WSOU Alumni
Welcome, WSOU alumni! On behalf of the Department of Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy and WSOU, Seton Hall's Pirate Radio, we are pleased to provide you with a robust offering of engagement opportunities to remain connected with fellow alumni, WSOU, and Seton Hall University.
2025 Hall of Fame Celebration
Join WSOU and fellow WSOU alumni in honoring the 2025 WSOU Hall of Fame Inductees! WSOU’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements made by WSOU alumni in their broadcast careers. We are excited to induct Marie Zach and the 1986 Programming Board this year. In addition, we are proud to announce that Ryan Stetz will be receiving the WSOU Distinguished Young Alumnus Award. We are looking forward to celebrating with you all.
April 30, 2025
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Jubilee Hall Atrium
Seton Hall University
2025 Hall of Fame Inductee - Marie Zach
I am the youngest of four daughters born to Adam and Veronika. My sister Lillian and I started to volunteer at The Stan Kosakowski Happy Night Polka Party in April 1965. We would drive in from Brooklyn on Monday nights. Our job was answering the phones and taking callers’ requests. After a few years, I became executive producer and announcer of the Polish Community News (which I still do today).
Over the years we would travel to polka dances and get to know the many bands whose music is still heard over WSOU.
We performed at the mall in Central Park and taught dancing with the N. J. Polka Club. The Polka Party even held a dance to raise funds for Little Jeff who needed kidney surgery. We also ran an annual fund raiser for the Deborah Heart and Lung Foundation, which ran for over 30 years. With Stan's support and his unfailing commitment to following God's will, we were successful.
Lillian and I continued our commitment to Stan, even after we moved to New Jersey. Unfortunately, later my career had me traveling around the United States for several years and we could not continue doing what we loved so much to do.
In February 2022, I received a phone call, asking if I could fill in at the program since Stella, Stan's wife had passed away. It was so exciting going into the new studio and there was a lot to learn. Unfortunately, 42 days later I got another heartbreaking call, Stan passed away and Matty needed help with the program. I filled in for Matty when he ran fund raising events for his parish and I was happy to help. Then one day he told me that when he goes to his heavenly reward, I would be taking over. Matty passed away in November of that same year.
My volunteering includes the Middlesex County Pulaski Day Parade Committee, AT&T Pioneers and the projects that I am involved in lap robes for the elderly, luncheons, gift shops and purchasing food for the local food pantry. Thanks to the Pioneers who for the past several years donated $1,000 scholarship to one of WSOU staff.
Of course I am a lecturer, eucharistic minister and all-around helper at St. Joseph Church.
Being back at the Polka Party is wonderful. Our listeners are family, Stan always called them cousins and that is exactly how I feel about them. We celebrate their joys and grieve with them at their losses. I look forward to coming to Seton Hall every Sunday. I like to get to the studio a little early so that I can talk with the staff. I learn something from them each and every week. The students keep me young and connected to the school.
Members of the 1986 Programming Board:
Dan Blackman
I was on WSOU for 3 years, my last as the Station manager and graduated in 1987. I worked at WOBM-FM in Toms River, NJ as the 7pm-12 M on air talent from 1988-1992, Then I did Mornings, Nights and 16 years as the Afternoon man on B101 in Philadelphia from 1993-2011.
From 2011 to present i have been on 106.7 Lite FM in New York City as a weekend/fill in on air talent. During that time frame I was back on my sister IHeart Radio station 106.1 The Breeze in Philadelphia as the Afternoon talent/Assistant program director from 2018-2020.
Dave Gizzo
David Gizzo was born in Newark, NJ, and raised in West Orange, NJ. He graduated from West Orange High School before earning his bachelor’s degree in college.
A WSOU alumnus, Dave played a pivotal role in transforming WSOU’s format from generic rock to heavy metal in September 1986.
Dave was also an active member of the Freemasons, holding numerous titles within the organization. His Masonic leadership roles included Worshipful Master, Lodge Education Officer, and Trustee of York Lodge 563. He also served as a Board Member of York Golf Club, Past High Priest of York Temple Chapter #155, and Past Illustrious Master of York Council #115, among other distinguished positions.
