ACRN focuses primarily on college rock. Their website, ACRN.com, is home not only to their online radio stream, but also their editorials. In the past ACRN has been able to gain access to many big name bands, such as Blink 182, Manchester Orchestra and Heartless Bastards. As far as feature their writing is concerned, ACRN tends to focus on the local music scene.

“We are in Athens so we need to focus on what is going on in Athens,” said Hannah Cook, managing editor of ACRN.

However, ACRN members strive to be more than just a music organization on campus.

“ACRN is about finding your voice,” said Cook. “We give students more chances to write creatively. That is why we focus on feature stories.”

For those looking to get involved in music journalism, ACRN offers much more than practical experience.

“I could not learn how to be a music journalist in the classroom,” said Blogs Editor Cassie Whitt.

This is why ACRN tries to connect students with internship opportunities, Cook said. ACRN has kept a close relationship with OU alumni like Jillian Mapes, an editorial assistant at Billboard. Melissa Burant, the ACRN copy chief, was able to get two internships based on the work she has had with ACRN.

Most of all, Cook, Whitt and Burant all valued the personal and professional atmosphere of the organization.

“We are a very close knit group,” said Burant.

In addition to their daily radio programs, ACRN hosts free events for the local and university public. At 10 p.m. on January 26, the Smiling Skull Saloon will convert into ACRN’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Bingo night.

Just before Valentine’s day, ACRN members will auction themselves off at the Date Auction on February 10. ACRN also invited bands like the She Bears, The Kyle Sowashes, and Scubadog. All the proceeds from this event go toward ACRN’s marquee event Lobster Fest, a free music festival that is open to all and held every spring.

Jimmy Roller

Grothjan demonstrates the basics of coding.

The age of journalism has gone digital. At least according to Ohio University student Sarah Grothjan, who indicates that students must find a way to brand themselves online, or they take the risk of going unnoticed.

Grothjan, a junior Carr Van Anda major and Society of Professional Journalists’ publicity chair, led an SPJ workshop Monday highlighting the importance of creating an online personal presence.

“Everyone should at least buy their own domain,” Grothjan advises. “Even if they don’t use it right now, they’ll want access to it in the future, if only for SEO [Search Engine Optimization] purposes.”

Her audience, a mixture of JSchool students from different sequences, listened intently as Grothjan guided them through the steps of creating a web page, designing the format and eventually getting it published.

The first step, according to Grothjan, is to learn how to write basic HTML code. She suggested using a program such as Adobe Dreamweaver while learning the basics of code writing.

The lines of code from Grothjan’s demo web page presented a challenge to the audience. HTML basics can seem daunting to a beginning web designer.

Grothjan started from the beginning and began explaining things in a fundamental manner.

“I realized that I thought I knew a lot more than I actually did,” said Heather Farr, a senior majoring in public relations. “But after watching [Grothjan] explain the ‘basics’, I know I have a long way to go.”

The workshop, which lasted approximately an hour, went on to show participants a few of the most rudimentary elements of web design. These included inserting text, displaying photos and adding tabs to the webpage.

Throughout her speech, Grothjan stressed the importance of organization while creating a design.

“You must label everything correctly,” she said. “It’s very easy to get lost if you don’t add [titles] to everything.”

At the conclusion of her presentation, Grothjan stated the importance of learning everything you can about web design, pointing to the growing online-based industry as confirmation.

The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism is well aware of these trends. They currently offer two courses on web design: VICO 361 and VICO 462. The classes teach students the ins and outs of creating and designing webpages, as well as how to manage them once they are up and running.

“Not a lot of students know these sorts of skills,” Farr said. “It makes me feel as if I have an edge on the competition. I’ll definitely be trying to learn more.”

Rachel Sayers

The Ohio University chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has been given the opportunity to submit entries to the Mark of Excellence awards free of charge. Each student who is an SPJ member can submit two entries of their work and they will be reimbursed by the JSchool for the entry fee.

The Mark of Excellence awards are given annually by SPJ’s national chapter to honor the best in student journalism. The awards offer categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate media. Entries are first judged at the regional level. Next, first place regional winners advance to the national competition and are recognized at the SPJ spring conferences.

