Student Spotlights

The gates swung open and welcomed a flood of students this spring. While students rushed around trying to finalize their schedules, grab their identification and get connected to Wi-Fi, Jaiden Pinnock, a freshman student who was all set and ready to begin, wondered why he had to leave campus so soon. 

“What is there to do? I don’t want to go home yet. Where are all the activities happening?” he asked, without missing a beat. His excitement was palpable and excited his friends and those around him. Jaiden was ready for Kingsborough and Kingsborough was ready for him.

“I decided to attend Kingsborough because of its media program and radio station,” shared Jaiden.“I had originally wanted to dorm, but it became really expensive, so I decided I would go farther away from home since I live in Queens.”

Jaiden is majoring in media arts and has not wavered, taking every opportunity to hone his skills. “It helps me pursue my passion of being a sports analyst.”

This semester, Jaiden will relaunch his radio show Coach Potatoes every Tuesday at 3 p.m. on WKRB, KCC's radio station, which went on hiatus between semesters. He feels his show brings him one step closer to his dream, which is to work at ESPN where he can get paid to debate about sports. “Media arts is my passion because I’ve always been a sports person and I always like to talk and argue with my friends about sports,” he said, “So why not do it for real and make money?” 

Many students are unaware that KCC has a radio station at their disposal. Jaiden stepping into using the station for what it was meant for, to provide students with another medium of communication, entertainment and learning experiences, helps to keep Kingsborough a step ahead in providing students with opportunities they may not have previously considered.

“I decided to join the radio station because I felt like it connected to my dreams the most and I feel comfortable there, even though it is a learning process.” Jaiden’s focus at the radio station is on basketball and football in the NBA and the NFL. “I would like to expand into other sports once I become more familiar with them, as well as talk about our school sports teams.”

Jaiden strikes a careful balance between his classes and time on the college radio. “I did the show last semester and am ready to start again this semester. I can handle my classes and the radio show but I would like to do more shows during the week."

When asked how he came up with name Coach Potatoes, Jaiden responded, “I got the name from a friend, but it came from the idea that as sports fans we are watching the game from our couch, yelling at the TV, being competitive and into the game from the comfort of our home. We are not athletes, but we are locked into the game from home and expressing our thoughts.”

Jaiden hopes to become more comfortable talking in front of people and learning how to debate and handle shows independently. “I hope this show can give me a platform where I have a body of work for when I do want to apply for a job at ESPN or any other sports network. This could be a stepping stone towards that.” He believes that consistency and balance are keys to success.

“I feel like my favorite thing about Kingsborough is honestly the radio program. It makes me feel like I have a place where I belong and show my passion.”

Jaiden intends to attend a four-year school after graduating. 

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WKRB has been broadcasting since May 1978, initially on the frequency 90.9 FM and moved to the frequency 90.3 FM in April 2006. WKRB has the potential to reach nearly 1.5 million people throughout the southern portion of Brooklyn. The station also streams live online at wkrb.org. Brooklyn Community Access Television on a rotating schedule for four hours each day.

Throughout the years, WKRB has carried a variety of formats including rock, disco, hip-hop, Top-40 and many others. From the mid-1980s through 1993, WKRB was known as B-91, the Rhythm of the City, and was one of the first stations in the New York area to popularize dance music as a radio format (now known as CHR rhythmic). WKRB currently features CHR rhythmic throughout the day, and airs specialty shows evenings and weekends.

Countless graduates have launched very successful broadcasting careers after working at WKRB throughout their course of study at Kingsborough. The experience students can gain is invaluable if planning a career in the media. WKRB also welcomes students of any major simply looking to participate as an extracurricular club activity.