Braveathon 2026

Friday, May 1, was Braveathon 2026, a 10-hour live event with 10 live performances, hosted by Brave New Radio and WPTV. To summarize, it was a success and such a fun experience.

With this being my first year participating in Braveathon, I knew it had to be all hands on deck. Members of Brave New Radio and WPTV had to work together and help as much as possible to ensure the day ran smoothly. 

For Braveathon, I signed up to help with running the board for one of the hours at the radio station, which I was excited to do. I have become a legal board operator this semester, and I have become very comfortable doing so, so I knew I would be able to help. 

Something I signed up for that I was very interested in doing for the first time was being one of the talent who would introduce and interview a performer. This is something that falls under WPTV, which I did not have previous experience in. Not having that TV experience, and with Braveathon being a live event, I was very nervous. As much as I was looking forward to doing it, for I love interviewing (especially when it involves music), I had that fear in the back of my head that I was going to mess up in the process. 

Braveathon started at 10 a.m., and I was scheduled as talent with Brave New Radio Co-Sports Director and WPTV Producer Kellie Owens for 11 a.m. When our hour started, I was very nervous during the intro. After introducing the performer, Gabbi B3, I then realized it wasn't as bad as I'd made it out to be, and I was much calmer. When it came time for the interview, I was much more confident, and I ended up having a great time as a talent. 

For radio, I was scheduled as the board operator from 2-3 p.m., when the group was Forbidden Tropics. Having more experience in this area made this part of my day less scary, especially since most of the shift involved waiting for my cues. What I enjoyed about being a board operator was that part of the job was sitting back and just enjoying the music being played. 

Although I was not scheduled for anything after 3 p.m., I was in Hamilton Hall for the full day, whether I was in the radio station or the TV Studio. I really enjoyed the music and seeing how everything played out throughout the day from all aspects. 

Everything about Braveathon was so much fun, as a music lover and from a working standpoint. I loved the performances during my scheduled times, and being able to sit back and enjoy the many different genres of music from the other performers merely as a viewer when I was not scheduled. Along with that, it was great to see the collaboration between the two hard-working organizations, making the event as successful as it was. 

For William Paterson University’s Hamilton Hall, Braveathon is the biggest event of the year. With all the preparation for the event from everyone involved in making it happen, seeing the result was very inspiring and rewarding. It is a reflection of everything we as college students have learned throughout the year and of the talented people in the Communications Department.