Student radio show rushes into morning with news, comedy

It's 4 p.m. on any given weekday. Classes are finished for the day and there's a mad scamper to get back home. The crosswalks are littered with pedestrians and traffic is in gridlock.

Maybe a tad melodramatic for State College rush hour, but perhaps another kind of rush hour is on its way to becoming just as big around State College.

The roots of the show trace back to earlier this year when Sedam and Gaetano were working together on a morning show at WKPS when a friend of theirs thought they would really click with her "funny friend" Hoffman. Once introduced, the trio began to gel.

Now that there were people to host a show, the content matter was up in the air. Looking for a comedic angle yet trying to avoid the "shock jock" persona of Howard Stern and other radio personalities, the three decided to avoid puerile lewdness and instead have fun with themselves and what went on around them.

"Some of the show's material is prepared from the AP wire or newspapers," Sedam said, "but there is a good deal that is done impromptu. Being a student doesn't leave a whole lot of time for preparation, but the spontaneity is what keeps things fun."

"Usually we talk about current events, or what's going on around campus," Gaetano said. "Although if it's slow we open up the caller lines for some random wackiness."

The true invention of the show stems from the ever-growing cast of characters that have been created. There's John, the tried and true Pittsburgher; Trevor, the atypical Brit; as well as a collection of others ranging from a State College hippie to what is said to be "a ripoff of Henrietta Pussycat from 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.' "

Perhaps more important than the sense of creativity the three possess is the chemistry the trio has when working together.

"If Crash is talking about something, it's like I almost know what he's thinking or what he'll do next," Gaetano said.

In addition to getting their own personal enjoyment out of the show, which is evident from the laid-back, laughter-filled studio, the three hope to give a little something back to those who are listening, which is also apparent from those chuckling outside of the booth.

"I'm just looking to give people a mid-day push," Hoffman said.

Despite the enormous amount of time and ingenuity it takes to produce a radio show, let alone an entertaining one, Sedam wanted to remind everyone out in listener land that without them, none of what the PSU Rush Hour has accomplished would be possible.

"After all," he said, "there wouldn't be a PSU without you."