Senior audio radio production and digital media major and a minor in broadcast management student Natalie Gramegna is someone who radiates positivity. As a senior, she is a leader on campus in several avenues.
When Gramegna first came to Plattsburgh State as an incoming freshman, she met Audio Radio Production Chair Timothy Clukey, and Television Studio Manager Jonathan Chew gave her a tour of the studios in Yokum. She had such a good experience and appreciated the one on one tour they gave her. Additionally, she had enjoyed making productions, so that’s when she started looking for programs at PSUC.
“In high school, I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do because I was involved in our high school radio station, and I had had an internship with LIU Post in my junior year,” she said. “That’s when I kind of realized that yeah I really do like radio.”
LIU Post is a comprehensive, private university in Brookville, which offers academic programs through its College of Education, Information and Technology.
When she first came to PSUC, she was an audio video production major, but she had taken so many courses in high school, that she decided to add digital media because it was more marketable for her.
“I wanted to do broadcast management because I really had liked managing at the high school radio station, so I just thought this would add another dynamic and I could add it onto my course load,” she said.
Gramegna also wanted to join WQKE 93.9, the campus radio station. When she first joined the radio station on campus, she said she had no idea what she was getting herself into.
During her first meeting, the e-board started banging on the table to start off the meeting.
“It started off with a lot of banging on the tables, and I just thought ‘oh my gosh, what is this?” she said. “It’s a big family. It’s a lot of people having fun and doing what they love.”
During her freshman year, she was the DJ for a rock show she hosted. She then went on to call hockey games for men’s and women’s hockey.
Senior broadcast journalism major Kyle Bryans met Gramegna when they began calling the hockey games together. He needed a partner because he was the only person in the sports department of The Quake. Gramegna was in the news department at the time, but she agreed to do the calls because she watched her brother play hockey growing up.
“It was one of those moments when (the staff) said ‘Hey have you two met before? No, well you’re calling a game on Saturday so you better get to know each other,’” Bryans said.
Bryans said he was thankful for Gramegna because he didn’t know what he was doing with the hockey games at first. He said when he first met her, he thought she was very quiet. However, his opinion changed after having a couple of classes with her.
“She knows a lot about her major, a lot about audio and management .If I ever have a question, I go to her,” he said. “She is very quiet, but when you watch her get into that mode, it’s actually pretty incredible.”
Bryans said she’s a lot more outgoing now and has become a natural leader through running The Quake meetings and through management.
During her freshman year, she called the Frozen Four National Championship and has also called the Plattsburgh v. Oswego games.
“My brother always played hockey so I knew the rules, and I remember the sports director saying he needed someone to call it, so I said you know what?” she said “I know the rules. Let me try it.”
She said the first few times were nerve-wracking, but she got the hang of it and gets excited to hosts those types of shows now.
Since her experience with hosting shows, Gramegna has gone on to be the program director and is currently the general manager of The Quake. So far, Gramegna said they’ve done Starvathon, where they raised cans for the food shelf, Karaoke with Late Night and the upcoming Rail Jam with the Ski and Snowboarding Club, where students will be doing tricks using provided rails from Whiteface. She said she’s looking forward to these future events as well.
“A lot of my friends come from Quake, we have really bonded on making our show better and going to events, and just having a great time,” she said.
Junior TV video production major Courtney Andrews is a study abroad student from Chester, England, and she joined the Quake. She said she just ran up to Gramegna and said she wanted to do radio, and Gramegna encouraged her to join. Andrews also had a class with Gramegna.
“I met her then and then she was intrigued by me because I’m British, so in our first PSTV class, she saw me and told me to come sit next to her and I did,” Andrews said.
As a student, Andrews said Gramegna is a smart, dedicated student. She said when she first met her, she knew they were going to be good friends instantly.
“So we went to the Great Escape, and on the way home at 10 o’clock at night, she had a little phone light out reading a book. And I was just there asleep,” Andrews said.
Besides being involved with The Quake, Gramegna is also a member of the National Broadcasting Society, where she submits work she has completed in the last year to be reviewed by professionals. She was previously the vice president of the society and is currently still sending in work of hers. Gramegna has also worked with the theatre on campus as a technical lead and an usher.
“Having been a part of the technical production crew as a job gives me a lot of hands on experience and a lot of technical knowledge,” she said. “Once I became a lead, I liked working in theatre. It can be crazy at times, but it’s cool to put on a show.”
Email Kavita Singh at fuse@cardinalpointsonline.com
