Sac State sophomore Vince Vacari grew up idolizing the cast of KCRA Channel 3. He said he had all the newscaster’s names memorized and knew he eventually wanted to be on TV – he’s almost there.

Vacari, otherwise known as “Dub V,” is the disc jockey and host to the campus’ student -run radio show “The Sac State Sunset.”

“The Sac State Sunset” airs every Thursday night from 8 to 10 p.m. The Sac State Sunset used to be called “The Sac State Sunrise” and aired from 8 to 9 a.m. Vacari said it was too early and students were probably still in bed, so the show moved its time slot.

Being heard by the student body isn’t something new to Vacari. He got his start by doing announcements for his high school in Jackson, California. He said he read the announcements only because he didn’t want the job to go to the principal, but the experience really shaped his ideas of what he wanted to do.

“There was something really cool about being the first voice people hear in the morning,” he said. “I had a lot of fun.”

Now Vacari is doing much more than reading announcements. What started out as an hour-long show has now been extended to two.

Vacari’s show has a campus sports journalist who gives an update on all campus sport activities and a “gossip entrepreneur” who goes over the latest celebrity scandals. He said the show is gaining popularity. Audiences listen online, and can call in or interact with others listening to the show through MySpace.

Britney Rossman, or “B-Unit,” is a sophomore journalism major and does the sports update on “The Sac State Sunset.” Rossman said depending on what season it is, she does her research on teams and interviews players on the show. She said she loves doing the sports update on the show, because it lets her do what she eventually want to do as a career.

“We’re always laughing in (the studio),” she said. “It’s just a great time. Anytime I have a mic in front of me it’s great.”

Vacari said it wasn’t his idea to start “The Sac State Sunset.”

“I met a girl during freshman orientation who was into radio broadcasting and she talked me into joining KSSU and doing the show. I said alright and two days before the first show she dropped out of school,” he said.

Left alone, Vacari said the first show was rough. He ended up just playing top 40 hits. Now, he said he puts in 10 to 20 hours of work each week into “The Sac State Sunset” and has an audience of over 150.

Vacari said he’s proud of the variety of music he plays on his show. “The Sac State Sunset” is a fast-paced combination of English and Spanish. “Dub V” plays music from all types of genres including his favorite, “reggaeton,” which originated from Puerto Rico.

“If you’re tired of listening to all the regular mainstream music then you’ll like ‘The Sac State Sunset,'” Vacari said.

Vacari, a Spanish minor, grew up hanging out with a small Latino community in Jackson. He speaks Spanish fluently. He said one of the things he loves about Sac State is the diversity of the students on campus.

He said the main reason he thinks “The Sac State Sunset” is so important is because he tries “to cater to every culture and race.”

“Practically every type of person can be found on this campus,” he said. “We’re here to bridge the gap between race and culture.”

Eventually Vacari said he would like to have his own variety show on TV. He said he’s always been a people person, and thinks something like “The Today Show” would be a perfect set up for him.

Whose job in the entertainment industry does he want the most?

That would be Regis Philbin’s.

“I think (Regis) is awesome,” he said. “He’s done so much. He so old but he still has his own show.”

Andrew Corsaletti has listened to “The Sac State Sunrise” from his school in Southern California. Corsaletti said he went to high school with Vacari and said he remembers the daily morning announcements.

Corsaletti said he thinks that his show is “going to blow up.” He said Vacari has always wanted to get into some type of entertainment.

“I like the positive outlook (“The Sac State Sunset”) has,” Corslaetti said. “It might not seem like a lot, but being happy makes other people happy.”

To check out “The Sac State Sunrise” go to myspace.com/doublevkssu or vibedesignstudio.com/dubv.

Adina Zerwig can be reached at [email protected]