William Paterson University’s sports television program WP Sports Desk recently completed taping its fifth show of the 2025-26 academic year — a special Halloween-themed episode.
The program airs weekly on Fridays from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and features student anchors and analysts dressed in professional attire, including suits and ties.
Senior Tyler Cooper, host of the program, expressed satisfaction with how the Halloween episode turned out.
“The show and the production went well,” Cooper said. “It was a little long, but since it was Halloween, it was fitting for the analysts to dress up and have more fun than we normally do.”
Each week, the production process requires the student producers of each segment to schedule meetings with Television Studio Manager Al Clarke to prepare for the broadcast. In the control room, students volunteer for a range of technical positions, including director, technical director, audio engineer, floor manager, and camera operator.
Student Producers:
- NFL- Matt Goldman, sophomore
Photo Courtesy: WP Sports Desk Youtube - NBA – Bijan Pulley, senior
- MLB – Daniel Karp, junior
- NHL – Baylee Matthews, senior
- WP Sports – Matt Jinks, sophomore
Cooper emphasized the importance of preparation during pre-production.
“My responsibilities in pre-production include selecting which sports to cover each week and ensuring the topics are both newsworthy and timely,” he said. “For example, this week the NHL just started, the World Series is underway, and the NFL is at its midway point.”
WP Sports Desk offers students a professional, fast-paced environment comparable to that of a real television newsroom.
Sophomore Jason Hook, a transfer student from Emerson College in Boston, M.A., shared that the Halloween-themed broadcast allowed for a relaxed and authentic atmosphere.
“It’s hard to be yourself in a suit,” Hook said. “But when you’re dressed like an idiot and just talking sports with your friends, it allows you to be genuine.”
Hook also reflected on his transition to William Paterson and the sense of community he found through WPTV.
“WPTV has introduced me to a sense of community that I hadn’t seen at my previous school,” Hook said. “Even in high school I belonged to several clubs, but none of them felt like family in the way WPTV does.”
Students interested in joining WPTV or participating in WP Sports Desk can reach out via Instagram at @sportsdeskwp.
