Brockport's college radio station manager/
freelance writer receives SUNY's highest honor

Warren Kozireski, station manager of SUNY Brockport’s student radio station 89.1 The Point, doesn’t believe students should have to wait until after graduation to experience what life will be like in the professional world. That’s why he has devoted the last 13 years of his life to making The Point into a radio experience that will serve students well throughout their lives.

In doing so he has been instrumental in helping more than 100 SUNY Brockport graduates attain jobs in the communication field.

Thanks to Kozireski, the local airwaves are saturated with Brockport graduates including 98 PXY’s morning show star Sandy Waters, WDKX’s morning man Tarique Spence, WOKR meteorologist Pat Billone, and WROC meteorologist Christine Crafts.

Recently, Kozireski’s impact was recognized as he was awarded the Chancellor’s award for Excellence in Professional Service. This award is the highest honor given to those who work in the SUNY system.

Donna Kowal, Communication Department interim chair, said the award spoke to Kozireski’s dedication to his students. "Koz is the consummate broadcasting professional and the proof in that pudding is the almost 100 percent job placement in the field right out of college. He truly is indispensable for the students," she said.

Eric Finkelstein is one of the more than 100 graduates who have continued on in the field of communication. Finkelstein is a NFL special event coordinator. He was under Kozireski’s tutelage for four years as a student in the classroom, as his teaching assistant and then as the operations manager for the station. One of his best memories of Kozireski took place before Finkelstein was even a student at the college.

Finkelstein, who grew up downstate, was in the process of touring several colleges with his family. He had already announced his intention to attend SUNY Oneonta, but decided to visit Brockport before concluding his circuit of college tours. When he stopped by the radio station he was greeted by Kozireski who took his family aside and spoke to them for two hours about how Finkelstein could best prepare for a career in radio.

"He never came out and said I should go to Brockport," said Finkelstein. "He just talked to me, and my family, about what it would take to prepare for my future career. I decided that this was the person I wanted to learn from."

Kozireski, who is a Spencerport resident, knows where his students are coming from. He came to SUNY Brockport as a freshman in 1978. Kozireski had aspirations of playing baseball professionally, but injury forced him to find a new dream. "I decided that if I couldn’t play baseball, then I would become a baseball announcer," he said.

After graduation, he went to work at WASB, a local AM station. He was called back to the college quickly, however, to fill in as interim general manager from 1983-1984. In June of 1984 he went to work at WBBF where he worked as a deejay and as a producer. From there he went to WHAM and WVOR to produce and engineer their morning shows. In 1989, he was called back to the college again, this time for good.

Under Kozireski’s leadership, the station has seen many changes. The station has adopted a much greater community focus, the number of student broadcasters has more than tripled to now 70 members, and The Point has racked up many awards.

Kozireski continues to lead the station while keeping active in the classroom as a professor and active in the industry. He still makes radio stints, recently doing some play-by-play for the Red Wings and the Amerks, but his main professional preoccupation is writing. Kozireski is a freelance writer for several publications including Westside News Inc. (Suburban News and The Herald), the Amerks program, other hockey publications and the Anaheim Mighty Duck official web site. When he began at Brockport he was also reporting from a traffic helicopter.

"Koz provides varsity coverage which keeps our readers in touch with a very important aspect of the lives of young adults - sports. I know readers enjoy his clear and concise writing style and we at Westside News are very appreciative of his contribution to our publications," said Westside News Inc. Editor Evelyn Dow. "Koz is fully deserving of this award for all he does to help others succeed."

I think that it is important for me to stay active because it gives me credibility with the students," said Kozireski. "They know that I’m not just talking about it, I’m doing it."

Finkelstein said Kozireski’s combination of working knowledge and care for his students is the perfect combination for a student advisor. "He gave me the chance to realize the potential that I had," said Finkelstein. "I learned what it would be like to be a part of the workforce and how it would be to be treated like an adult."

Kozireski said he was excited to receive the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, but his greatest thrill still comes from the type of people the station is able to produce.

"The best feeling for me is when a student walks in and says ‘I got a job,’" said Kozireski.

89.1 The Point Facts

•7,338 watts covering all or part of seven counties (Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Erie,

Niagara, Livingston) and southern Ontario, Canada.

•On air 24 hours per day, 365 days a year.

•More than 500,000 people 12 years of age and older live in the listening area.

•Target audience is male/female 17-34.

•Format is mix of contemporary, rock and alternative with focus on best new music first.

•Has been recognized six times in the last 14 years by state and national broadcasting organizations.

•Voted No. 1 by students among more than 30 SUNY stations for student media.