Friday, December 21, 2018

AUTV 20 wins three 2019 IBS Finalist Awards

For the third year in a row, JDM's student television station AUTV 20 won multiple Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Finalist Awards. Last year, AUTV 20 received an IBS First Place Award for Best Sports Interview Program. According to Faculty Advisor Dr. Dave McCoy, these awards reflect upon the "high quality and dedication of JDM's digital media students and demonstrate the excellent leadership of AUTV 20 station manager Ingrid Schmidt." 

AUTV 20 was selected for the following categories:
Best News Feature Story for Don't be Fooled: Fake News and Social Media

Best Video Newscast for Eagle News Update

Best Video Sports Report for Eagles are headed back to the Final Four

AUTV 20 placed in the top five in each of these categories. The Finalist Awards and the National First Place Awards (to be announced at the March 1-3, 2019 Convention) will be handed out in New York City.


WRDL named to multiple IBS Finalist Awards

WRDL 88.9 FM was recently honored with two 2019 Finalist Awards from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. This marks the third year in a row that WRDL has garnered multiple IBS Finalist Awards with a national First Place Award in 2017. WRDL General Manager Derek Wood noted that these awards signify the "best of the best" in collegiate radio and audio production.

WRDL was selected for Best Play-by-Play Football for its coverage of Crestview High School football. It was one of six stations feted in this category. Also, the station received the Best Use of Social Media (Other) for the WRDL 88.9 Soundcloud. It was in the top five stations in the country for this category.

IBS Finalist Awards and the National First Place Awards will be handed out at the national convention on March 1 to 3, 2019 in New York City.


The Collegian and AU Live net ONMA awards

The Collegian and AU Live were named as winners in the 2019 Ohio Collegiate Newspaper and Best Website Competition. The awards are sponsored by the Ohio News Media Association. The ONMA Convention will be held in Columbus on February 7. Awards will be given at that event.

Award categories and student winners are as follows:
Arts and Entertainment     Caitlyn Moore, Justin Davis and Kellie Pleshinger

Design       Collegian Staff

Photojournalism     Bree Gannon

Best Multi-Media Package    Ingrid Schmidt and Christine Jenkinson

Best Website     Collegian/AU Live Staff


Sunday, December 16, 2018

December 2018 JDM Graduates

December 15th marked the end of an era for the three JDM students who walked across the stage at the Fall 2018 Commencement. Digital Media Journalism and Digital Media Production double-major Noah Cloonan will embark on a career of sports broadcasting. Currently, he serves as a play-by-play announcer for AU basketball games on Sports Time Ohio. DMP major Waylon O'Donnell recently was hired by WQKT radio in Wooster. Yang (Andy) Shao, a DMP major, will enroll next year in a film or digital media production graduate program.

JDM salutes the latest in its long line of successful graduates!



Monday, November 5, 2018

Bill Conners Speaks with JDM Students

On Thursday, Bill Conners from iHeartMedia visited with JDM students. He spoke about his 30+ years in radio production and offered advice to those interested in the media industry. Bill provided interesting insight on being creative when writing promos and commercial spots. He also let the class listen to some examples of his work for WGAR and WMJI in Cleveland.

Bill Conners graduated from the Ohio School of Broadcasting Master Program in 1982. He was hired at 1220 WGAR in 1981 as a part-time engineer. In 1984, Bill was promoted to producer for Paul Tapie morning show on 1220 WGAR. In 1986, he became Production Director for WGAR AM/FM. Since 2006, Bill has been the Creative Services Director for WMJI, in addition to WGAR. He's responsible for writing copy to promote station events, writing and voicing commercials and promotions via social media and new technologies.

Thank you, Mr. Conners, for taking the time to meet with our students!

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Tyler Lance hired by WKQW radio

May 2018 Digital Media Journalism graduate Tyler Lance is no stranger to radio. Tyler was a four year veteran of WRDL 88.9 FM radio at Ashland University. In fact, he served as the WRDL Program Director for three years and he was a national finalist (Intercollegiate Broadcasting System) for his work as a sports broadcaster.

Tyler was recently hired by Clarion County Broadcasting Corporation to work at its Oil City, PA radio station WKQW.  At WKQW, Tyler will be serving as an on-air announcer, news producer and high school sports play-by-play broadcaster. According to Tyler, his new boss was very impressed with the radio experience that he received with the department of Journalism and Digital Media and WRDL.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

JDM upgrading audio and video editing lab facility

The department of Journalism and Digital Media has undergone many changes since its creation in 2011. The number of individual DMJ and DMP majors has doubled in the last five years. Radio broadcasts and television telecasts hit new all-time high levels this past year.  National, regional and state media awards were collectively garnered by AUTV 20, AU Live, The Collegian and WRDL radio for the very first time.

