PJ Riddell

Broadcaster, Editor, Journalist, Storyteller
2X Emmy-Nominated Editor/Videographer
2X Keystone Award-Winning Writer
Messiah University Grad, December '23

Multi-Media Journalism

Audio/Visual Journalism

As part of Messiah's YBTV crew, I produced numerous news and feature packages as a multi-media journalist. In doing so, I covered various campus events, profiled specific individuals, and covered developing news stories. While many of my stories are sports-related, I didn't limited myself to just sports. This role greatly developed my storytelling abilities, video editing and journalism skills, on-camera presence, and my ability to conduct focused interviews that get the responses that are useful in both A/V and print stories. You can view some samples of my work by clicking on the stories below, and see how class and professional experience have translated into application in A/V journalism specifically, as I use natural sound, visuals, soundbites, and voiceovers to tell each story.

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Matt McDonald Named National Player of the Year

Aired January 2023 for YBTV

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Behind the Scenes: the Messiah Grounds Crew

Aired April 2023 for YBTV

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Messiah Music Faculty Jazz Concert

Aired November 2022 for YBTV

Messiah Basketball's Lifelong Fan

*2023 Emmy Nominee*

Aired February 2023 for YBTV

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Chris Heisey Inducted into Hall of Honor

Aired February 2023 for YBTV

View my entire playlist of video stories (2020-Present)

Sports Broadcasting

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For GoMessiah.tv at Messiah University, I served as a play-by-play broadcaster for Messiah baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, basketball, and volleyball. In addition to broadcasting, I also served as a public address announcer at Messiah's athletics facilities. In both roles, I was selected to announce five NCAA DIII championship tournaments, including 2021 field hockey, 2021 and 2022 men's and women's soccer, and 2023 women's basketball and women's soccer. For my work, I was named the 2023 Behind the Scenes MVP in Messiah Athletics' annual award ceremony, the MESPYs. Following my time at Messiah, I've continued to broadcast sports as the Harrisburg Senators Broadcast & Media Relations Associate, as well as on a freelance basis for PennLive and NFHS Network, which has included broadcasting all eight 2024 PIAA high school soccer state championship games for NFHS Network, among other games, both playoffs and regular season.

With YBTV at Messiah, I was selected as the first Sports Director in program history in 2022, and pioneered the YBTV Sports segment as its own show within YBTV's existing programming. As I handed off the role of Sports Director to my successor in 2023, YBTV Sports became established not only in YBTV's existing audience, but expanded to engage the athletics community, especially through our highlight segment, the "Falcon Four." The YBTV Sports structure of 4 highlights, brief updates, and a feature profile, has been noted as the most consistent aspect of YBTV's weekly programming and community engagement. Now, these show production sskills play a role in producing my sports show, Beyond the Scoreboard, for WBYN 107.5 and WDAC 94.5.

Publications

Professional Radio Experience

WDAC 94.5 Lanaster

WBYN 107.5 Boyertown

HOPE 94.5 HD2 Lancaster

Starting in the summer of 2022, I was provided the opportunity to take an internship and work as a broadcaster with 107.5 Alive in my hometown of Boyertown PA. Since then, I've continued work at Boyertown, and at the central station in Lancaster at WDAC Radio Company.

As part of WDAC/WBYN I've been producer of my own half-hour sports program to air on Saturday mornings at 10:00 on WBYN. Additionally, I voice-track weeknights for 94.5 and 107.5, and am live for 107.5 and 94.5 during varying shifts.

Working with WDAC has provided me valuable insight into the radio broadcasting industry, and a new appreciation for the work the professionals put in each day. Overall, I've grown in so many ways as a result of this opportunity. I've been able to learn the technical aspects of professional broadcasting, as well as the intangibles, such as developing a unique personality over the air and building meaningful relationships with the listener base.

Radio Broadcasting

Friday Night
Football

From August to November 2022, I served as an intern with local TV station ABC27 WHTM in Harrisburg PA. The internship entailed covering local high school football games and helping produce ABC27's Friday Night Football programming, which airs at 11:15 PM on Fridays during the season.

Specifically, my job as an intern was to go along with an experienced reporter/photog from ABC27 to two high school games each Friday night and perform multiple different tasks. These included taking game notes, communicating with the teams to gather roster information, helping shoot video highlights, editing those highlights, scripting the highlights for the sports anchors, and then serving as a "floor director" of sorts during the actual production.

I found the conversations with, and observations of, professionals in the field, as well as the real-life work under the pressure of tight deadlines to be some of the most beneficial aspects of this experience.