Eva Zymaris, Class of 2014, has gone from Z89 News Director to Emmy winning reporter in New Haven Connecticut. And she credits so much of her career success to the WJPZ family.
This New Jersey news aficionado quickly learned that Syracuse was the school for her. As a sophomore, despite her desire to pursue a career in television, she was drawn to WJPZ. She mentions the culture set by folks like Jeff Kurkjian, Allie Gold, Jeff Cucinell, and more. Eva went from doing "89 second news updates" to the executive staff and co-hosting the Z Morning Zoo.
She was also quick to tap into our amazing alumni network - bringing business cards to her first Banquet. She shadowed Steve Donovan's morning show. She spent her second Sirius Radio internship on Rich Davis's morning show.
After school, Eva landed her first reporting job in Western Massachusetts, after much persistence. This cultivated a relationship with the 413's favorite native son, Jeffy K. Eventually, Eva moved up to WTNH in New Haven Connecticut, the former home of Chris Velardi.
Today's guest considers it a privelege to be able to meet folks in her community and tell their stories. While she loves the human interest side of reporting, she was awarded for her and her team's coverage of a murder case that started before Covid and continues today. You'll hear about that too.
Eva tells the story of a valuable lesson she learned from PD Rashaud Thomas when the station was temporarily running out of Newhouse. And she leaves us with some rock-solid advice for students and young reporters who want to pursue a career in the field.
The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.
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JAG: Welcome to WJPZ at 50. I am Jon Jag Gay, joined by an Emmy winner today. We go over to New Haven, Connecticut and welcome Eva Zymaris from the class of 2014. Welcome to the podcast.
Eva: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.
JAG: Let's start you're a New Jersey girl. How did you find Syracuse and then the radio station?
Eva: When I was growing up in New Jersey, I lived close to New York City. So I would grow up watching New York City news. I loved watching the news in the morning. I would run downstairs, watch it before breakfast, and then when I came home, I would watch Oprah. That was a staple every single day.
JAG: You get a car! You get a car!
Eva: Yeah, exactly. And I remember my parents actually took me, I think it was our local library to see a local TV reporter talk. And I remember my parents looking at me and saying, you can do this one day. You don't just have to love the news. Wanna do it? And you can actually go do this. And that was such a wild concept to me.
Wait, I could be on tv, like these other people are? And so when it came time to decide schools, Syracuse is the best of the best. How can you not wanna go? And so I went, and it wasn't until my sophomore year that I found Z89. I remember just being blown away by everyone. Just everyone knew what to do, were such professionals, and I'm like, we're 19, 20 years old and these people just got it. It was amazing.
JAG: So you get there and who was there at the radio station that you remember making such a great impression with you?
Eva: Alex Brewer. Eileen. Corey Crockett. Marie, that whole group. Joey Cosco. And I just remember seeing this group of people and they were so talented, Rashaud as well, and they just had such a knack for the industry and just an understanding of how to run a radio station. I have to say one moment I'm like, am I in over my head here at these people are so good at what they do and I was just grateful to be there from day one.
JAG: So at that point you were still thinking about tv, but the culture of what of JPZ brought you in?
Eva: Absolutely. Because when I was trying to think about what I, wanted to do, the organizations I wanted to join, every single person that I knew was at Z89. Okay. And they said, you've gotta do it. This is so great.
And I'm so happy that I did it because I think that my time there helped me so much with my time in tv. You learned how to talk off the cuff, you learned what it was like to be live. There's no do-over once you're on the radio. And I think that helped a lot when it came to then doing this professionally. And I'm so grateful for having radio as my training ground for what I do now.
JAG: You're not the first guest ever to say that about how the foundation of radio really helped you in TV and the storytelling, and like you said, doing it live without that safety net. And you went on, correct me if I'm wrong, to become the news director at JPZ, right?
Eva: Yes. I did, so I did a number of things when I was there. So right when I started, I would do those news updates. It was the 89 seconds of news. I don't think I've ever been more nervous in my life than doing my first news update on the radio.
JAG: And you've been doing TV for years!
Eva: I just, I know. It was truly one of the scariest moments of my life because it was the first time, then this was it. You had one take, you had to get there, deliver the news in, this minute and a half, that's it. I remember I was over enunciating every single word. I was shaking. And when I was done, I was so relieved. But from there it only got easier and easier. So from there I did the Red Carpet report. I did the Z Morning Zoo. And then my senior year, I believe I was the news director, which was so fun.