Even the venerable facilities improved, as the JDM Convergence Newsroom was built four years ago, AUTV 20 added all new HD control room equipment and studio cameras in 2017 and WRDL received a new transmitter in 2018. However, move improvement to the facilities needed to be rendered to meet the growing demands of the program.

With the help of the College of Arts and Sciences and the IT department, JDM will spend tens of thousands of dollars to renovate the aging, smallish Mac editing room. The idea for the renovation came from a meeting between John Skrada, JDM Director of Broadcasting and Operations, and Dr. Dave McCoy, Chair and Associate Professor of Journalism and Digital Media. Skrada and McCoy developed a plan to knock down a block wall that separated 139 CFA (Mac Lab) and 140 CFA (equipment storage room), gut both rooms, install 17 new computer work stations and develop a modern teaching presentation area in the expanded space.

The new JDM Audio/Video Lab will be fully operational for Fall 2018 classes. Please take a look at a few photos that show the deconstruction of the two rooms.




Friday, June 15, 2018

Tom Nesbitt embarks on radio career

Recent (May 2018) Journalism and Digital Media graduate Tom Nesbitt will continue his stellar radio career in Ohio. Tom, a Digital Media Production major and a stalwart at WRDL, begins this month at both WOHF and WFRO in Fremont, Ohio. These stations are owned by BAS Broadcasting and they feature music from the 1960s through the 2000s and local high school sports coverage.

Tom will serve as an audio board operator, a producer for the weather programs and a sideline reporter for the broadcasting of high school football games. His work at WRDL prepared him well for this position. JDM wishes Tom good luck on this exciting phase of his career.


Monday, May 7, 2018

JDM congratulates Spring 2018 graduates

The Journalism and Digital Media department is very proud of its graduates. In the brief eight year history of the department, JDM seniors have walked the commencement stage and undertaken a bevy of fantastic media jobs. Spring 2018 graduates are no different, as a small, but mighty, group of seven matriculate to professional careers.

The magnificent seven are:
Renee Borcas (DMJ/DMP double major) Magna Cum Laude 
Megan Furby (DMP major)
Sami Holzman (DMJ/DMP double major)  Cum Laude 
Bex Hunter (DMJ/DMP double major)  Magna Cum Laude
Tyler Lance (DMJ major)
Tom Nesbitt (DMP major)  Cum Laude, Gamma Alpha Kappa 
Zachary Portner (DMP major)







Tuesday, April 24, 2018

JDM students receive Ashland University academic honors

Journalism and Digital Media students Tom Nesbitt, Noah Cloonan and Kellie Pleshinger were feted at the April 22nd Ashland University Academic Honors Convocation. Tom Nesbitt, a Digital Media Production major, was selected for the JDM Senior Award. Noah Cloonan, a Digital Media Journalism and DMP double major, was selected for the JDM Junior Award. Kellie Pleshinger, a DMP major, was selected for the JDM Sophomore Award. Each honoree had a stellar GPA and numerous academic accomplishments.

The three honorees will be recognized at the annual JDM Student Awards banquet to be held on Thursday April 26.



Saturday, April 21, 2018

WRDL 88.9 Launches Vinylthon 2018

Sometimes things that are old can become new again. Vinyl records, thought to be left in the dustbin of time, have resurfaced in powerful ways. WRDL 88.9 FM will kick off a salute to vinyl records with a 24 hour programming schedule that features many station personalities. Zack Portner, Jake Smith, Marshall Wheeler and WRDL alum Vince Lester will kick off the programming. Tom Nesbitt (Sweet T) will cover the late night schedule. Station Manager Derek Wood and JDM instructor Scott Saunders will host a morning programming block while Waylon O'Donnell, Katelyn Moore, Glenn Rausch and Tyler Lance will be heard throughout the day. Even JDM Chair and WRDL Faculty Advisor Dr. Dave McCoy will get into the act with an afternoon air shift.

Vinylthon 2018 is set to commence at midnight Friday April 20 and run to midnight Saturday April 21. Tune in to wrdlfm.com to listen to your favorite song in record form.



Friday, April 13, 2018

NSPA & JEA Conference 2018


JDM majors Renee Borcas and Bex Hunter are all set to meet and greet nearly 4,000 high school students at the National Scholastic Press Association & Journalism Education Association national conference in San Francisco. 


Saturday, April 7, 2018

Ashland alum John Telich speaks to JDM majors

It is long time since his days as a Radio and Television major at Ashland College. However, John Telich has never forgotten his alma mater. Currently the Sports Director and Anchor at WJW-TV in Cleveland, Ohio, John visited Ashland University's Journalism and Digital Media department to give his insight on a career in sports broadcasting.

