Inside Patriots Power Hour on Power 88.3

Patriots Power Hour. Photo Courtesy: Josh Barbara

Before the Jets–Patriots Thursday Night Football game, the Dean College Main Stage just outside Citizens Crust and Bar Louie was the place for the Patriots Power Hour on Power 88—hosted by Sports Broadcasting Directors Josh Barbara, Dan Botolino, Grant Flood, and Dawson DiBarri.

This is the first year of the Patriots Power Hour, and the show has quickly become a centerpiece of campus sports media. They wake up bright and early on Sunday morning and head to Gillette to be on the air by 11am. Their very first broadcast started on Week 3 of the NFL season which was approximately 2 months ago.

Senior Josh Barbara, who was the lead voice for Dean College Football & Director of Sports Broadcasting pitched the idea of hosting an NFL Draft Show from the main stage. Eventually, the Kraft Entertainment Group loved their radio cast enough that they asked them to return to the main stage for a weekly pregame show for the New England Patriots.

“I think the turnout for the Patriots power hour has been great,” Senior Director Grant Flood said, reflecting on the people who stop by the stage. “When we have shows at Gillette, it's always great to greet Patriots fans with a smile, and say ‘We're a college radio station, broadcasting live on Power88.3 FM.’ It has been nothing but a positive experience.” Josh also had a similar reaction, stating, “When we tell them we’re college students doing a pregame show in partnership with the team itself they’re visibly impressed and surprised that we’re taking our time to get up early on Sunday morning and do a show as college students. It’s quite funny when we see their reactions.”

From left to right: Dawson DiBarri, Grant Flood, Josh Barbara, and Dan Botolino at Patriots Place. Photo Courtesy: Ben Smith

“I really enjoy helping us put each segment together,” Grant said while discussing the show’s preparation process. “Josh and I hold a weekly meeting to go over our plans, which helps us map out our headline question heading into the second hour of the show.” Josh offered a slightly different perspective. “When we first started, we were trying to segment out the show, so it had a flow with a mix of intelligent conversation backed up by stats and analysis but also fun segments where we get to show our personalities a little bit,” he said.

Barbara reflected on the show’s growth saying, “My favorite part has been not only seeing how far we’ve come since Week 1 but also realizing just how much fun we have doing the show itself.” Grant added that one specific part of the show always stands out. “The pick segment is always a blast,” he said. A devoted Jaguars fan, Grant admitted that one of his favorite parts of this segment is his Jaguars rants. “For one, I can have a mini Jaguars freakout every week after a loss. It’s therapeutic at this point.”

With both directors being seniors, they’re excited about the show’s future and the growth still ahead. “I’m thrilled because we, as a team, have put in the effort to make this show as professional as possible,” Grant said. “Our goal as seniors is to pass this program down to the next group of broadcasters who’ve worked their tails off and hopefully earn recognition from Kraft Sports + Entertainment.”

Josh echoed that excitement, particularly about the younger members stepping into bigger roles. “I think I’m most excited to see how the younger guys—Dan and Dawson—really take the reins next year and build off everything they’ve learned this season,” he said.

Patriots Power Hour airs live every Sunday from 11am-1pm on Power 88.3 FM. You can also catch the crew on the Dean College Main Stage on Monday, December 1st, as the Patriots host the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.