Brandon McCartney, a Junior at Olivet Nazarene University grew up in Downers Grove, Ill., and studies Multimedia Communication with a concentration in Radio. Brandon has loved sports growing up from watching The Colorado Buffaloes, Chicago Cubs, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Redwings. His investment in sports drove him to have a passion to talk about sports on the radio because that was the most interesting side of broadcasting in his opinion.
What really sparked his interest for radio was during his junior year of high school when he took a broadcasting class, and he discovered that radio was something worth looking into more. Brandon has always desired to become a sports broadcaster at any level whether it is for High School, College, or Pro. Any level he could see himself fitting in as a sports broadcaster, he says. Brandon says his dream job “is to be the broadcaster for either the Chicago Cubs or the Colorado Buffaloes.” Because of Brandon’s love for sports he started a Podcast named “B-Mac’s Buffaloes” in October of 2020.
His podcast goes deeper into the Colorado Buffaloes football and basketball teams. Currently he has made ten episodes of his podcast which can be found on Spotify. It takes him an average of 30 minutes to record an episode. In some of his episodes he has interviewed a few people such as: The Colorado Buffaloes Quarterback (from 2013-2016), another player from Denver Betting and a player from Boulder.
But his favorite interview he has conducted so far was with the Colorado Buffaloes Athletic Director. In addition to his podcast he also has a radio show on Olivet’s student-run station, SparkHD, that he does on the side.
Brandon also volunteers as a ball boy for ONU’s Football team during their games which has been a new hobby that he has enjoyed.
In the classroom, Dr. Jay Martinson describes him as a good student.
“He wants to do his best, pays attention in class, and gets his work done on time. Very conscientious. He is quick to participate in class, is a lot of fun, and helps bring a good vibe for the entire class. Brandon is super quirky and always has a big smile.” Brandon is always optimistic, and he always brings the humor wherever he goes.
Going into senior year he looks forward to closing one chapter of his life and moving on to the next. He is really excited to wrap up his school career and then be able to move into his broadcasting career.
Aside from his school life he has a strong love and connection to his family and friends. He loves talking to and meeting new people. He likes to be a helping hand for people. Because of Covid-19, he has been challenged this year with feeling homesick. The lack of breaks have been hard for him to have opportunities to go home and see his family. Those breaks are also just a time for him to refresh and wind down from school.
In and out of the classroom, Brandon is that same fun and uplifting guy who always strives to do the best he can.
