Cheyenne Cole
A&E Editor
@cheyenneccole
On March 30 at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association (OBEA) awarded nine Cameron broadcast students for their work on CUTV programs at the 27th annual Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) Student Day.
Throughout the day, students participated in various events, including the OAB Student Day Career Fair, a student appreciation luncheon and award ceremony, panel discussions, presentations and seminars with professional broadcasters.
In order to recognize student excellence in broadcast radio and television productions, media professionals judged over 200 entries from students across Oklahoma in various categories.
Assistant Professor of Communication Stephen Adams accompanied award-winners to the event.
He provides Cameron students with broadcast writing opportunities, video guidance and advice.
According to Adams, Oklahoma employers are interested in students who win OBEA awards because it’s an indication of the student’s talent.
“Most every radio and television station in this state know about these awards,” Adams said, “so when they see that on student’s resumes, they know what that is. […] Within the state of Oklahoma, it’s well-recognized among the professionals.”
Junior journalism and media production major Zayna Haliburton is the producer of the weekly student newscast, “CU News,” which won third place in the competition’s TV Newscast category.
Haliburton said the newscast won second place last year, so she felt pressure for it to win again.
“I was really nervous, especially taking over from Morgan [Thompson],” Haliburton said, “who was the previous producer and placed second in last year’s competition. I was just so excited for the newscast to win in my first year as producer.”
As the producer, Haliburton decides each week what role the students will fill in the newscast, including reporters, anchors, camera operators, the director and sound technician.
Haliburton said she chose senior journalism and media production majors Mary Davis and Savanna Sanders to anchor in the newscast she planned to submit to the competition because of their experience and clear speaking voices.
Davis also won second place in the Radio Newscast category, while Sanders placed second in the Radio Commercial category and third in the Radio Promotional Spot.
Haliburton said the newscasts get better as the semester goes on and students learn more.
“A successful newscast is when they [students] get to the point that they know what they’re doing,” Haliburton said, “and they’re not scared or timid of any position I put them in, and the newscast flows, as a whole.”
Haliburton also received one of six OAB Education Foundation Scholarships at the Student Day.
Adams attributes the newscast’s success to the student’s hard work and Cameron’s professional TV production studio.
“We have talented people,” Adams said, “and they produce a good product. I think a lot of it has to do with the facilities and the instruction the students are getting. I think when students walk in that studio, they realize they’re there to work.”
On the weekly CUTV program “Film Geek,” senior journalism and media production major Alexis Page reviews a new film and invites a guest to discuss the film with her.
As Page’s first year hosting “Film Geek,” she chose to submit an exciting episode, in which she reviewed “The Magnificent Seven” with her father as her guest, which took second place in the TV Entertainment category.
“I picked that episode because my dad’s a good conversation holder, like me,” Page said, “so I knew it was going to be entertaining to watch. Plus, there was interesting movie news that week with the ