[104] ELECTIONS COME ALIVE FOR MTSU STUDENTS IN FALL CLASSES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 17, 2008EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081 ELECTIONS COME ALIVE FOR MTSU STUDENTS IN FALL CLASSES Producing Television Coverage, Dissecting Political Speech, Politics and the Press

(MURFREESBORO) – Several courses at MTSU this semester are geared toward capitalizing on the energy and excitement of what could be one of the most unique presidential elections in American history. Three of these courses will examine the relationships between politics and media, the nature of political speech, and concrete strategies for political involvement. Perhaps the most hands-on course is “Electronic Media Production: Election Night News Coverage,” taught by Dr. Bob Pondillo, associate professor of electronic media communication. Students will prepare and broadcast their own election night roundup live on MTTV, Channel 10, from 8 p.m. to 11 or possibly later, on Election Night, Tuesday, Nov. 4, depending on how close the tallies are. “It becomes more than just an organizational exercise, which is important,” Pondillo says. “However, it’s one thing to know how to make great television, but it’s quite another to know how to engage the community.” Although arrangements are subject to revision at a moment’s notice depending on the circumstances, the class is planning on three bases for live shots—outside Studio C of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building, outside the Rutherford County Election Commission building on the south side of the public square in Murfreesboro, and in the Keathley University Center, where a panel of pundits will analyze the results. “The idea is that we’re going to go live as much as possible, says student Richard Lowe, who will be the editorial content producer. In addition to the presidential contest, “Election Party ’08: Bring In the Vote” will focus on Tennessee races for the U.S. Senate; U.S. House; state Senate District 16; state House Districts 34, 48, 49 and 62; two aldermanic seats in La Vergne; three council seats in Eagleville; and three town council seats and a package liquor referendum in Smyrna. The numbers will be displayed at the bottom of the television screen through a black box Associated Press interface device. “It enables us to run live, real-time stats on the air no matter what else is on the screen, says Lowe. Since the broadcast is still in the planning stages, Lowe says, the most time-consuming preparation involves jumping through some logistical hoops. “We have to go through a lot of different levels to get people to understand what we’re doing, he says. “It’s definitely testing our networking skills.”
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Several elected officials are scheduled to drop in on another election-related course, the “Political Communication” course taught by Dr. Russell Church, professor in the Department of Speech and Theatre. State Reps. John Hood and Kent Coleman and State Sen. Bill Ketron are slated to meet with students, and Kim Harris-Mullins, an aide to U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon who has taught the course herself at MTSU, has been helping to recruit other speakers. Students will take on questions of whether race and gender are still issues, who votes and why, whether candidates are now more important than parties, whether the media now call the shots, the power of interest groups, and how parties can increase turnout. The fall lecture series from the University Honors College is titled “Politics and the Press: The Relationship Between Government and the Fourth Estate.” It kicked off in earnest Sept. 8 with “Immigrationomics,” a dissection of the impact of undocumented aliens in America, by Dr. William Ford, holder of the Weatherford Chair of Finance. Other topics to be explored include “Politics, the Presidency and Film;” “Politics, Non-Traditional Media and Young Voters;” “Agenda-Setting Images in National Politics;” and “Between Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama: Race Management, Electoral Populism and Presidential Politics.”
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For more information on Election Night television coverage by MTSU students, contact Dr. Bob Pondillo at 615-904-8465 or pondillo@mtsu.edu. “Political Communication” is taught on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:20 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. in Room 302 of the E.W. Midgett Business Building. For more information, contact Dr. Russell Church at 615-494-7958 or rchurch@mtsu.edu. The Honors Lecture Series on “Politics and the Press” takes place each Monday at 3 p.m. in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. To learn more, contact the University Honors College at 615-898-2152. Honors lectures are free and open to the public.