Mark of Excellence submissions are due January 25, by midnight. This is the first year that the JSchool is paying these fees. OU SPJ President Taylor Mirfendereski brought this to attention.

“Every year we never have a turnout of entries like we should with how nationally known our program is,” said Mirfendereski. “SPJ always has winners every year and we understand that money is an issue for college students. So by being allowed to have two entries paid for, students are given a tangible benefit.”

Professor Robert Stewart, director of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, agreed on the terms Mirfendereski spoke of.

“It helps us, as a school, to have a national visibility goal,” Stewart said. “Being able to subsidize the entry process is a way of increasing submissions as well as a way of telling students, ‘You should join SPJ.’”

The first step in applying for the Mark of Excellence awards is to become a member of SPJ. A student can do so online at spj.org and pay dues to the national chapter as well as OU’s $10 chapter dues. The Mark of Excellence submission takes place at the same website. Students can also submit a mail-in entry. The cost is nine dollars for SPJ members and 18 for non-members. However, the JSchool will only reimburse a student if he or she is an SPJ member.

First place regional winners advance to the national competition and are recognized at SPJ spring conferences. For the JSchool, regional winners are invited to the spring banquet and given a free ticket. Once their entries are judged nationally, the JSchool will give those national winners a $100 check.

“Our organization is the most known organization throughout the journalism world. By applying for this award you are not just a member of SPJ but a worldwide known journalist for however far your entries go,” Mirfendereski said. “Your potential employer will know that you were given this award and did the best that you could and they will appreciate that.”

Last year, 59 individuals and teams won nationally out of the 4,000 entries received.

“If you win you stand out more,” Mirfendereski said.

Americans now pay less attention to international affairs and consume less foreign news. Domestic news continues to dominate new American media. According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 59 percent of Americans say they regularly watch the local news in their area. This has decreased significantly from the more than three-quarters of American who regularly watched local news in the early 1990s, but is largely unchanged from 2000.

“Our generation is so used to getting things instantly, everything is available in one click, and I think that makes us less interested in taking time to read and digest a traditional news story when we can get the gist in a 140-character tweet instead,” said Karah Finan, an OU junior studying journalism and political science.

America is involved with many countries because of trade, foreign allies or war, but people focusing on their own agenda tune out foreign news. According to a 2004 Columbia University Survey called “Americans Are Tuning Out the World,” American newspapers print less foreign news now than in the 1980s. Foreign issues are focused on war and terrorism, but the number of news stories about these issues is not rising.

College students are more in tune with social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook. However, this does not mean that their news consumption is more frequent.  International affairs are interconnected with our daily lives even if many students do not think this news pertains to them.

“I think our generation doesn’t pay attention to the news because it’s boring. News programs don’t make watching the news appealing to the audience,” said Maggie Campbell, an OU junior studying communications.

There are many resources where people can receive news. Media outlets such as NBC, The New York Times and CNN all have websites and apps for smartphones. The question is why students don’t take the time to read a headline or watch a clip from a news story. There is a cost for knowledge, like the time and energy to absorb it and use it. The Millennial generation has spent much of its educational career during a time of war. Some say that students have become desensitized to important issues such as war, poverty or environmental concerns. One way to get involved in domestic and global news is understanding how things that happen on the other side of the world are important to the lives, families and job prospects of Americans.

“The sheer amount of information in our lives is going up and up, so people are so overwhelmed that they self-select and will engage in some sort of social network and ignore other,” said Marc Scarcelli, professor of international relations.

Social networking and media can be used to exchange information in an efficient and timely manner.  Social media is ideal for breaking news events and uploading the story in a matter of minutes. Sites like Twitter allow people to share ideas or opinions about topics in their community or school. Blogs are also useful because they directly connect the audience to the source. A columnist can post a story or commentary on a blog and the reader can ask questions or provide their own opinion.

But social media can also have a detrimental effect on how people receive news or find it. With the amount of blogs, websites, commentary and online forums, anyone can put out “news” and there are some people who think that information is accurate and not biased. However, media will always be exchanged in a public forum. It is up to the audience to decide what to read and believe as accurate, recent information. Despite the resources of social media sites and the availability of news, Americans still remain centered around issues directly affecting them.