And I got to oversee Red Carpet Report, which was all things entertainment and then also Orange State, which was the political news show. And that was really helpful for me because you're not only know leading a team, but you're also getting a sense of what's making the news.
What are people talking about? How can we make these shows interesting? And I remember in that role, trying different things with Red Carpet Report, trying different segments and lengths and how we could make this as engaging as possible. And that was amazing. And who gets to do that in college? Getting to lead a team and try new things out with these insane programs.
JAG: So you talk about Red Carpet Report, Orange State, all these different facets that fell under that Z89 news umbrella. Is there a particular aspect of news that you found yourself attracted to, whether it was politics or entertainment or hard news? Did you find yourself vacillating to one or the other?
Eva: At first I thought I wanted to do entertainment reporting. To me, I was like, this is amazing. I could not get enough of pop culture. I loved what celebrities were up to. I loved trends, but then as I was continuing on with my career at Newhouse, I really started gravitating more towards news and those human interest stories that really connect with people on such a deep level.
That's when I, when it came time to graduate, I knew that I wanted to be a local TV reporter and do that type of storytelling, the stories that really resonate with a lot of people.
JAG: And you did some stuff at WAER on news, correct, too? I know that from doing my homework in LinkedIn stalking you.
Eva: I'm very impressed. Yes, a brief stint at WAER. Z89 was truly where I learned everything. When people call it the greatest media classroom, they're not kidding. The experience that I got there, the wonderful alumni that I met there. I owe them everything truly.
JAG: I think there were a lot of alums who have dabbled in sports at Z89 and AER,, but I don't know if we've had any, anybody yet that's done news at both. Was there any kind of rivalry or was it just siloed? Do you remember anything about the dynamic between JPZ and AER at that time?
Eva: No, I remember it being, they were independent groups and organizations. It was totally. I was there for a little bit. I remember going out and doing some stories or gathering for them, but I just, I was drawn to JPZ. I think I truly was only at AER for I think a year. But JPZ had my heart and I was there for three years and I couldn't get enough.
JAG: So much so that this hard news reporter did some time on the Z Morning Zoo. How did you yourself on the morning show.
Eva: I remember. Everyone was doing it. I was like, I'm working on the Z Morning Zoo.
JAG: Peer pressure!
Eva: Cool. And I had so many great hosts. Jeff Kurkjian was my co-host. Senior year I was with Mike Valenti, Amanda McCool. And I remember, listen, you're in college. Getting up at five in the morning is tough. But for us, it was fun. It didn't feel. Too early when that alarm, went off.
I wasn't like, I gotta go do this now. I remember always jumping outta bed and being so excited to do this and it was always really fun to feed off of the other zoos as well. Like I remember there was one show, I think it was my senior year, Jeff Cucinell, Allie Gold, they had in this unstoppable zoo that I remember trying to learn as much from Jeff as I could, because he just had it down.
And so we all fed off of each other, wanted to make ours, as good as it could be. And really across, Monday through Friday, I remember we all had these really fun morning shows and like what an experience to be able to talk about everything for what, a couple hours. Yeah, it was fun.
And like I said, all of that helps today, being able to talk, being able to feed off of one another. Trying to connect with your audience, that's all critical when it comes to pursuing this, whether you're in radio or in tv.
JAG: You are a broadcast professional because you're segueing this perfectly for me to ask you.
Eva: You are welcome.
JAG: About your career after Syracuse. Walk me through your professional journey since SU.
Eva: A lot of it started at SU. I remember my first banquet, I think it was my sophomore year, I printed out business cards. And I was so excited to network with all of the alumni and pretty much every single person I talked to, I'm like, here's my card, here's my card, here's my card.
I was so excited to talk to people. And I remember it was those initial interactions with people like Steve Donovan that really helped me later on because this is such a tight-knit industry. Everyone knows everyone. So a lot of those kind of initial moments, exchanges, emails, friendships, helped me absolutely professionally.
So from SU, I got a job in Springfield, Massachusetts. Actually, I remember someone that was on Orange State with me is the one that tipped me off. Oh, hey, this station in Springfield's got a lot of openings. You should apply to be a reporter there. Okay. That's what I did. I applied to be a reporter there.
I got the gig after much persistence. I think my tape was not great.
