Freddie Coleman Joins Marist College For A Semester

Source: Jacob Hodgson, https://unsplash.com/photos/5ULLwpOS5V8

This Spring, Freddie Coleman began his teaching career in Marist’s Center for Sports Communication. From Cablevision to ESPN Radio, Coleman has had an exciting career in radio and sports journalism which he is currently sharing with his new students who are eager to learn. 

Freddie Coleman has hosted many shows for ESPN such as “Freddie and Fitzsimmons”, “The Freddie Coleman Show,” and “GameNight." although sportscasting was not always Coleman’s goal. 

“I always loved sports, but never thought for one second I’d be involved in it,” Coleman said.

Although he grew up playing sports including basketball, football and tennis, his passion for radio originated in his love of radio DJs and music. 

“Radio DJs were fascinating to listen to, you felt like you were eavesdropping on a private conversation,” Coleman said. As a self-described “radiohead,” Coleman loved to listen to people speaking on air between songs and hear how they formulated their thoughts. 

“I was amazed that out of this little box in my room, you can feel the world open up to you,” Coleman said. Coleman expressed that the personal connection between radio personalities  and listeners is a key element to what makes radio so special. 

When working for WPDH in 1998, Freddie Coleman was able to attend the 29th Anniversary of the Woodstock festival at Yasgur’s Farm. He was able to have a conversation with Richie Havens, a legendary musician who played at Woodstock ‘69, about a concert of his he had attended. At the show, all of the lights went out and everyone lifted up their lighters as Havens continued to play. As the two were having a conversation, news crews were recording the interaction. Coleman says he will never forget his friends and family calling him to tell him they had heard him on WNEW or seen him on CNN. This very personal and genuine interaction was exactly what he valued about journalism and radio. 

As Coleman moved away from music radio he began working for Cablevision covering local sporting events. When reporting on local sports, Coleman emphasized the importance of keeping the audience’s interests in mind. 

“If it was important to the parents and the kids, it was important to us,” Coleman said. He expressed that if people knew that their sporting events would be covered with care and credibility they would continue to tune in to the Cablevision broadcasts. Through this job, Coleman became the sports analyst for Marist Basketball. 

“I was always on this campus covering sports for Cablevision,” Coleman said. It was then that he formed a special connection with Marist College. 

“I couldn’t have picked a better place to teach,” he said. Coleman expressed that he is grateful to be teaching at a school filled with bright and successful students. He feels that he is not only teaching students but learning from them as well. Guiding students toward a successful career in journalism has always been a goal in his career. 

Throughout his career, Coleman has learned many valuable lessons. When hosting his own show, The Freddie Coleman Show, he felt that the most important asset he had was his own name. 

“Always maintain your credibility,” Coleman said. “If you ruin your name one time in this business, it can be almost impossible to get that back,” he said. 

Throughout his career, credibility has only become more important. 

“I think we are starting to see that paradigm shift, listeners are smarter than ever before,” he said. “The only wrong way to present content is if you present a falsehood.” 

Freddie Coleman hopes to inspire young journalists to try new ways of presenting content and using their medium. 

“Be fearless, it's okay to try something new. The worst thing that could happen is it doesn’t work,” he said. “You may wind up stumbling upon something that changes the game completely.”