John Friscia was officially announced as the University’s Director of Student Media in a tweet by the Manship School of Mass Communication Wednesday afternoon. Friscia had held the interim position since February.
Friscia has been a member of the Manship School faculty for 18 years, serving as the chief broadcast engineer and technician, according to his biography on the Manship School’s website. Friscia previously spent eight years working at the United Nations headquarters as a broadcast and sound engineer. Prior to that he was a maintenance engineer for Battery Studios, a division of Jive Records.
Friscia was hired by Dean of the Manship School, Jerry Ceppos, after he was recommended by a search committee. Ceppos said Friscia’s long tenure with student media at the University was among his biggest strengths.
“No one at LSU knows Student Media better than John,” Ceppos said. “Even before becoming the interim director, he had worked there for years. Then, in the last year, he hit the ball out of the park as the interim director. Finances improved tremendously. We’re in the black—after years of losses.”
Ceppos said his hopes for Friscia’s tenure are improvement in student media’s online presence and financial sustainability. 
“I hope that John and the students can continue to improve [LSUNow.com]. It is our future in terms of news,” Ceppos said. “Finally, I hope that John continues his successful efforts to make Student Media financially viable.”