By Alexis Rufener
The spring semester is underway and the students of Youngstown State University can once again tune in to hear the longest running student radio show on Rookery Radio, “The Dave and Jarrod Show.”
The show is hosted by senior students David Tamulonis and Jarrod Novotny and has been on the air with Rookery Radio since September 2011. The pair said they try to bring a certain vibe and uniqueness to the content that they present to the YSU community by balancing comedy segments with academics and music.
Tamulonis is a double major in graphic/interactive design and market management. Novotny is double majoring in middle childhood education social studies and science.
Both guys decided on doing a show that has a “wildcard” plot, meaning their show doesn’t have a set plan or schedule for the topics they will discuss — which range from movies, books or even the types of food on campus.
Novotny and Tamulonis got the idea for the wildcard genre from the currently running TV hit, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”.
“During that episode one of the characters, Charlie, would justify his bizarre behavior by saying he was the wild card. Since we feel our show is unpredictable and somewhat odd, the show has taken on the wildcard attitude,” Novotny said.
From discussions about local food, video games, what’s going on in pop culture and many other subjects, each segment of The Dave and Jarrod Show is designed to be a surprise to those who turn on Rookery Radio and listen in.
“Since our first show in 2011, we have tried to mold our show into something more listener friendly. Our earlier shows lacked structure and were, by some accounts, difficult to follow and listen to. Throughout time we have tried to add some structure and shorten our segments of discussion to make the show easier to listen to,” Novotny said. “The fact is that we feel comfortable discussing a wide variety of topics. We are not just a sports show, a pop culture show or a comedy show — we are able to blend subjects and provide a variety of discussion for the listeners.”
One specific segment that The Dave and Jarrod Show does is the “Craigslist Ad of the Week,” where they would look over different items, whether bizarre or unethical, and the hosts attempt to purchase some items.
Like most shows, music plays an essential role.
“The music we play on the show follows no theme. I usually try to find some really bizarre and stupid music to play that you wouldn’t hear anywhere else. That’s the point of having a college radio show in my opinion,” Tamulonis said. “It’s all about providing people with a unique and alternative listening experience not available in any other way. “
Both Tamulonis and Novotny have plans to help make the show better and interesting for both new and current students.
“This semester we will be on a new time and day,” Novotny said. “One of my goals for this semester would be to have a segment each week highlighting various organizations doing work to improve the Youngstown area.”
For students who are interested in listening to the show, they can tune in to rookeryradio.com on Thursday nights from 5-7 p.m. Students can also follow them on Twitter: @Dave_Jarrod.
