UMass Junior Breaks Gender Barrier At WMUA Sports
By Mike Knittle
In the spring semester of 2015, UMass Junior Bridgette Proulx became the first full-time woman to be named Sports Production Director in the 66 year history of 91.1 WMUA.
Her first goal as director is to influence other women to get involved at WMUA, the student radio station at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Proulx, 21, is a double major in sports
journalism and sports management. With backgrounds in journalism and management as well as a side interest in photography, Proulx’s well rounded experiences have molded her into a leader of the Sports Radio department at WMUA as well as helped the WMUA Sports brand in different ways.
“Bridgette is able to use her past experiences to secure new underwriting for WMUA Sports, which increases our brand equity and gets out name out there,” said WMUA sports broadcaster Josh McCawley.
At an average height for a woman, Proulx exhibits an athletic build and a natural voice for radio. A native of Attleboro, Massachusetts, Proulx grew up in a house with her now 19 year old brother, Brent, and her parents Ron and Amy Proulx. She also a large extended family that is full of athletes, so it was easy for Proulx to become interested in sports and adventure.
From her grandfather, Peter Duffy, the director of a YMCA in Rhode Island, to her father Ron who played hockey for a long period of his life, sports have been in the Proulx family roots. Mr. Duffy has been an influential piece for Proulx throughout her life. “My grandpa taught me everything there is to know about sports. He helped me a lot when I was a kid and helped me be confident.”
After graduating from Attleboro High School, Proulx decided to attend the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, not only because the university was more cost efficient than her other top options including Quinnipiac University and Boston University, but also because of her want to venture into something where she could put her desire in following sports and interest in management to the test.
The journalistic side of Proulx influenced her to report UMass athletics for WMUA. The radio station gave Proulx a good opportunity to step right into the fire, broadcast major sports like football, basketball and ice hockey. At first, when joining WMUA, Proulx intended to join the student TV station on campus at UVC, however she accidentally attended the wrong meeting and ended up at WMUA. Proulx became very interested in WMUA Sports with what Chris Doherty, the sports director at the time, had to say about the station. Proulx joined the station after being urged by Doherty to do so, and has stuck with it since and has thrived.
Climbing up the ranks at the radio station, Proulx has been breaking through many gender barriers that are involved in the broadcasting profession.
In her first broadcast, Proulx held the role of ice-level reporter at a UMass men’s ice hockey game, reporting close up analysis over the air as she stands right next to the ice. Said Proulx recalling her first broadcast, “I was so nervous. I shook the whole time because of the nerves plus being cold next to the rink.”
As a sophomore, Proulx became the first women at WMUA to ever call play-by-play, as she led her first broadcast at a UMass men’s ice hockey game.
Proulx has proven that she can do it like any other broadcaster by continuing to broadcast multiple UMass sports. From broadcasting overtime UMass men’s ice hockey games to being a football color analyst 826 miles away from campus at Notre Dame, Proulx has done it all as a broadcaster.
To Proulx, attaining the role of director has “made me way more professional. It really makes me try to not mess up,” she said. “I want to make it look like I obviously can do it like everyone else can.”
Proulx believes in her abilities as a broadcaster and experience as a director to help her succeed. She also believes that women in broadcasting are stereotyped and overlooked. “I think it is too much about looks and not enough about skill,” said Proulx. “People don’t listen to you if you are not the stereotypical, beautiful woman. If you are good enough at it, it should not matter.” Proulx has tried to be an example of letting her skill and experience doing the talking.
The fact that there have been only seven women that have been involved in the history of WMUA sports radio, four of which are current members, Proulx has made steps towards creating more of a level field when it comes to the number of men and women involved at the radio station.
While recruiting and influencing the other three women that are currently members of WMUA Sports in the past two years, Proulx hopes to be able to create more of a balance between men and women in sports radio than the station has ever seen. She has also been planning to set up an all-woman broadcast calling a UMass men’s ice hockey game later in the calendar year. This would be yet another first to be brought to WMUA Sports in just the small amount of time that Proulx has become director.
Wanting to see more women working professionally in sport media, Proulx describes her effort in gaining more involvement at the collegiate level. “The more girls you get involved in the college level, the more that can go on to be in sports media at the professional level,” Proulx said.
Through her management classes, Proulx has learned to how to manage the off-air business for WMUA Sports. Having learned more in management about directing than she did in journalism, Proulx is able to take care of broadcasting contracts, sponsorship contracts, and even the scheduling and staffing to take care of WMUA Sports.
Proulx has also been adamant about spreading and marketing the name of WMUA Sports through social media. Whether it be through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, Proulx has tried to make as many of WMUA’s listeners aware as possible of future broadcasts.
One of Proulx’s favorite hobbies is photography, which has been a major help in the marketing of the WMUA Sports brand. Posting status updates with a picture, Proulx tries to bring more attention to a post by attaching it with a photo. “I think that social media isn’t interesting without a photo,” Proulx said. Most recently, Proulx has posted pictures of the football fields the UMass football team will be playing on, while adding a small blurb alerting listeners of an upcoming broadcast.
Proulx believes she has all of the qualities that will allow her to continue into the sports media business with the utmost confidence.
It is this confidence that Proulx tries to bring onto other women in the university to influence them to become involved. It is only a matter of time before the first all-woman broadcast can be heard on 91.1 WMUA Sports radio and that’s going to all be because of the hard work and determination of Bridgette Proulx.
UMass Journalism 300 