Invited by his peer (WJW-TV Producer and JDM adjunct instructor) Kelly Meyer, John toured the updated HD television studio and spent a morning with a legion of hopeful broadcast professionals. Meyer's Broadcast Reporting and Multimedia Reporting students were provided with a bevy of helpful tips on how to succeed in a professional media career.



Friday, April 6, 2018

Journalism Department Presents at URCA Symposium, 2018

The Journalism and Digital Media Department wishes ​Digital Media Production major Jacob Smith the best of luck as he presents his scholarly work alongside fellow student Seth Ansell at this year's Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity symposium!


Media and Ethical Communication During Crisis in the United States - Jacob Smith and Seth Ansell

The students’ study examines mass media coverage of natural disasters in the United States, using Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy as content analyses.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Glass and Pugh report for the Mount Vernon News

Recent Journalism and Digital Media graduates Allison Glass and Callan Pugh are now reporters for the Mount Vernon News. As reporters, Allison and Callan cover a wide variety of local subjects. They both were writers for The Collegian during their collegiate days. Allison was a double major in Digital Media Production and Creative Writing while Callan was a double major in Digital Media Journalism and Digital Media Production. According to JDM Chair Dr. Dave McCoy, "Allison and Callan were excellent students and fine writers who exhibited the converged media model established by our program."

Friday, March 23, 2018

Bree Gannon wins SPJ Mark of Excellence Award


Bree Gannon, junior digital media production major, was recognized by The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in the 2017 Region 4 Mark of Excellence Awards last week.

Gannon won a first place award in the category of small-school Sports Photography for her picture of the women’s basketball national championship game from March 2017.

The SPJ’s Mark of Excellence Awards are nationally known for recognizing the best in collegiate journalism.

“The amount of success I’ve had so far this year is unbelievable,” Gannon said. “After hearing my photos from the 2017 National Championship won in the regional category, I got so excited. Now I’m moving on to compete at the national level and I’ve never felt more blessed.”

SPJ’s Region 4 comprises of  Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania. Honorees received award certificates and first-place winners like Gannon will compete at the national level, among other regional Mark of Excellence winners from 12 different regions.

National winners will be notified in the late spring and will be recognized at the Excellence in Journalism conference in Baltimore.

Gannon is excited by this recognition and all that she’s been able to accomplish at AU so far.

"And it's all thanks to the JDM program for giving me these amazing opportunities," she said.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Noted social media expert speaks at CAS and JDM symposium


Nationally recognized social media scholar Dr. Bree McEwan spoke at the College of Arts and Sciences and Journalism and Digital Media co-sponsored Symposium Against Indifference. Dr. McEwan is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at DePaul University. Her engaging presentation was titled Filtered Through Networks and it described the increasing aspects, both positive and negative, of social media within our culture.

Dr. McEwan spent the day with JDM faculty and students as she discussed the relationship of social media upon the journalism profession. She also talked with WRDL 88.9 FM Program Director Tyler Lance about her research and the role that social media play in our lives.


Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Bree Gannon's AU vs. Mont. St.-Billings Halftime Interview



Watch AUTV 20 Sports Producer Bree Gannon's halftime interview at the NCAA Elite Eight basketball game. Bree is also the Sports Editor for The Collegian and the sideline sports reporter for WRDL 88.9 FM.

Bree recently won the First Place Award for Best Sports Interview Show (along with JDM juniors Trae Coopwood and Erich Metze and senior Renee Borcas) from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. She also was named the Best College Sports Photojournalist in the Midwest Region by the Society for Professional Journalists.

AUTV 20's Noah Cloonan reports on AU's Elite Eight game



The JDM converged media crew are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to cover the AU Women's Basketball team's run at another NCAA championship. Led by JDM Director of Broadcasting and Operations John Skrada, the crew features junior Noah Cloonan, junior Bree Gannon, senior Tyler Lance and senior Renee Borcas.

Cloonan and Lance were this year's national finalists for the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System's Best College Women's Basketball Play-by-Play coverage. Cloonan is the Managing Editor of The Collegian newspaper and the Sports Director for WRDL 88.9 FM.  Lance is the Program Director of WRDL 88.9 FM. Borcas is the Webmaster of the AULive converged website and the News Producer for AUTV 20. Gannon is the Sports Editor of The Collegian, the Sports Producer for AUTV 20, the sports sideline reporter for WRDL.88.9 FM and a host of The Early Bird's Word on WRDL.

Here is AUTV 20's Sports Anchor Noah Cloonan's report on the Eagles' first game at the Elite Eight.

Friday, February 9, 2018

Collegian and AU-Live Win Ohio News Media Association Awards

Students from the Collegian newspaper and AU-Live website won multiple awards at the Ohio News Media Association (ONMA) state convention in Columbus, Ohio on Feb. 8, including third in the state for Best Website.

