Ohio University Telecommunications Center and E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Newsrooms Join to End the School Year with a Bang

Contact: Olivea Oldham, (740)-593-4944, oldham@ohiou.edu

ATHENS, Ohio (May 25, 2000) -- The Ohio University Telecommunications Center and the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University will join forces on Wednesday, May 31, to air live, daily newscasts from in front of Scripps Hall amphitheater. This newscast will be made possible with the Studio-in-a-Box, a multi-camera remote unit. Student newscasters will anchor each show out-of-doors with the signal being fed back to the studios and then to the air.

ACTV-7 News airs at noon on the Center's Community Cable Channel 7, in the Athens area, and Newswatch airs at 6:30 p.m. on Ohio University Public Television, WOUB/WOUC-TV (please check local listings). Both newscasts expect to have special guests join them for the remote programs.

The idea to air both newscasts from a remote site came from Telecommunications Center Student Professional Development Coordinator Mike Rodriguez. Rodriguez is working with Scripps Broadcast Professor Mary Rogus; Scripps Studio Supervisor Doug Nohl; Telecommunications Center Engineer Alex Neimayer; WOUB News Director and School of Journalism Instructor Ken Fischer; and student producers and a production crew to plan the two programs. Fischer said, "I think this is a great way to showcase our graduating seniors and the College of Communication partnership between the Center and the Scripps School of Journalism."

Senior Cheri Bohnsack will be the producer of Newswatch and Melissa Brown and Cory Martin will be the co-producers of ACTV-7 News. This opportunity not only adds to the partnership between the Center and the Scripps School of Journalism, but it also signifies a giant step toward greater technological advancements. The on-site production provides students with hands-on experience and gives them a great opportunity to experience using the Studio-in-a-Box. Students will also benefit by using their talents in a setting other than the newsroom. Rodriguez feels both shows should be fun and challenging. "It's a great end-of-the-year project. Student production personnel will enhance their interpersonal skills without the comforts of the studio environment, and on-air talent will be able to express non-prompted, ad-libbed deliveries, both very important qualities to successfully make it in commercial markets," he said,

The Ohio University Telecommunications Center, a unit of the College of Communication, operates two television stations‹WOUB-TV/Channel 20 in Athens and WOUC-TV/Channel 44 in Cambridge‹and six radio stations‹WOUB-1340 AM, WOUB-91.3 FM, WOUC-89.1 FM, WOUH-91.9 FM, WOUL-89.1 FM and WOUZ-90.1 FM. The Center uses the power of noncommercial television, radio and other media, such as the World Wide Web (woub.org), to enrich the lives of children and adults in Southeastern Ohio and Western West Virginia through quality programs and educational services that inform, enlighten, inspire and entertain.