Editor’s note: Because of his friendship with us, Zip Rzeppa would like to give STL Sports Page readers a discount on tickets to the speakers series so if you are interested, please email us at Rains@STLSportsPage.com to inquire.
By Sally Tippett Rains
All St. Louisans of a certain age remember Zip Rzeppa and “The Zippos” the zany video collage that Channel 2 Sports Director Christopher “Zip” Rzeppa put together every Friday night. At the time he never could have imagined he would be in another aspect of the media business putting together a major speakers series in St. Louis.
The list of people involved in the programs is a “Who’s Who”” of speaker series. The first one is coming up and we thought it would be fun to visit with Zip as he embarks on such an exciting venture.
“The people who attend our speaker series will be entertained and informed and they will engage when we ask them to submit questions to the speakers,” said Rzeppa.
During his television days, Rzeppa was so successful he was recognized everywhere he went—and he still is. He was at the top of this game and making a six-figure salary at major market station in St. Louis, when he started to hear another calling.
He worked for 20 years as a sports anchor in Boston, Cincinnati and then St. Louis. As his career got hotter, the fire inside of him also grew and his catholic roots started to nag at him. Was he doing enough to spread the gospel as he felt it. One day he changed the trajectory of his career.
Zip Rzeppa willingly took himself off the air and went to work in the non-profit sector. After interviewing the top names in sports, he began finding his peace out on the streets of St. Louis helping the homeless. He also helped those in homes as he began serving in inner-city neighborhoods, evangelizing door-to-door.
He worked with MERS Goodwill and continued helping those who had it less fortunate than he did. He raised funds to purchase homes for foster children and foster parents at Angels’ Arms. As the executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, he oversaw the charitable work of 3,000 volunteers in 140 parishes.
As Zip Rzeppa, in the sports media, his annual Superbowl parties were legendary with St. Louis A-list guests like Larry Conners and Julius Hunter coming every year. Once Rzeppa left his sports anchor job, he continued his Superbowl Party and his friends continued to come, but he occasionally invited some of the people he met on the streets. He doesn’t distinguish between the famous or homeless. He tries to see all through Jesus’ eyes as his Catholic upbringing taught him to.
It has always been in his DNA to help people, and we saw first-handed when he pitched in with Rainbows for Kids charity for families of children with cancer any time he was asked.
He knew there was more he could do with his life; he could feel it but it took him a while to discover what his journey had prepared him for as he was gaining valuable experience with the non-profits he worked for and his street evangelizing.
“After working for 16 years in inner-city evangelization, serving people with mental and physical disabilities, and empowering foster children, I felt a calling to go back to my roots in media,” he said. “I wrote a couple of books. We started the nonprofit, Mater Media in 2012, and began publishing other people’s books–working with major movie makers, developing a program to help Catholic couples strengthen their marriages, and now the Speaker Series.
“Our mission statement is to make Jesus more known and more loved by more people–through media. The difference is we are using media to bring people closer to the Lord.”
Rzeppa had a vision to write, print, publish, and distribute books that evangelize the Catholic Faith, beginning wih his own book, My Rock & Salvation, now in the hands of more than 20,000 young adults. To date, Mater Media has published 21 Catholic books, with 128,000 copies in print.
Now, Mater Media helps bring the Gospel to new audiences through speakers, films, books, music, and digital platforms.
So that brings him to the Mater Media Speaker Series. How did he get the idea? He wanted to create ways for Christians to get together other than just church.
“So we thought it would be a great idea to invite great speakers to reflect on how they’ve used their God-given talents to influence the culture in their particular field–movies, music, media, public speaking, design, and the priesthood.”
Was he apprehensive about such a big undertaking?
“We had no idea if the concept would work,” he said. “We definitely prayed and the Holy Spirit WHOOSHED us ahead. After several months of hard work, we had the speakers and the location, but no money. We began doing presentations in public libraries, private homes, and later a country club. Sponsors came forward along with a significant list of “Founders” who believed in the idea.”
The first two speakers are John O’Leary (Sept. 10, at 7:30 pm ), whose story first came to light through Jack Buck in1987 after he was badly burned in an explosion, and Journalist, commentator and author, Bill O’Reilley (Oct. 15 at 7:30). Other speakers include Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Ira DeWitt, a Hollywood Film producer and more.
