225 MTSU Journalism Students Gain Hands-on Experience with January MTR Broadcast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 20, 2007
CONTACT: MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919

STUDENTS CREATE, PRODUCE LOCAL CABLE PROGRAM FOR FIRST TIME
MTSU Journalism Students Gain Hands-on Experience with January MTR Broadcast

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU students enrolled in an entry-level JOUR-2710 class, also known as Media Writing, recently wrote, videotaped and produced the entire January edition of Middle Tennessee Record (MTR), a 30-minute cable-TV program about the people, places and events of this region.
The completion of the January program, which is broadcast throughout the month on local cable channels, including at 5 p.m. daily on Murfreesboro’s cable Channel 9 and at 1:30 p.m. Sundays on News5+ in Nashville, marks the first time that MTR has been an entirely student-created production.
John Lynch, the show’s creator and producer said, “This project was beneficial in a number of ways. First of all, the students brought a fresh perspective to the stories. Second it gave them a chance to get involved in a hands-on project in which they had to meet several critical deadlines, and it was inspiring for us to work closely with students and see our video production process through fresh eyes. This really was a student-centered project.”
The 18 students who created the broadcast were enrolled in a fall 2007 course taught by Lisa L. Rollins, adjunct professor in the School of Journalism and director of special media projects for the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU. Rollins divided the class into six broadcast teams of three students, and each team created its own segment for the January program.
“Although I’ve taught this course and covered writing for broadcast as part of the curriculum since 1997, until now we’ve never had the opportunity to give the students such a hands-on, tangible experience in regard to this form of media writing,” Rollins said. “It was a wonderful opportunity that we were provided with, and a tremendous amount of extra effort on everyone’s part, but the final result is well worth the investment. The students will always have access to a program they created and brought to life, not just notes about how broadcast writing is done.”
Regarding her JOUR 2710 experience, Hendersonville sophomore Shyanne Coe said, “It has been a wonderful experience and the most in-depth survey course I’ve have had. I have written a broadcast segment, a press release and (had a story published) in a local paper. Where else can you get that kind of experience in a survey class?”
The January program, which will begin airing Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, will feature the following student-created segments:
• MTSU students Coe, South Carolina freshman Jade Brinkman and Jackson, Tenn., sophomore B.J. Blackwell will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the MTSU Dairy, an award-winning agriscience/agribusiness program that does it all, “from the grass to the glass.”
• Students Lakiesha Seay of Lascassas, Michael McGee of Nashville and Krisy Parker of Lexington, Tenn., will explore MTSU’s brand-new songwriting degree that’s now offered by the university’s Department of Recording Industry.
• Chattanooga native Richard D. Long, Bridgett Buckles of Memphis and Michael Guggisberg of Lexington, Tenn., will investigate the on- and off-campus job/career outlook for today’s college students.
• Dyersburg sophomore Chris Carter, Antioch sophomore Mary Kamel and Jackson, Tenn., sophomore Jeselyn Jackson will visit with Dr. Janet Belsky, psychology professor and author, to help learn more about what actually goes into creating a college textbook versus the prices that sometimes distract all.
• James Branson of Oak Ridge, Tenn., Tanner Phillips of Knoxville and Molly Tate of Readyville, Tenn., will introduce viewers to SimMan, one of the smartest dummies around, who’s helping some of MTSU’s nursing students become better prepared for their future patients.
• Nashville’s Mason Pointer, Alyce Jones of Memphis and Atlanta, Ga., native Kalie Mosher will focus on the voting habits of college students, reasons for low voter turnout and ways for students to become more politically informed.
"Because the January edition of Middle Tennessee Record marks the first time that the program has been created by students, its broadcast is an event that's exciting for both me as a journalism educator and as a member of the NPA staff,” Rollins said. “I hope the students walk away with new confidence and new skills, and I am so appreciative of John Lynch and NPA for allowing my students to do this.”
MTR is an award-winning cable program produced by Lynch, director of marketing technologies, for MTSU’s NPA office. Each edition of the program runs throughout the month on various days and times in 12 midstate areas.
To learn more about MTR’s various broadcast dates, times and outlets, or to view the program online, please access www.mtsunews.com and click on the “Middle Tennessee Record TV Program” link on the right side of the page.
For more information about the MTR, please contact Lynch at jlynch@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.


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***ATTENTION, MEDIA—To secure jpegs for editorial use of the JOUR 2710 students working on this broadcast, or to request interviews with the students about the project, please e-mail your request to Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu or call 615-494-8857.