“There is still plenty of spoiled and disconnected, apathetic, uninterested trend in our society, but there is also that counter movement of there is a lot more going on in our world than I want to understand,” said Scarcelli.

 Kaylyn Hlavaty, Reporter

She has been working at the WHIO news station in Dayton as the crime and courts reporter for the past five years.  The members of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) skyped with Del Greco this past Wednesday evening to get an idea of what deadline reporting is all about.

As Del Greco began to describe an average 10-hour shift at the newsroom, many RTDNA students were in awe of all she manages to get done.  She even jokes that when she wakes up in the morning she “gets ready in front of my computer.”  She is constantly checking on the news beats and following up on old stories as well.

Successfully completing two to three stories by 5 p.m. is no easy task for any reporter. However, Del Greco has her workday down to the exact hour.  While keeping her editors in mind as well, she breaks her day up into fourths in order to meet her deadlines.

“Slow days are the worst; however, perfect days are very rare.  Always be ready and plan your day around the possibility if something goes wrong.  Leave yourself enough time to trouble shoot,” Del Greco advised.

When Del Greco shared her story about missing a deadline, she could not emphasize enough how important time management truly is.  “When you miss a deadline, you mess up everything for everyone,” she explained.

Another difficult part of her job is to produce two or three stories a day and still maintain the high quality of information and presentation.  There have been times Del Greco has had to put stories together in a mere ten minutes, but this is no excuse to sacrifice good content and solid information.

In order to achieve this balance, Del Greco advises to “evaluate what you have, but do not mess up the facts.  Do the best work that you can with the amount of time given.   Your producers would rather have a story that is basic and makes sense.”

Taylor Petras

It’s been written that everyone has a story. In each Inc issue, a reporter will interview and profile a J-school student, asking him or her about extracurricular involvement, past experience, and future plans.

Name: Ryan Boyd

Year: Sophomore

Sequence: News and Info Gathering (Broadcast Journalism)

Q: What programs or organizations are you involved in here at Ohio University?

A: I am an anchor for “Ohio Sports Zone” with AVW Productions. Another AVW production show I’m on is “life and adams.” I am the color commentator and writer for Ohio Hockey. Something I have that doesn’t necessarily count for Athens but for my career is I write for an NHL website called ice insiders.

Q: In your opinion, how does being involved benefit not only you as a student, but for you future career as well.

A: “Being involved is important because it gives you opportunities that classes can’t give you. I know classes are important but there are so many general requirements and classes like that, that truthfully don’t do a lot for your major. So I have the opportunity to work with other people who are interested in the same things and I get to learn first-hand how to be on TV, be on the radio those types of things; not only does it better my experience here for classes I’m going to be taking in the future but it also benefits me for the future because it’s what I plan on to be doing for the rest of my life.”

Q: Do you have any goals this quarter that will enhance your future goals?

A: “I’d like to be a tour guide at the university because I love Athens and I love being here so that’s a great opportunity and it’s an opportunity to meet people as well. I want to learn more about the university and more about what it means to be a student here which I think is really important. That’s a big goal of mine but also is to honestly continue to improve. I’m going to continue writing and broadcasting at a really high level, whether that be on TV whether it be for the national tournament for hockey. Those are going to be wide spread types of things so I just want to keep improving as those come up and do a good job with that.”

Q: Are you planning on having any future internships or do you have any now?

A: “This summer I’ll be working in my hometown in Denver I’ll be working with 103 the fans. It’s a sports radio station there. I’ll be helping with the sports programs there whether it be finding material for the show, and also working side by side with the editor and producer. This is going to let me be able to learn all the aspects of what it means to be on a radio station.”

Kayla Hanley

The Society of Professional Journalists started off their winter quarter meetings with a look into the ever-growing list of applications for smart phones and tablets that can be applied to journalism.

With technology constantly evolving and improving, it is becoming more important for journalists to see the benefits of using apps that can help them in the field.  The smart phone is starting to become the eyes and ears for those working on a breaking story.

While being stuck behind a desk is not the ideal situation for journalists trying to cover a story, smartphones like the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry have apps that now make a journalist’s daily work much easier.

App Expert and Vice President of SPJ, Emma Morehart, led this meeting by explaining some of her favorite and most useful apps. 

