Summer 2005 - School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Journalism News
Carolina News studio gets a facelift
By Julia Sellers
Print Journalism Student
Where the “Carolina News”
newsroom could once have been
mistaken for a used-furniture outlet, now
the broadcast senior semester workplace
is a modern production center.
Until this past semester’s
renovations, the layout had been
essentially where things could fit as they
were donated, said Harvie Nachlinger,
a former TV news director and an
instructor in the electronic sequence.
Or, as assistant professor Rick Peterson
describes it, things looked like a
secondhand furniture store.
In order to make the class function
better, the studio and workrooms had to
be remodeled.
“I wanted it to function like a
television newsroom,” said Nachlinger,
who has built professional newsrooms
for a number of stations.
“The chief consideration is open
communication,” he said.
In the old setup, cubicle walls were
high and videotape editing was done
in an area that made it difficult to
communicate with the main newsroom.
“It was not anyone’s fault; it was just put
together that way,” Nachlinger said.
Now, there are new chairs and
cubicles. New computers were brought
in, and industry-standard software was
installed.
The new editing system was written
Students in the broadcast senior semester now have new computers, software and other
equipment to better prepare for the afternoon show.
specifically for newsrooms, Nachlinger
said. Students now use Associated Press
ENPS which is widely used throughout
the industry.“We write all scripts on the
system and we can view CNN feeds,”
he said.
The newscasts are better, too, because
the system keeps track of time as the
show progresses so that the staff knows
if it is behind or ahead of schedule.
“It takes a little while to learn the
new system,” he added. “Students
typically spend several weeks getting up
to speed.”
Next year, the beginning broadcast
classes, television production and
electronic journalism will learn to use
ENPS so that students are familiar with
the system before they arrive in senior
semester.
“This gives us the ability to better
meet objectives of senior semester
which include putting them in a real
work environment,” Nachlinger said.
Carolina Reporter students earn eight awards
Reporters and editors from the
Carolina Reporter, the print senior
semester newspaper for the School of
Journalism, won eight awards at the
2004 South Carolina Press Association
Collegiate Competition.
The awards for Division I, large
schools, were announced at the March
SCPA convention in Spartanburg.
Awards include:
Tricia Ridgway, first place, specialty
page layout and design; third place, arts
and entertainment story, “Lighting director
sets the scene at the Koger Center.”
Melissa Ridings, first place, illustration
or informational graphic, “Experience
this.”
Julie Knetzer, second place, feature
story, “Art therapy brings ‘Hope’.”
Carla Wynn, second place, specialty
page layout and design; third place, illustration
or informational graphic, “The
whole family has cancer.”
James Warden, second place, illustration
or informational graphic; third
place, specialty page layout and design.
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