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Issue #51 – Mentor News
by L. Swift and Jeff McQ
Spend a few minutes talking with Radio Connection mentor Sean “The Rabbi” Tyszler, and it doesn’t take long before you realize he doesn’t just love radio—he loves music. Especially rock.
“My dad was always a music fan,” Sean recalls. “He used to have this big set of headphones that were big back in the late ’70s. He used to play “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin for me when I was younger…and every time that the drum started kicking, there was a smile on my face. I don’t know, I guess I just was influenced at a young age.”
Sean’s interests in rock music began to expand as he grew up, ranging from metal acts like Metallica, Guns n’ Roses and Poison to alternative sounds like R.E.M. and U2, and then to the bands of the Seattle grunge movement like Pearl Jam and Nirvana. By the time he was in high school, he knew he wanted to be in radio. “I was sure there were perks involved, so I could go to concerts and meet these rock stars,” he jokes.
Sean’s interest led him to a ground-floor opportunity at K-Rock in New York (the early radio home of Howard Stern), which ultimately grew into a full-time job, and was where Sean got his on-air nickname, The Rabbi. “I’m an orthodox Jewish guy,” he says. “I went in for an interview wearing a yarmulke…the program director at that time [Steve Kingston] was wondering what this rabbi was lurking around here for!”
Today, Sean works at WMMR 93.3-FM in Philadelphia (the station slogan is appropriately, “Everything that Rocks!”), where he is involved in music direction and programming during the week and hosts his own DJ slot on Sunday nights. This puts him in a great position to mentor Radio Connection students, giving them exposure to multiple aspects of the radio business. Counting his early bosses as his own mentors, Sean enjoys helping others get their start in radio. “[It’s] honestly very rewarding,” he says. “The fact that you made a connection of someone actually in the industry is really good… Just getting the foot in the door and seeing other people thrive is rewarding to me.”
Among the rising stars he sees among his apprentices? “Kevin Britton was really good. I actually saw him again over the weekend even though he finished his course. Kevin Britton is very proactive—I mean, I really think the kid has ability…I’m working with this girl now, Liz Faux. She’s very enthusiastic, and she’s been catching on pretty quickly.”
As for finding a niche on-the-air, Sean keeps his advice for other students fairly simple. “It’s more of just being yourself, and showing that you’re not some guy who’s prerecorded [or] who’s broadcasting from Los Angeles, [but who is] actually physically there in the studio taking calls… I just act like myself, like I’m very more music focused talking about the bands, what they’re doing. I’m just a music fan…I’m just being me.”
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