In the Web to PDF app, journalists are able to research background information, save it, and take notes on it at the tips of their fingertips.  A screenshot is taken of the webpage, which is then transferred to the Good Reader application as a PDF.  The Good Reader app is at the top of many journalists’ favorites list, including Morehart.

“This is one of the best apps I’ve ever paid for.  I can find a New York Times article, make a PDF of the page, send it to Good Reader, and then take notes (highlight, underline, write in the margins, etc.) on the PDF using a stylus (made specifically for the iPad) or my finger,” Morehart said. “As a student, this is helpful because I can take notes on class readings without printing off so many pages. As a journalist, this is helpful because I can do background research for a story on-the-go.”

Although it costs five dollars, Good Reader can be a worthwhile splurge for all journalists.

Another of Morehart’s favorite apps for her iPad is the Police Scanner 5-0 Radio.

“Instead of sitting in the news room, you’re literally chasing the news,” she said.

This allows journalists and reporters to be continually updated with the latest breaking news, allowing them to be the first on the scene.

Other useful applications such as iTalk and Audio Boo are able to record any audio track and can later be transferred to a computer for editing. These apps can benefit broadcast journalists because they are designed to record high-quality soundbites. For a print journalist, they can replace the standard tape recorder.

The DropBox app is another great resource for journalists to keep all their files, pictures, and videos organized in one place.  Hashable is an application that helps to keep track of sources a journalist may encounter while writing a story.  It lists the source’s name, title, phone number, picture and the information from the source.

If a reporter is trying to find where an important source is without crossing the line of journalistic ethics, then the Wisdom app is the perfect tool.  Wisdom compiles anything that is a matter of public record.

Journalism students at OU can download the JSchool Scripps app.  This keeps students updated with organizations’ meeting times, as well as news going on in the journalism school.

“A lot of these apps are right under our nose,” Morehart said. As a journalist, it is important to know all the different ways you can get information.  You use all these apps together to make a story.”

Taylor Petras

E.W. Scripps 2010-2011 ambassadors pose outside Scripps Hall last fall.

Have you ever wondered what to study or how to prepare yourself in college? Some say that asking college professors or family members can give you the right tools, but sometimes speaking to an E.W. Scripps School of Journalism student ambassador will do the trick. The ambassadors give a student’s perspective of what college life is like and are more than willing to offer advice.

This year, there are 22 JSchool ambassadors. Their majors range from magazine journalism to broadcast and news media, and some even chose a Carr Van Anda degree. No matter your journalism interest, there is an ambassador for you.

Ambassadors have many responsibilities to the JSchool, like giving tours of Scripps Hall and answering questions for potential students and their families.

“Being an ambassador typically consists of representing Scripps and being a resource to perspective students and their families,” said Madelyn Gaither, a senior ambassador.

Many of the ambassadors have had at least one internship related to their major.  They have learned so much inside and outside of the classroom at Scripps that they are able to use those skills in the “real world.” Ambassadors like these really are the most resourceful people to contact while studying journalism at OU.

Anyone can apply to be an ambassador for the JSchool by turning in an application by June 1. Applications are available in Scripps 106, and the benefits of becoming an ambassador are countless.

“I actually felt compelled to apply as a way of ‘giving back’ to the JSchool. I’ve gained so much from being a student, so I wanted to help out the professors and administration who do so much for all of us,” Gaither said.

It is also a great way to become involved in a small group that does so much.

“I think doing anything you can to engage yourself with faculty is a good thing. I’ve found myself getting to know certain professors and Debbie [Depeel] much better than I did before. And let’s be honest- being able to ask one of the top dogs in Scripps to write you a recommendation letter doesn’t suck, either!” Gaither said.

Kayla Hanley

Networking. Say it aloud. Taste it, really savor it. I’ll wait.

I know, you’re probably as sick of that word as I was. I used to think it tasted kind of bitter like the pink nail polish I stubbornly bit off my nails during my self-proclaimed tomboy childhood.

Networking. We journalists love it because it pads our resumes and, let’s be honest, we’re generally good at it. But we also hate networking because it feels fake and overrated. Our clips should speak for themselves, right? We’re the watchdogs. We’re the good guys! No brown-nosers need apply.

While waiting to cross the busy street in Georgetown, Morehart poses for a photo taken by her best friend and Inc. co-editor, Graylyn Roose.