Phil Hardy
Even before his graduation from SHU in 1987, Phil was hired to work in the music industry for Amuse America, which promptly sent him on the road with their band EZO and headliner Guns N’ Roses that summer. Phil eventually worked for Megaforce Records (with WSOU colleague Missi Collazo), RCA Records and later worked with Aerosmith both in New York and in London, where he lived for 12 years while working in the music industry.
After returning to the US in 2008 he went into the work of his educational major, political science, and worked in the United States House of Representatives, even managing to work on some music industry related projects, before turning his full attention to being a wildfire aviation lobbyist. He is still friends with certain stalwart WSOU artists such as Kip Winger and Ted Poley. Phil is looking to retire at the end of 2025 and credits Seton Hall and WSOU for the major roles it has played in his entire professional career.
Dave Packer
At WSOU, Seton Hall students gain unmatched real-world experience—on-air, in production, and in station management—within the nation’s largest market. As WSOU’s Operations Manager (1986-87) and later Station Manager (1987-88), Dave Packer saw an opportunity to elevate that hands-on learning while expanding the station’s impact. Recognizing a gap in the market, he helped launch and program the format known as The Hardest Rock in 1986. As Station Manager, he defended the professionalism of WSOU’s student broadcasters, articulated the format’s value to skeptics across local and national media, and successfully navigated challenges to keep WSOU thriving as a student-run broadcasting laboratory.
Dave’s broadcasting career began at a small AM station in Connecticut before he moved to WZXL in Atlantic City, where he ultimately became the morning show host. He later managed AM and FM stations in New Hampshire and returned to New Jersey for morning show roles at WJRZ, WBBO, and WFPG. His career then took him to Philadelphia’s top-rated WBEB (B101).
In 2007, CBS Radio recruited Dave as the first morning show host of New York City’s new Fresh 102.7. He later transitioned to WCBS-FM before shifting his focus to news and spoken word programming. In 2011, he anchored mornings at New York’s FM News 101.9 and later presented business news for The Wall Street Journal Radio Network.
Since 2013, Dave has been a trusted voice at ABC News Radio, writing and delivering newscasts to stations nationwide. In 2025, he was named ABC Radio Newscast Correspondent and currently serves as the network’s evening anchor.
Beyond news, Dave is a sought-after voice-over artist, providing imaging for numerous radio and TV stations and lending his voice to film and television productions.
Dave and his wife, Maureen, live in New York City.
Dan Fano
WSOU Distinguished Young Alumnus - Ryan Stetz '16/M.P.A. '18
Ryan Stetz is the Director of Streaming Communications at Warner Bros. Discovery,
where he oversees various communications efforts for the company’s streaming platform,
Max. He is a dynamic comms professional with a proven track record of shaping brand
narratives and executing high-impact publicity campaigns across film, series, marketing
campaigns, cultural moments, and more. Ryan specializes in media relations, executive
communications, and strategic storytelling that drives audience engagement and public
perception of HBO and Max’s content offerings.
Ryan joined HBO in 2018 as a Communications Assistant for the Media Relations team. In this role he supported publicists by proofreading press releases, leading outreach to college campus press, and more. In 2020 he transitioned to the Direct-to-Consumer Communications team as a Coordinator and was later elevated to Manager. In 2021 Ryan moved to Los Angeles and has spearheaded publicity campaigns for acquired content and pay-1 films along with the streaming platform’s monthly content slate. He was an instrumental part of the team that launched Max, working with leadership to create effective communications strategies to establish Max as a leading competitor in the streaming space. Ryan's role has expanded after his recent promotion to Director, with the added responsibility of overseeing public relations for the company’s marketing team. With this widened scope, Ryan is responsible for effectively promoting the award-winning marketing team’s groundbreaking and innovative tactics as they aim to deepen fans’ connection to HBO and Max programming.
Ryan is passionate about coaching the next generation of leaders and is a mentor for the CHDCM Honors & Alumni Mentor Program (CHAMP) at Seton Hall University. He is also part of the Public Relations Society of America. Ryan currently resides in West Hollywood, California and in his spare time he mainly enjoys running, writing, playing in his recreational dodgeball league, making great use of his AMC A-List membership, and watching reality television with his friends.