JAG: Define much persistence.
Eva: Oh my goodness. I emailed my then news director probably 20 times. In three months. I just kept saying, here's my tape. Hello, do you remember me? I'd love to, work here. And I remember the first email I got back from him was, Okay. Okay. You've worn me down.
JAG: Wow!
Eva: I was like it worked! I got that initial phone call and I just remember saying, I wanna work here. I wanna stay on the east coast. This is a great opportunity. And I fought for my spot and I got it and I started working there and that was one of the best decisions beyond obviously Syracuse, Z89 that I've ever made in my career.
It was such an amazing station and felt very much like a extension of college and the fact that these were a lot of young reporters too, who all had, similar backgrounds in either, doing radio at school, doing TV at school. It was just, it was a great first market that operated like a bigger market that I felt like every day you showed up.
The stakes were high. You wanted to do the best that you can do. And it was a fantastic two years. And then I transitioned down to Connecticut to a station that had a ton of Orangemen and women in that newsroom, which was unbelievable. And I was like I have found my people here. Then I transitioned and jumped to another station in Connecticut, which is where I am now. WTNH. Chris Velardi an alumni of that station and it's been a blast.
JAG: Was Chris there when you got there, or had he already left?
Eva: He had already left. Oh, he left. Okay. A bit of a bummer. I wish we crossed paths.
JAG: But it's funny, I'm thinking of all these geographical pockets, even within New England, Western Mass, you've got Christy Ogonis and you've got Jeffy K and you've got all these people, Jeffy K mentioned, you id his podcast and all these running jokes about Western Mass, that little enclave and you head down to Connecticut and Velardi's old stomping grounds. It's interesting to me that you've got all these little connections throughout all these places you've been.
Eva: Absolutely. And the Western Mass pride is so strong. Jeff will always send me messages about, hey, did you see this thing in Western Mass? What about this thing in Western Mass? So it's been such a common bond for us for so many years now, and it's just been great, but you're so right.
Everyone kind of travels within this section of the Northeast and stays here, and there's so many everywhere you go, there's so many. Z89 alumni, which is great.
JAG: I mean, Hartford and Springfield share an airport. You're in New Haven, right?
Eva: Yes, I'm down. I'm in southern Connecticut.
JAG: And you're right in the shadow of New York City at that point, right?
Eva: Which is great. So I'm close to home. Which is really such a gift because every, you entered this business and people go all over the country. I have friends that started in North Dakota, Idaho, Wisconsin. And this job takes you everywhere. So to be able to, being here and close to home has been such a gift just to be here.
JAG: And again, and you've had your entire career in that little, that small area, but you're between so many major markets. You're also close to, being in those big cities too.
Eva: It's some of these stories you're seeing, Boston reporters, you're seeing New York City reporters, which is always really cool to be near those bigger major markets and covering the same stuff that they're covering, which is so cool.
JAG: Heck of a networking opportunity too.
Eva: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I always love when I'm doing something that's closer to the Springfield area too, because that to me is everything. If I can, see another reporter that started at the same station that I did, I always go up and say, I started at G GP too.
If you ever need anything, I'm here to help, because really there's. Like I said, there's so much pride that comes from, Western Mass and starting there that I always wanna help when I can. For
JAG: sure. You are paying it forward in the tradition of WJPZ in that sense. What are some of the bigger stories you've covered in your career? Cuz you've covered some pretty big ones and as I alluded to at the beginning you've won an Emmy, you've covered some pretty significant stuff in your time. You wanna walk us through some of that?
Eva: Yeah, absolutely. So Connecticut has certainly had its fair share of big news stories just in the time that I've been here. One of the biggest cases that I covered was of Fotis Dulos, who was a man accused of murdering his estranged wife.
And that was pretty much a year of my career in Connecticut. Every single day it felt like going to court, going to his house, getting updates from investigators. And I was there for the big moments when he, was accused of murder and arrested. I was there outside of his house. I was there till the end.
And that story is still ongoing. We're still following it to this day, and it happened just before the pandemic. So we're going on three and a half, four years of covering this, which is pretty wild to still be doing. So that's probably one of the biggest ones. We won an award for that. We won an Emmy for our coverage of that case, and that really was such a huge part of my career, was covering that and still covering that till this day.
