2023 BEA On-Location

Some realities of our current college media programs related to ‘radio’ and ‘television’ in local markets include: (1) Podcasting is very close to replacing traditional radio. Students want to learn it and many of them are doing it, even if they aren't taught the correct way. They are jumping on and stumbling through until they figure it out, and (2) Local market TV news and sports is about the individual reporter now more than ever before, yet college media departments are still producing content connected to teaching a traditional TV newscast. Students learning to work in TV news mostly have no exposure in their lives to local TV news content. Media educators have been given good direction in recent years telling us we need to change. This panel extends those warnings and projections to suggest ways to completely reimagine student media. Students mostly don’t come into our programs wanting to work in traditional local market broadcasting, so this panel will offer ideas for immediate changes to take back to your campus. You’ll hear new ideas about mobile journalism, podcasting, sports media and hyperlocal media, as run by college mass communication departments.
Moderator: Tony DeMars, Lamar University
Panelists: Tony DeMars, Lamar University
Kevin Swift, University of North Carolina, Pembroke
Cle Cousins, University of North Carolina, Pembroke
Jeff Wilkinson, Florida A&M University