Daily Skiff

Charlotte Berry, a sophomore film-TV-digital media major, thought most FTDM students planned to work in film careers. A new FTDM class, television news production, which will become available in the spring, could cause FTDM students to consider careers in television news as well.

"This will give them a hands-on experience with television and broadcasting," Berry said. "So maybe that will make them want to go into television more than just film and give them a broader opportunity in the real world."

The course would allow FTDM students to direct, produce and film TCU News Now newscasts. Andy Haskett, a FTDM professor, will teach the course.

Richard Allen, chair of FTDM, said the Video I class will be a prerequisite for the course. Allen said that if a student had experience working a camera, Haskett may give the student instructor permission to take the class.

Allen said the class contributes to the effort to converge student projects in the Schieffer School of Journalism and FTDM.

"We've been talking about this for a few years," Allen said. "How to...logistically have the departments work together so that students can get experience producing news, and then so the newscasters can get the experience of working with an actual news crew."

Patty Espinosa, a senior broadcast journalism and theatre major and News Now executive producer, said News Now would run more smoothly with FTDM students helping with production.

"We're always short people just because the taping, the times, are so inconvenient for most of the students that are in News Now," Espinosa said. "So it's going to be beneficial for us."

Haskett said students simulating the production of an actual newscast would be the main part of the curriculum. He said he would know more about the details of the curriculum once he learns from students and faculty at News Now which production elements require assistance.

Aaron Chimbel, News Now adviser, said a partnership between FTDM students and News Now students makes sense. FTDM students would have the training to work with the equipment in the studio, which would allow journalism students to focus on the content of the news, he said.

"I think it has the potential to give us a much more professional look," Chimbel said.

He said both journalism and FTDM students would benefit from the collaboration.

"It really is beneficial for students in the journalism program because they can really focus on the journalism aspects," Chimbel said. "On the FTDM, it gives them a whole different area that they can get experience in where there are a lot of jobs."

News Now is currently collaborating with KDAF-TV, also known as CW33. Each day this week, a News Now story that has already aired on campus will run again on the CW33 9 p.m. newscast, with different reporters being featured every night. Each university participating in the partnership with CW33 - TCU, Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas - has student news stories air throughout a certain week in a certain month three times a year. News Now stories will air on the CW33 newscast again in January.

Student stories also aired in The Mtn. regional sports network earlier this month.

Article Tools