Connecting Music to Media

ACRN is Ohio University’s All Campus Radio Network, but they are much more than just Internet radio. ACRN does everything from previewing local shows to reviewing albums.

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.”

Scripps Student Spotlight

OU broadcast student Ryan Boyd talks about his JSchool experience

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.”

The Face of the JSchool

Scripps ambassadors ‘give back’ to their school

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.

Column: Scripps Students Face the World Head On

Senior year is a busy time for every Scripps student. After almost four years of newswriting classes, unpaid internships, and lectures from our parents about the real world, it’s time for us to try it out for ourselves. The long holiday break is over and final tuition payments are coming due. It finally feels like the beginning of the end of college. It’s enough to make us want to sign up for another year … or three.

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.

CBS to be back “On the Road”

Kenneth McNulty, Reporter

The CBS “On the Road” segment left a legacy that began in 1967 with the late Charles Kuralt that CBS correspondent Steve Hartman will now set out to revive.

“On the Road” featured Kuralt traveling the nation and visiting small towns to cover stories that reported on small town happenings in the U.S.

“It’s kind of what average people deal with and what some of their stories are,” Kevin Grieves, broadcast professor, said.

Kuralt did over 600 segments of the show during his time with “On the Road”.

After Kuralt’s death in 1997, the series has been on standby for the last 14 years. With the new anchor Steve Hartman, the segment has been revitalized and is set out to perform the same style of reporting of Kuralt did many years ago.

“It’s that really good story telling that is the thing that people remember; that sticks in people’s minds,” Grieves said. “So I think that some news organizations are trying to do get back to that.”

Kuralt traveled by RV to interview people at their homes to get their personal stories. Hartman will perform the same reporting style, but by plane.

Hartman hosted multiple shows before he was made the new anchor for “On the Road”. These shows are close in nature to what he will be doing in “On the Road”.

His own shows include  “Everybody Has a Story”, where Hartman contacted people at random from a phone book to interview them about their lives.

Another series Hartman was a part of was “Assignment America,” a show where Hartman interviewed people that viewers voted him to meet.

CBS has been implementing changes to programming since last spring and “On the Road” was one of the segments that CBS recently decided to air again, according to an article in The New York Daily Times by Richard Huff.

The reporting in “On the Road” is generally shorter in length and is run with the evening news. These segments fit into the faster paced news that is streamed today.

“What is happening is that the current generation is used to getting short stories or brief information, getting the gist of a particular issue and moving on,” Dr. Yusuf Kalyango, broadcast professor, said. “With the way journalism is changing, we’re getting more short stories.”

Scripps offers incentives to incoming students

Column // Mat Roberts, Reporter

From my earliest days as a young child to the man I have become today, many windows have been opened up for me, bringing an entire world of opportunities into my life.

When I was a little boy, while my mother and father worked hard to make ends meet, I would stay with my uncle, and we would enjoy watching sports and the daily news together. From what I have been told of those times as a child and from what I have seen myself become, I have developed a deep passion for journalism.

Every aspect of reporting, writing, broadcasting and connecting to the world has inspired me to pursue the craft.  It spurred me to enter high school with the goal to one day become a great journalist, and to later begin my career at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.

We all have that moment the one time in our life when we know exactly who we are and what we want to be. For journalists, it is that satisfaction of coming to Scripps.

The process of being accepted to Scripps was challenging enough, but we can proudly call this our school. So what lies underneath is the key to understanding why Scripps brought us here to be “positioned to learn how to prepare and present news and information in a changing media landscape.”

Scripps is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, which keeps the perfect balance for the greatest opportunity to learn. Scripps is reputed to be one of the best undergraduate programs in the country.  But how does this outstanding program gain its prestige?

Earlier this year, the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism launched the first iPhone application for a department of journalism education. The launch of this application is just one of the many examples of how Scripps stays abreast of the changes in the journalism world.  While the face of media is changing, Scripps is moving alongside it, making it simple to understand a student’s choice to attend the institution.

“My high school journalism teacher sent many of her students to Scripps,” said Lincoln Sklar, a freshman in journalism. “To be a good journalist you need training for the best, and here it is — the best.”

Nevertheless, the road to Scripps does not come easily.

“I found Scripps through a program at my school called Naviance,” said Brent Carroll, a freshman studying journalism. “I typed in ‘broadcast journalism’ and OU kept popping up, and I’m from Jersey. I decided to schedule a visit.”

With these techniques in tow, Scripps has placed itself on the map as a prestigious, well-respected journalism school worthy of its noteriety.

“I love the fact that Scripps alumni are so loyal to the school.  Every news outlet you go to you can find a Bobcat,” Sklar said.

With several thousand journalism alumni across the country, Scripps students have built a strong network to focus on specific sequence areas offered within the curriculum.  With sequences including advertising, broadcast news, online journalism, magazine journalism, news writing and editing and public relations, it is no surprise that Scripps has established a strong foundation.

Scripps will be adding more to its résumé by building the Schoonover Center for Communication using the $7.5 million gift courtesy of Steven and Barbara Schoonover.   This addition not only expands the chance for educational growth within the school, but it opens the eyes of people around the world to continue to view this school as a highly ranked journalism facility and program.

As a senior in high school I wanted to make sure I chose the right path for a solid future. I am glad I chose the E.W Scripps School of Journalism. For me, these college years are about learning, and what makes Scripps the best is the network of alumni. Once a student of the school, you are connected to a force that is committed to bringing you, the student, the best possible insight on succeeding in the communication world.

“By coming here, I learned about many different ways to get involved with the many publications,” Carroll said. “All the possible feedback from the alumni and available scholarships makes Scripps the best possible school for me.”

Here we are today, a step ahead in a field run by competition.  At Scripps, the advantages are yours for the taking.