|
|
 |
|
Education
|
 |
|
 |
 |
The professional touch
How industry expert input improves student newscasts
Jul 21, 2005
|
|
by James Careless
|
As someone who has taught broadcast journalism at the community college level, I understand the challenge all teachers face: How can I educate my students so they graduate as competent broadcasters with real opportunities for employment?
Educators at Central Michigan University and the University of Missouri have developed some innovative answers to this question, answers that really do help broadcast journalism students prosper during school and after graduation.
With more than 400 broadcast journalism majors to teach and a Monday-Friday news broadcast to get to air, Central Michigan University professor and News Division manager Rick Sykes has his hands full. So when he wants help in improving the performance and output of CMU’s broadcast students, Sykes turns to the pros — the news directors at commercial stations around CMU’s campus in Mount Pleasant, MI.
Specifically, he brings in professional news staff to critique the student-produced News Central 34 broadcasts. Seen on local cable networks, the program runs for 60 minutes nightly Monday-Thursday, with half-hour editions on Friday.
 |
| The University of Missouri’s KOMU is an NBC affiliate, so only the top students get a shot at on-air work. |
“When I got here nine years ago, I began sending out dubs as a way of getting professional feedback on our newscasts,” Sykes said. “For the last four years, I have invited them to come to our studio, to see the broadcast being produced in person. I then use their critiques to shape our approach both in the classroom and the studio, to help our students improve their work and produce a better broadcast.”
Constructive Criticism
To ensure a broad range of perspectives, Sykes is careful to seek out “new eyes” to review the tapes, typically choosing a different news director each semester. “Sometimes I recruit a team of professionals at a station — the news director, a producer, and a reporter — to get a mix of views from the same source,” he added.
In general, the commentators have focused their attention on the students’ writing quality, and the pacing of News Central 34’s broadcasts. “Sometimes they bring up issues related to the content we air,” Sykes noted. “They want to know the reasons why the student chose to cover a specific story, or why they missed certain key issues when they covered it.”
After the critique is received and digested, “I write the people back to thank them, then detail exactly how we are addressing the points they raised,” he said. “By doing so, they know right away that we took their comments seriously.”
Not surprisingly, having access to professional input has improved the quality of News Central 34. It has also helped the students take their skills up a notch by researching, writing, and representing stories in ways that more closely match the commercial broadcast market.
“Using this information, we have been able to fine-tune our curriculum to give our students a better education,” offered Sykes. “Every time we get a new critique, we can make changes that literally bring our students and our program up to the next level.”
In addition, Sykes said relationships forged between CMU and area broadcasters makes a big difference at hiring time. “What we’ve got now is akin to having a very good college sports program,” he explained. “By virtue of our reputation, we have pros scouting our people, looking for talent that they can hire, especially producers. In a number of cases, we’ve had students working professionally before they’ve graduated. Some are even on their second job by the time they leave here.
“This is why I can tell my best students that, when it comes to meeting potential employers, I can get them in the door for interviews. What they do with these opportunities is up to them, of course.”
Campus Network
Owned and operated by the University of Missouri, KOMU in Columbia isn’t a student station. Instead, it’s a full NBC affiliate run by professionals for profit, just like any commercial TV station.
To say the least, working on KOMU news can be a heady experience for UM students. “After all, they go on air following the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” said Brian Cottle, KOMU’s manager of information services. “By studying here, they are actually working in a real TV station that is fully functional. It’s the real deal.”
As a money-making broadcaster, KOMU has to produce newscasts that are as professional and polished as their market competitors. As a result, UM students aren’t just automatically recruited as talent; only the best and brightest get their chances in front of and behind the camera, and then under the supervision of seasoned professionals.
“By and large, our news operation is made up of paid staff who also teach at the School of Journalism,” said Cottle. “We have paid producers, anchors, reporters, and camera people, all of whom help guide the students through the whole process of doing news. In this way, the students get to shoot and edit news footage.
“If they earn the right, they may even get on air. But we don’t put everyone on air that’s in the program. And when students get to go on air, it is usually not on primary shifts, but rather during weekends, evenings, and for cut-ins.”
To ensure that all UM broadcast journalism students understand TV news at a gut level, the school puts them through all aspects of the production process. “Everyone starts out with reporting,” Cottle explained. “They learn how to shoot and edit video, how to understand the fundamentals of TV news by doing it.”
And yes, they even foster an element of competition between students, Cottle admitted. “With 130 students in the program, we can’t get everyone on air,” he added. “With a professional newsroom to run, we need students with the skills and motivation to work professionally. Competition helps bring these students to the forefront, ensuring that the best achieve their potential, and that KOMU fulfills its mandate to its shareholders to win ratings and make a profit.”
Points To Ponder
The techniques used by both CMU and KOMU to bring out the best in students are based on a common principle: To teach students real world skills, you must make them perform in the real world. Both schools’ strategies provide students with the chance to achieve real world credentials before graduation, as well as the opportunity to get that all-important first job.
As Sykes noted, the best time for a student to get into a TV newsroom is when they aren’t looking for a job. With the right amount of work and luck, the student’s performance will convince the news director to hire them after graduation or direct them to other stations with a recommendation.
Linking up with professional news operations is an effective way for educators to train broadcast journalists properly and give them connections for finding work after graduation. Moreover, it’s no service to shelter students from the harshness of commercial news, if that’s where they want to make their fortunes. Better to face them with the facts in conjunction with proper training and support.
Besides, fostering close relationships with broadcasters provides a constant reality check for educators — it keeps them teaching what students need to know to get jobs, at a quality level that will make them stand above the competition.
|
|
|
Government Video is part of the NewBay Media Community
copyright 2007© NewBay Media LLC.
810 Seventh Avenue, 27th Floor New York, NY 10019 T (212)378-0400 F (212)378-2160
|
|
|
