Photo courtesy of The GioMoShow

Oakland University’s student organizations are a special sight, as they are run by students for students. The leaders of these groups demonstrate their passion for creating community on campus by planning exciting events and projects. WXOU, OU’s radio station, is a prime example of one such stellar student organization.

Giovanni Moceri is the sports media director for WXOU. Each week, Moceri covers campus sporting events on WXOU’s The GioMoShow. 

Moceri explains his favorite part about the station.

“I like being a part of a mission to grow the atmosphere of sports on campus,” Moceri said. “For the people that do live on campus that know a little bit about the sports, I want to target them. I want to grow their awareness of sports at Oakland University.”

While football is Moceri’s favorite sport to talk about, Moceri explains his favorite OU athletics sport to cover.

“In terms of like Oakland sports to cover, or even to live broadcast, it’s basketball,” Moceri said. “It’s fast, it’s action-packed, and the story’s unfolding so quickly right in front of you. All you can do is keep up and be the storyteller. So, basketball is the most fun to cover live.”

Moceri’s broadcasting skills don’t only apply to WXOU though, as he has also worked with ESPN. 

“There were a couple of times where they needed a sideline reporter for basketball games,” Moceri said. “They [ESPN] have seen my work and the stuff I do on social media, and they thought I would be a good fit to fill in for a couple of games. That ended up turning into three basketball games, and then I even did two broadcasts of baseball with ESPN+.”

While WXOU focuses on radio coverage, Moceri explains how his experience with ESPN adds another dimension of broadcasting to his repertoire: television.

“It’s a lot more coordination with TV,” Moceri said. “You got the producer in the back giving the cameraman the signal, who is giving me the signal, which makes it difficult to sync up. Broadcast television is more timing strict because you also have to fit advertisements and other stuff. With radio, things are a little bit more self-contained.”

Moceri has mountains of stories to share about his experience as a sports broadcaster. Moceri shares one of his most memorable stories.

“The first time I did ESPN for baseball, one team [Milwaukee] is practicing some of their hitting, and there’s a 20-foot net separating the players from the audience. A rogue baseball flew over the net, and I heard someone say, ‘heads up,’” Moceri said. “Before I can even look up, the ball comes crashing down on my laptop and smashes the monitor. I was out of notes five minutes before the game. I was in such shock I wasn’t even angry. I kept the ball, and I signed it.”

For those wanting to learn more about WXOU or to join the organization, please visit the WXOU website for more information about upcoming events, job opportunities and past broadcasts.