NEWS

Oct. 30, 2003

RSU-TV To Broadcast Student News Magazine
New half-hour RSU news program written, produced by students to air Nov. 5

A student news magazine featuring news and stories from Rogers State University will air Nov. 5 on RSU-TV.

The latest installment of RSU Magazine will debut 9 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5, on the university's television station, which broadcasts on UHF channel 35, Claremore and Tulsa cable channel 19, and more than 70 cable systems in northeastern Oklahoma and southern Kansas. The show will be rebroadcast at 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 9, and 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 16.

The show was reported and written by RSU students with mentoring provided by RSU broadcasting faculty and the RSU-TV production department. This is the second installment of the program, which premiered in the spring and will become a regular feature on the station.

The students produced news stories on topics including construction of the Stratton Taylor Library, construction of new campus parking lots, improvements to the RSU Wellness Center and an interview with RSU President Dr. Joe Wiley about issues of interest to students, faculty and the general public.

Katie Hart of Claremore served as the show's producer, and Jenni Collins of Chelsea and Misti Grannemann of Claremore were the show's anchors. Reporters included Grannemann; Hart; Chris Anderson and Steve Doyle of Claremore; Pamala Kennedy of Owasso; and Camee Wyatt of Stigler. Tywone Parks of Haskell, Ryan Prewitt of Claremore and Anderson served as photographers.

The producers and photographers developed their stories during the first part of the semester. RSU faculty member Dr. Paul Shaffer's video production class taped the show with students working as camera operators, floor director, audio operator, video tape operator, teleprompter operator and technical director. The show was directed by RSU-TV production manager Dale McKinney. The students were mentored by RSU-TV production department members Tim Yoder, Mona King and Bryan Crain.

RSU is the only university in Oklahoma to operate its own full-power public television station and is currently in the process of adding digital television capabilities.

The university currently offers an associate's degree in radio/television, and is seeking approval to offer a bachelor's degree in communications with options in radio-television or corporate communications. Utilizing the on-campus, broadcasting facilities, the academic program provides students with practical "hands-on" experience in the studios of RSU-TV and RSU Radio (91.3 FM). A combination of technical and lecture courses provides students with a basic exposure to radio and television broadcasting, news writing and more.

RSU-TV broadcasts at 2.75 million watts and reaches an audience of about 1.2 million people within a 75-mile radius. RSU-TV is a key component to RSU's distance learning programs, which include telecourses and live interactive programming.