SOUTH ORANGE – WSOU 89.5 FM, the student-run radio station of Seton Hall University, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sports call-in program “Hall Line” with a special event at Newark’s Prudential Center on Saturday, Feb. 6. The event will reunite three of the program’s four founders during a reception before the Seton Hall vs. Georgetown men’s basketball game.
“Hall Line,” the post-game call-in show that has followed every Seton Hall men’s basketball game since the 1965-66 season, was originally conceived by Robert Considine and Larry Londino, with Vincent Bickler and Robert Windrem joining them as the on-air talent for the first “Hall Line” season. On Feb 6, Bickler, Londino, and Windrem will attend the reception After the game, they will reprise their roles by hosting that night’s “Hall Line” live on the air. Considine passed away in 2015.
The 7 p.m. reception, organized by WSOU and Seton Hall’s Office of Alumni Relations, is open to alumni and fans alike. Beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served. A number of former hosts will be on hand, including ESPN’s Bob Picozzi, 1010 WINS’ Frank Garrity, and N.J. Devils play-by-play announcer Matt Loughlin, to talk with guests about their “Hall Line” experiences and reminisce about Seton Hall basketball. Tickets for the reception and game are $35, just $10 for the reception only. For more information or to purchase a ticket visit www.wsou.net/news/hallline50.cfm.
“Hall Line,” and the hands-on learning it provides, has helped train generations of broadcasters. Dozens of former “Hall Line” hosts have gone on to sports on-air broadcasting careers, including Bob Ley (ESPN), Matt Loughlin (N.J. Devils play-by-play announcer), Bob Picozzi (ESPN), Frank Garrity (1010 WINS), Jim Hunter (Baltimore Orioles broadcaster), and John Brickley (ESPN), among many others. Other former hosts have enjoyed success in other roles in the media, including Rob Windrem (NBC News), Glenn Schuck (1010 WINS), Dan Holway (MSNBC), Gabrielle Kiger (Fox Sports), Larry Costigan (Westwood One), Bardia Shah-Rais (Fox Sports), Brian Wisowaty (MSNBC), David Rind (ABC Radio), Brian Ciano (CBS Sports Radio), and Vincent Coughlin (CBS Sports).
“We are incredibly fortunate as students to have the opportunity to carry on the long-standing tradition of ‘Hall Line’ here at WSOU,” said WSOU sports director Clayton Collier. “For 50 years, ‘Hall Line’ has given aspiring broadcasters the unique experience of fielding live calls from avid fans of Seton Hall basketball, and to be a part of the storied history of the program. This is truly an invaluable part of our experiential education at WSOU.”
In addition to the Feb. 6 event, WSOU is celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Hall Line” in other ways. The station’s sports department has produced a series of interviews with former hosts, players, and coaches about their memories of “Hall Line.” These segments air during Seton Hall basketball game broadcasts and are also available online at www.wsou.net/news/hallline50. Alumni have also been returning to WSOU to conduct masterclasses in sports broadcasting for current students.
“The durability of ‘Hall Line’ is a testament to the pre-professional training ground WSOU has been since the station’s founding in 1948,” said general manager Mark Maben. “For any program in radio to last 50 years is a major achievement. I am proud of the generations of WSOU students who have staffed ‘Hall Line’ through the decades and made this golden anniversary possible.” Added Maben, “So many media careers have been launched at WSOU. The ongoing success of our graduates and of ‘Hall Line’ demonstrates that radio is still going strong.”
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Have enjoyed listing to Hall Line from Florida for over 10 years on the ‘puter … not so much of late due to taping games on TV … but back ‘n ‘da day, used to listen on line all ‘da time! Congrats on 50 years!