ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — Ever wondered what a day in the life of the WHCU News Team is like? Get to know more about News Director and host of Ithaca’s Morning News Joe Salzone and Reporters/Anchors Matt Aceto and Mathew Adams and how they function as a unit to bring you the local news you know and love.

Where are the WHCU guys from, and how did they end up here?

Originally from Long Island, Joe Salzone came to Cayuga Media Group in June of 2020 and started hosting Ithaca’s Morning News that July. He started in radio in 2000 and got his first news job in the summer of 2005. Working for a newspaper in high school, he began to watch Peter Jennings on ABC News and admired his work. After emailing him for advice on an article he wrote and getting feedback from Jennings, Joe decided working in news would be his path and a tribute to Jennings himself.

Matt Aceto is from Portland, Maine, and came to Cayuga Media Group in February of 2022. As a freshman in college, he started working for a student newspaper and landed a part-time radio news job after graduating.

Mathew Adams, an Ithaca native, became a part of the WHCU team in April of 2022. Going back to school during January of 2020, he decided he didn’t like the major he was pursuing and started taking journalism classes. The fact that his schooling took place leading up to and during a global pandemic showed him just how relevant it was to study and understand professional journalism.

What does a typical day look like as a member of the WHCU News Team?

Although they all work toward the same goal, the day in the life of each member of the WHCU News Team looks a little different.

Salzone: “My day starts when it’s still dark out, I usually get to the station around 3:30 in the morning. I start by looking at what happened overnight and early in the morning and go over interviews I’ve done from previous days. By 5:00, I have most of the news written, and it goes at about a thousand miles an hour after that.”

Aceto: “I start with the sports report, which is my favorite part of the day, and watch meetings from the previous night. From there, I prepare for broadcasting at 9:00 a.m. which is followed by more newscasts in the afternoon.”

Adams: “My day is usually all hunkering down and writing. Whether it’s digging around for news or sifting through meetings, I’m always busy and typically go back to my days in print, making sure that all angles are covered.”

What is the collaboration like between everyone and what roles do you all play in bringing news to the community?

Salzone: “We always have continuous communication. When it comes to covering bigger stories, we talk about how to cover those and how to divide it up. For everything else, we all have strengths and weaknesses that we feed off of. I keep an open-door policy and encourage Matt and Mathew to come to me with whatever, whenever. Having that sort of system allows for us to help each other out whenever it’s needed.”

Aceto: “I usually lean on Joe for financial and government stories, and Mathew for diction. Joe typically leans on me for sports related things as he’s not a big sports guy. Being able to depend on each other and know that we all do better with some topics and not as much with others keeps us in tune with each other and the news we put out.”

Adams: “When it’s the three of us working together and bouncing ideas off each other, we’re more well-rounded than if it were all of us working as individuals. It helps us cover all the bases needed and make sure we’re not leaving anything out.”

Why does local/radio news matter?

Salzone: “It matters greatly what we do. It’s the job of any reporter to give facts. We tell the who, what, when, where, and why the most accurate way we can so people can interpret that information. Local news matters in the same way all news matters; it’s important for people to know what’s going on. We wake up knowing that something has happened that no one knows about yet, and our job is to find out what that is and relay it correctly and timely. Our work can be misunderstood, as we live in a uniquely polarizing time. What we do, and the work all reporters do, is essential. Knowledge is the greatest gift to mankind.”

Aceto: “People my age increasingly get their news from podcasts, although the people who run them are not always qualified to give accurate information, which is why having professional reporters is so crucial when it comes to the dissemination of news. Who and where you get your news from matters, so it’s important we do our jobs as accurately as we possibly can.”

Adams: “There’s a wealth of information out there. I sit down and consume it 40+ hours a week and I still don’t know everything, and most people don’t have the time or energy to do that. That’s why it’s so important for us to curate and make that information more malleable and digestible for those who don’t have the time.”

What is your favorite thing about living in the area?

Salzone: “The walking trails are something I’ve come to appreciate. I was never a very outdoorsy person, but I’ve taken a shine to spending as much time outdoors as I can. It helps keep me centered. That and craft beer, that helps keep me centered too.”

Aceto: “There’s an abundance of minor league sports teams, especially hockey and baseball, which help me get more familiar with the area and the people in it. Working here, I’m thankful for the listener feedback I get. It can be positive and make me feel like I’m making a difference, and it can be constructive and help me improve on things I need to work on.”

Adams: “During the summer, I’m not sure there’s a better place to be than Ithaca. The area is naturally beautiful, and it wasn’t something I fully appreciated until I came back after being away for a while. My wife and I will just drive and find somewhere to hike in the summer. Ithaca is also home to lots of different kinds of food that’s worth trying.”

Find news from the WHCU team on 607NewsNow daily, and be sure to check out the WHCU on air schedule here.