“I have a personal connection with everyone except Ira, whom I’ve recently met,” said Rzeppa. “I always loved hearing John O’Leary speak.”
John O’Leary
At nine years old, John O’Leary survived a devastating home fire that left him with burns on 100% of his body and little chance to live. What could have been the end of his story became the beginning of his mission. His story of survival was first showcased in Overwhelming Odds, the book his parents wrote in 2006
In 2016, he published On Fire, the bestselling memoir that was adapted into the major motion picture Soul On Fire in 2025, starring William H. Macy, John Corbett, and Joel Courtney. After opening in more than 1,700 theaters nationwide, the film quickly climbed to #2 on Netflix, introducing John’s message to millions more.
Bill O’Reilly
O’Reilly is a prolific author, publishing more than 30 books, with 20 reaching #1 on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list, an all-time record.
When FOX News launched in 1996, O’Reilly took on the fledgling network’s 8:00pm slot. The show—first called The O’Reilly Report, later renamed The O’Reilly Factor—started with virtually no audience. Within four years, it became the #1 cable news program in America and held that top position for an astounding 16 consecutive years.
How does Rzeppa get such big named speakers? Well, he’s known O’Reilly since the 1980’s when they worked at the same TV station in Boston.
“We met as students at Boston University in 1974,” Rzeppa told STL Sports Page. “Bill wrote news for the university newspaper, I wrote sports.”
Then in 1982, as luck would have it they were hired at the same time on Channel 7 in Boston with O’Reilly in News and Rzeppa in Sports.
“In the 1990s, Bill started a group known as the ‘Men of Adventure,’” said Rzeppa. “It was 20 guys from various time periods of Bill’s life and we would take trips. The trips were every other year. White water rafting, ziplining, snorkelling in the ocean, all kinds of things. We’ve been to Reykavik, Iceland, Havana, Cuba, the British Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and many other places. Our most recent trip was this past May, to Ireland.”
When Rzeppa told O’Reilly they were doing the speaker series and asked him if he would participate, he said yes.
For those interested in buying tickets to a speaker, you will have to buy the entire speaker series. Since this is their first time doing it they want to be able to plan ahead on how many will be attending.
Just as with season tickets for the Cardinals, Muny or St. Louis Symphony, many people are buying them together, splitting them up for the ones they want to see.
“We are selling all tickets on a series pass basis,” said Rzeppa. “We have no individual ticket sales. We will offer group discounts to any church, organization, or nonprofit that requests one.”
With the entire season ticket, the individual programs are quite a bargain as far as how famous and sought-after the speakers are.
Mater Media Speaker Series Lineup
- John O’Leary – International speaker and bestselling author
- Bill O’Reilly – Commentator and author
- Dr. Ira DeWitt – Catholic evangelist and podcast host
- Eric Genuis – Virtuoso composer and pianist
- Leo Severino – Hollywood film producer
- Cardinal Timothy Dolan – Archbishop Emeritus of New York
For more information go to: MaterMedia.org and click on the Speaker Series tab. CLICK HERE.
**Zip is offering a special discount to all our readers– 25% off! Use this link: speakerseries.matermedia.org/
If you would like to help Zip and Mater Media with their endeavors:
To Find Out How to Join the Founders Circle
You can reserve your seats and help build something lasting.
As a Founders Circle member, you will establish the legacy of the Speaker Series.
Benefits
- Two tickets to every Speaker Series Event with VIP seating
- VIP Reception invitation – enjoy an exclusive social hour before every event to meet-and-greet with each speaker
- Reserved VIP parking
- Special recognition at every Speaker Series Event
Author
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Sally Tippett Rains started her sports media career at KMOX Radio Sports (writing/producing for Bob Costas, Jack Buck, Bill Wilkerson) in the late 1970′s, early ’80′s then switched to book writing and charity work while raising their children.
Currently she is content manager for STLSportsPage.com and author of 11 books, many in the sports genre.She also wrote "Choose Happy; Find Contentment in Any Situation," which comes in Black & White or Color versions.