In the Ohio Collegiate Division, the Collegian staff also brought home a second place for overall publication design and third places in the categories of photojournalism and sports coverage.
The Collegian special edition of the women's basketball National Championship game in 2017 garnered unique praise from the judging panel, which is comprised of newsroom professionals from across the state.
“This entry is carried by the special section on the women's basketball team winning the national title,” the judges wrote. “Photos, stories, and graphic elements all make this work. Very well done.”
The paper was also recognized for strong and consistent news design and for overall sports coverage, both of which were judged using multiple issues of the submitted publication.


“Being honored in these categories especially is a big deal,” Maggie Cogar, media adviser and professional instructor in the journalism and digital media department, said. “These categories aren't just judged on one page or one story, but on multiple issues from this school year and last. Winning in these categories shows the consistency of the student work from issue to issue and school year to school year.”

Bree Gannon, a junior digital media production major, was also recognized individually for her photographs from the National Championship game.

“Hearing I was recognized from the National Championship game was a really good feeling,” she said. “Going from a major I wasn't happy in to JDM, where I can strive to my full potential and be rewarded for it, is amazing. The JDM program has truly blessed me.”

Cogar said what is most inspiring was the attitude the students had after leaving the conference.

“I'm proud of the work all my students do on a daily basis and these awards help celebrate that work,” Cogar said. “But these awards cannot truly capture the spirit and work ethic these student journalists show each and every day. Even after leaving the conference, the students were already discussing ways to improve their media content and design. There’s this mindset with JDM students that ‘we’re good, but we can be better,’ and I love that. They are constantly pushing themselves to grow.”

At the conference, students also attended sessions and got to hear from Morley Piper, a special keynote speaker who fought in World War II and later served as the director of the New England Newspaper Association.

Journalism and digital media students in attendance at the conference included (left to right) Sam Didion (sophomore), Bree Gannon (junior), Kaitlyn Moore (junior) and Renee Borcas (senior).

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

AUTV 20 Sports Break expands for Spring 2018



AUTV 20 SPORTS BREAK has expanded from three to five weekly telecasts in 2018. This is the second year that SPORTS BREAK has aired on the Journalism and Digital department-produced channel.

Producer-Anchors for this semester are: Noah Cloonan, Bree Gannon, Tyler Lance, Paul Murray, Justin Davis and Samantha Didion. SPORTS BREAK can be seen on AUTV 20 or on the JDM AUTV 20 Youtube channel.

AUTV 20 News Break returns for Spring 2018 semester



The AUTV 20 award-winning newscast NEWS BREAK returns for the Spring 2018 semester. AUTV Station Manager and Producer Ingrid Schmidt anchors this telecast. NEWS BREAK anchors for the semester will be Ingrid Schmidt, Renee Borcas, Tom Nesbitt, Rachel Ramsey and Jake Rayman.

Catch the program daily on AUTV 20 or on the JDM YouTube channel.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

AUTV 20 and WRDL win IBS Finalist Awards

For the second year in a row, AUTV 20 and WRDL 88.9 FM were selected for multiple Finalist Awards by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. AUTV 20 was recognized in five different categories and WRDL was honored in three different categories. AUTV 20 and WRDL faculty advisor Dr. Dave McCoy remarked that "these awards are a tribute to the hard work, dedication and creative abilities of our JDM co-curricular media students."  McCoy added that "the IBS Awards are one of the longest-running and noteworthy collegiate media competitions in the country."
JDM honorees are invited to the national convention to be held in early March in New York City. The Finalist Awards and the National First Place Awards will be handed out during the ceremony.

The following list designates the categories and the students recognized for their work.

AUTV 20
Best Use of YouTube (top 5 in the country)  Ingrid Schmidt

Best Use of Instagram (top 6)     Ingrid Schmidt

Best Talk Program (top 6)   Eagle's Eye   Waylon O'Donnell, Michaela Ping, Ingrid Schmidt

Best Newscast (Video/TV) (top 6)   AUTV 20  News Update  Renee Borcas, Connor Dunwoodie, Sean Honaker, Paul Murray. Callan Pugh, Ingrid Schmidt

Best Sports Interview Program (top 3)    The AU Wrestling Spotlight   Renne Borcas, Trae Coopwood, Erich Metze

WRDL
Best Sports Play-by-Play, Women's Basketball (top 6)   AU National Championship Game  Noah Cloonan and Tyler Lance  WRDL won this category in last year's IBS competition.

Best Event Promo (top 5)   AU Basketball   Tom Nesbitt

Best Station Promotional Poster (top 6)   WRDL Tailgate Party  WRDL Staff