by Kaitlin Van Loon and Alex Fernando
The College of Journalism and Mass Communications newest recruiting event, “In The Studio with CoJMC,” gives prospective students an opportunity to practice the college’s “Do From Day One" motto before they even get to campus as first-year students.
Using the new Don and Lorena Meier television studio, prospective students produced a broadcast segment centered on highlights from Husker men’s basketball. The highlights were pre-cut, but everything else needed to produce the sports show was left for the students to prepare.
From writing scripts, designing statistics graphics, building the show’s rundown and producing the show, the students were hard at work all afternoon on Saturday, Feb. 25. CoJMC faculty members, lecturer Bill Doleman and associate professor John Shrader, were available to help with script writing and setting up the stage for the Husker post-game show.
Aided by CoJMC faculty, staff and student ambassadors, four shows were recorded as students rotated through the jobs in the studio. From anchoring on the desk to technical directing, students learned what it takes to produce a spot for live TV.
For Bailey O’Brien, a high school senior from Liberty, Missouri, the In The Studio with CoJMC event wasn’t her first time visiting Andersen Hall. When searching for her ideal college experience, O’Brien knew she wanted to be somewhere where she could gain real-life experience and make good connections in the broadcasting industry.
“Since my first tour I knew I wanted to get as involved as possible and the In The Studio event seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to get started,” O’Brien said.
“I learned so much, from connecting with current students and professors, to getting to do some hands-on work, to producing a post game broadcast! Through this event I have already made some great connections at UNL and it made me even more excited to be a student in the CoJMC so soon!”
CoJMC’s technical director, Jamie Wenz and assistant director of recruitment, Alex Fernando designed the event. Wenz’s goal was to help students learn about the different jobs in a TV studio environment.
“I think this was an impactful event because students were able to rotate through the various roles needed to produce a broadcast,” Fernando said.
Many of the students were eager to take part in the behind-the-scenes production tasks because they got to use equipment they’d never used and only ever seen in a professional broadcasting station.
“It’s important that we get students in the building to practice using the equipment and it’s way more fun to actually be part of a show as opposed to just looking at the studio space on a tour,” Wenz said. “We had some really eager and talented students come to the first event and we’ll certainly do this again.”
Thirteen students from Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota attended the event. The students’ parents and guests were encouraged to watch the students develop their broadcasting skills and practice their passions while on set and in the production booth.