Jessica Phaneuf was born and raised in Bridgewater,
Massachusetts. Vivid memories from her childhood include:
writing terrible short stories, putting on plays at
her nana’s house, and singing with her father every
Sunday at church.
Jess only applied to one school - Emerson
College in Boston, MA. A school ‘bringing innovation
to communication & the arts’ seemed like the
perfect fit for her, but she wasn’t sure what major
to choose. Reading the list of options, Jess checked
off broadcast journalism on a whim. As a requirement
for one of her journalism classes, she wrote the news
for Emerson’s award-winning radio station, WERS.
She fell in love with radio and went on to become a
reporter, anchor, and producer.
In March of 2007, Jess fractured part of her knee while
skiing in Colorado. She wore a full-leg cast for three
weeks, used crutches for months, and went through two
surgeries and 6 months of physical therapy. Out of work
for the summer, the seemingly terrible experience gave
Jess more time to become involved in the music side
of WERS as a DJ and eventually Assistant Music Director.
Jess graduated magna cum laude from Emerson a semester
early, in December 2007. After graduation, she was left
with a feeling of impending doom, asking herself, “What
now?” Despite a difficult transition into the ‘real
world’, Jess knew she still had the skills and
passion to work in radio. One day she received an email
from a friend at WERS. It was an ad for an open job
at WMVY Radio in Martha’s Vineyard: “We're
looking for a jock with a real, conversational-style,
who is familiar and comfortable with the Triple A format”.
“That’s me!” she thought…and applied
instantly.
Jess is extremely excited to be a part of MVY Radio
and to live on the beautiful island of Martha’s
Vineyard. She is thrilled to be on her own while still
close to her family. Looking back, she’s in awe
of how things have turned out for her and feels incredibly
fortunate to have a life filled with love and music.
She is most thankful to her mom, dad, and two older
sisters for their constant encouragement.
Jess enjoys music, concerts, photography, sushi, yoga,
tea, theatre, the beach, quoting Arrested Development,
making cards, dancing, tons of pillows on her bed, cats,
LOST, good movies, good books, and good people! She
adores her amazing boyfriend Ryan
who makes incredible music. She spends a lot of time
writing - notes and letters, in her journal, and in
her Music
Blog. Jess is also psyched to say she’s finally
learning how to play the guitar!
Contact Jess: Jess@mvyradio.com
