “It was also amazing to see how broadcasting in the sports world actually works, and how many other aspects to WIP there are. Finally, a huge thanks to Mr. Scope for giving us this opportunity and showing us around.”
Even for Matt, whose father works in the industry, the experience offered new insights.
“There are so many other jobs and [types of] preparation that go into the whole operation that help create the product that we hear on the radio,” he said. “Especially for somebody who wants to get a job in the sports world and maybe the sports talk world, this was a very interesting day and I learned a lot."
For students like Julien Spangler, the trip was unforgettable.
“The Sports Debate Club trip to the WIP studio was easily one of the BEST field trips I’ve ever been to,” said the ninth-grader. “There was learning, fun, and a tour! My favorite part was when I got to say my hot take in the WIP studio recording room. I highly recommend going on this trip and can’t wait to do it again.”
Teacher Chris Manero is the advisor to the Sports Debate Club, which started two years ago when former student Isaiah Bainbridge came to him with the idea. Though Isaiah has since graduated, the club continues to thrive, drawing 40 to 50 students when it meets each month.
“Each meeting includes an agenda of current professional and collegiate (sometimes even high school) sports topics and is basically an open forum for hot takes and debate about the sports world in 30 minutes,” said Mr. Manero. “The meetings are always highly anticipated and they give students a chance to openly express opinions and passions, giving the floor to freshmen in the same room as seniors. Some students are athletes and others are just die-hard fans. Some hope to someday work in sports, and others just love their teams.”