Networking, networking, networking – let’s just get comfortable with it now – networking. All of the professors, alumni and guest speakers who told you to network were right (like how my mom was right about the gross nail biting habit).

A few weeks ago, I returned from an internship in Washington, D.C. I worked for the Office of Public Affairs, the communications arm of the Administrative office of the U.S. Courts. Months before, with law school in my future, I sought out internships that combined journalism and law. I had a chat with Tom Hodson, a Scripps alum and professor, who insisted I contact Richard Carelli, the Senior Public Affairs Specialist who later became my boss. After working for the Associated Press, getting his law degree, and taking a job with the courts, Carelli became one of E.W Scripps School of Journalism’s Distinguished Alumni.

For three months, I lived in D.C. with Kevin Zieber, a Scripps journalism grad, and Ryan Ford, another Scripps college alum. By the end of the internship, I had made more new Bobcat friends in D.C., many of them former Scripps kids, than I would have if I had stayed on campus for fall quarter. And I emphasize the word “friends.”

I will never be able to thank professor Hodson, Mr. Carelli, Kevin and Ryan enough for what I learned from them last quarter. “Networking,” as I thought of it, was just a buzz word. Technically, I networked every day for three months and lived to tell about it. But I didn’t “pass-out-business-cards-then-follow-up-with-scripted-emails” network. I made friends. I talked with journalists about their jobs, their goals, their passions, their frustrations. I went out for a drink after work and got coffee with my boss. I indulged my inner nerd over topics like Twitter, freedom of information, and journalists in the courtroom. I went home and watched “Page One,” a documentary about The New York Times, with my roommates and a big blanket.

I treated these alumni like friends and colleagues and gave them the respect they deserved. In return, I received equal treatment. I didn’t realize until I returned to Athens that I was “networking” the whole time. If we can carry on intelligent conversations, we can network. If we can show interest in another person, we can network. If we can relax and be our intelligent, journalistic selves, then we can network.

I encourage you to take the stigma out of networking. I will look back on my internship and remember the experiences I had, not the impressions I tried to make. Alumni are just as eager to meet us and help us as we are nervous about impressing them. The networking was the refreshing part. Having to say goodbye to that network of talented, like-minded Bobcats was what left the bitter taste in my mouth.

            Emma Morehart

Last quarter I was lucky enough to get a taste of the real world a little bit early. Like many Scripps students, I took a quarter off for an internship. The change to intern with NBC’s Today Show in New York City was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I was gone all fall quarter, getting accustomed to both the brand new task of living in America’s biggest city and working for a national morning news program.

For college students in general, the thought of working in the so-called “real world” is intimidating. It feels like a big change. Even though we work hard in our classes and strive to learn more in our extracurriculars, nobody really knows what to expect. The 6 a.m.’s seem daunting, a stark contrast to the 11 a.m. or noon starting times we’ve been able to schedule as upperclassmen.

But if the experience I had last quarter is any indication, there’s good news for Scripps students: we’re far more ready than we think we are. Working with shining stars in the field (like former OU student) Matt Lauer and Ann Curry, it was hard not to feel a little intimidated at first. I had experience internships beforehand, but never on a national scale.

I was smart to brace myself; they kept our schedules packed. No busy work for us. The other interns and I accompanied reporters and producers on local shoots, answered wacky calls from viewers at the front desk, and logged hours of tape. We came early and stayed late, learning firsthand about the time demands required in the news business. We were all lucky enough to spend at least two early mornings a week in the control room, running errands and watching the senior producers coordinate a four-hour show. I can’t say I got much sleep during my time in Manhattan, but I’m not sorry about it. It was the best way to learn.

Looking back, I didn’t have any reason to fear the journalism world outside Athens, Ohio. The skills it takes to make it at a professional news station aren’t that different than the ones needed to be a successful OU journalism student. The JSchool has taught us to think on our feet, double and triple check our sources, and have integrity in all that we do.

So as I enjoy my last two quarters in Athens, prepare my bucket list, and get ready to apply for jobs, I’m confident knowing that Scripps has prepared me well for whatever this business has to offer. In the meantime, I have six months left to enjoy and learn whatever I can.

Graylyn Roose