Nathaniel Stellfox
nrs004@marietta.edu
In a growing field of journalism to stay with trends in the industry there needs to be upgraded equipment to work with during a student’s undergraduate experience. By having up to date equipment it allows for students to have experiences that can build a portfolio to get the first job out of college. Currently on the campus of Marietta College there have been upgrades that will benefit students now and for years to come in the communications department. Cole Longcor, a senior journalism, and political science double-major, has been one of multiple students who has been able to gain experience on campus starting his freshman year. Longcor got involved with the station as part of his journalism major and has been able to hold a leadership position as the station director. Longcor’s involvement offered him an opportunity to improve his skills in areas from audio and camera work, working video, graphics, producing and writing, and more. Longcor implemented knowledge gained with the experiences on campus with the station to real-world job opportunities-working with the National Broadcasting Service.
The station has provided opportunities for students just like Longcor, but it has not gotten meaningful upgrades in the past several decades. A variety of the equipment used to conduct primary operations has been existing on the verge of going bad including a video router, audio board, and most recently the station’s Nexus automation system. During the annual Day of Giving presented by Marietta College allowed for a fundraiser with the communications department to take place. The goal of raising $10,000 for repairs and upgrades for the station was shown love from alumni of the campus along with supporters of the opportunities that the campus can bring students.
Professor Marilee Morrow has been able to oversee many of the upgrades that are ongoing in the station with the generous donations the WCMO fundraiser received. The money raised from the Day of Giving event has reached $28,000. Members of the station are currently planning several upgrades to be done over several phases and are currently in Phase I of renovations. Phase I of the updates have included multiple individuals including designer Glenn Doell, Prof. Morrow, and the students involved with the TV station. The students worked hard to re-paint and re-orient many of the rooms used to conduct station operations. Students cleared out old equipment such as news desks, excess studio furniture, and risers. Students also painted many of the rooms in the station as well. The designer group installed a news desk to replace the old desks and other architectural elements.
Faculty and students affiliated with the station are planning Phase II. Multiple of the new pieces of equipment needed to replace the station’s old, dying machines have been ordered and are expected to arrive by September. The mock-ups of the studio have also provided a look into the station organizers’ vision of the future.
The future of the TV station for students at Marietta College is looking very bright with many more opportunities sure to be made available as the station evolves for the growing needs of current students at Marietta College as well as the students of tomorrow. As Longcor put it, “the additional updates…thanks to the donors and the gift campaigns allow us to modernize the station. This will allow the station to be open for years to come as well as give students a better hands-on experience.”