We've also had tornadoes here, which was wild. I remember just going through Hamden, which is one of the closest suburbs of New Haven, and just driving around and seeing the damage there. I'm trying to think what else we've done. There's been so many stories that stand out to me.
JAG: Eva, are there any stories that come to mind that really stuck with you from your time at JPZ?
Eva: Yeah, absolutely. So I remember when we were in this transition phase when the station was getting revamped and we were recording all of our shows and segments. I believe it was at Newhouse and one of the recording booths.
So it was a totally different vibe. You're going from this live show where you have the adrenaline, it's live. The one take. To now you are recording everything during that time period, and I don't remember if I was recording, it was a Z Morning Zoo or it was Red Carpet Report.
It was one of those two shows. There was something that made me and my cohost laugh so hard during our break between segments that we were recording that we got the giggles. You can't stop.
JAG: Yeah. Been there.
Eva: Yes. And it's terrible and you're like, I have to get it together. We started laughing so hard that we could not keep it together for that next segment. And I remember you would submit the segments afterwards, it would get edited together and it would then get played on the air.
JAG: Do you remember who was editing them together or?
Eva: I think it was Rashaud Thomas. Who was at least overseeing that process. And I remember we got pulled aside afterwards and he said something along the lines of, this can't go on the air as it is.
This sounds unprofessional. You're giggling. People are not in on the joke. They don't know what you thought was funny. And I remember sitting back and saying, oh my gosh, I would've never even thought about it. To me. I was like, okay. It makes you sound a little bit more, it adds a level of fun and levity to whatever you were talking about.
You would think that the audience would maybe be in on the joke with you of what you were laughing about, but it just did not translate onto air the way that we thought that it would. And I remember that was such a big learning moment for me, that people need context and what you might think is funny and resonate with people certainly did not.
And I'm so grateful for that. And now 10 plus years later, I remember that has stuck with me and that was such a valuable lesson and a moment that I'll always think back on.
JAG: Let me ask you this. You've talked about a lot of the lessons that JPZ taught you in doing news and working with people and interacting with others.
What advice would you have to a Syracuse student who wants to do what you're doing professionally?
Eva: I would say if you want it, you just have to go for it. That there are gonna be plenty of people that tell you no, that tell you're not ready. You can't do this. I don't like your voice. I don't like the way that you are presenting this story.
What I would say to people is you just have to push through. Do not let the nose get in the way of what you wanna do. I've had plenty of rejections. I remember when I sent out my first tape silence or rejection email after rejection email, and then when you get those, select few of let's talk.
It is so satisfying and exciting that this is your moment. And each of those steps in your professional career where that first yes for me was Springfield. That next yes was Connecticut. You just have to keep pushing and knowing that you can do it. A lot of this is believing in yourself because if anyone let that no, stop me.
Who knows where I would've been today? And I would just tell people that are still in college, Z89'ers, network. That truly was one of the best things that I did. I talked about that first Banquet where I was handing out my business cards left and right, but it was those people that helped me. To where I am today.
I remember sitting in Steve Donovan's morning show and saying, can I just pop in? And I sat and I watched and I observed. Rich Davis, who I know you've had on the podcast as well, I interned with him at Sirius Radio. It's all of these people that you know that are with you from the beginning all the way through your career.
JAG: I was gonna ask you about that. Yes. You did some pretty high profile internships while you were student, too, right?
Eva: Oh my goodness. Summer after sophomore year, I remember saying, you've gotta, we gotta get to it. We gotta start getting these internships. And I remember I applied to SiriusXM. It just seems like such a big company that's in your city.
This is the real deal. And I remember getting a call from the internship coordinator and missing it because I was in class. Feverishly calling him back all day. Yeah. I want it. I want it. Let's talk. So I started, I had one internship at Sirius. I worked with a morning show, Wake Up with Taylor, which was such a cool experience. At the time I really thought I wanted to do entertainment reporting and she interviewed so many high profile celebrities and guests every day. I was like, how do I, how am I seeing this person? I was a huge *NSync fan. Joey Fatone came on the show. Justin Bieber was there one day.
It was so cool and so I knew such a positive experience that I was like next summer, I absolutely want to come back and intern. And I remember people, the internship coordinators were saying, you had a great experience, but you can learn from other people. Yeah. So let's pick another show for you to do.
And I remember they said, oh, we've got this guy Rich Davis, he's a Syracuse alum. You'd be a great fit. You should intern for their show. And that was that. And that was truly, again, you talk about those moments in your career and your life. That to me was, again, one of the best decisions I ever made.
JAG: Was that Rich's show with Steve Covino? You were interning with?
Eva: Yeah, it was the Covino and Rich show at Sirius and they, oh my gosh. I learned so much from them. Talk about people that are true professionals that know what they are doing, the back and forth, the camaraderie, the understanding. That to me was such a cool partnership to see and be a part of.
Rich was such an incredible mentor. He would let me come on the radio, which is crazy. And he would always say, this girl's way more professional than us. Cause I'm like here buttoned up with my news background. And I was so just excited to be a part of that. And he's still one of the people that I talk to the most.
I was actually gonna text him after listening to his podcast. Because he's one of the alumni that I've kept in touch with probably the most because he was so instrumental in those early years. And then my final internship, I knew that I probably wanted to do tv, so I wanted to get some TV experience.
And I had a friend who had a friend that had interned at the Today Show, and she's we're looking for summer interns. Put in your resume and I got to do that and, oh my G-d, talk about a dream come true. I grew up watching the Today Show and all of a sudden to be at 30 Rock in that studio with people that I grew up watching.
I could not believe it. It was definitely a pinch me summer, that's for sure. And that's how I ended my internships and that again, a lot of Syracuse people there and that really helped so much.
JAG: So it, I'll timestamp this because we're recording this on May 2nd. It's the day after Rich's episode of the podcast came out. And in one day he's our most downloaded episode because he's got that much of a following.
And he and I were classmates. He was a year ahead of me, as we talked about it in the podcast, and I'm so glad to hear you bring his name up because you will not find a nicer person in this business than Rich. He's just such a great guy and I'm so glad you had such a great experience with him.
Eva: He really is. And he is one of those people that is there with you forever for the long haul. I'm gonna text him and say, hey, listen to your episode, and he's gonna get right back. He's gonna ask me how I'm doing, he's gonna ask me what's going on. He genuinely cares. But that could be said for anyone in the alumni network, you know that if you send a Facebook message, you send a text to anyone. They're gonna show up and help in any way that they can.
JAG: That's been true of this podcast is everybody I've asked to be on this podcast is like and there's no ego. It's me, you wanna talk to me? And I'm like, yes, I wanna talk to you. I've had so many great guests, present, company included.
Any other alumni that we haven't covered yet, Eva, that you've interacted with or still have a relationship with? Or it's classmates of yours? Older, younger?
Eva: Everyone. Yeah. I love coming back to Banquet because when you go back to banquet, you just don't miss a beat. Every single person that you've seen, it's as if you've seen them every single day for the last year.
Yeah. That everyone picks up right where they left off. It's just, it feels like a family and it's really hard when people ask you about Z89, what was it like? You can't sum it up. The impact that this organization has on you for the rest of your life, you cannot put into words that was invaluable training that you got.
I would put it against any college radio station across the country that it truly was everything to us and the friendships that you made there, the experience that you got, the alumni that you get to meet, it's so recognizable too. You talk and say, oh, it was part of WJPZ, and I can guarantee you that you would find someone who was there as well.
JAG: It's like the secret handshake and all of that is so true. I think that's probably the perfect place to wrap it up, Eva, and thank you so much for keeping the mission of the radio station going and paying it forward and your advice for recurrent and future reporters is certainly well taken as well.
I appreciate what you had to say about it being a tough business, fighting your way through it.
Eva: Absolutely. And you just, you can't let the tough moments get you down. This career is so fulfilling in so many ways that you get to meet these people that are truly change makers in the community that you serve, that are out there every single day, either fighting for causes, that they believe in making the community better.
I am so humbled every day when I go into work and say, I get to tell these people's stories that I have that privilege of giving them this platform to share the important work that they're doing. And that's an honor that I don't take for granted. And like I said, when it's tough and you've gotta have thick skin in many regards, but I would never change what I am doing because it's an honor and I'm humbled to do it.
None of this would be possible without the experience that I got, the people that I met. It all truly stemmed from Z89, being at Syracuse, I'm eternally grateful.
JAG: I don't think I've stopped smiling in the last half hour or so. Eva Zymaris class of 2014 and amazing ambassador for both the television industry and WJPZ. Thanks so much for spending a few minutes with us
today.
Eva: Thank you so much for having me on. It's been a blast.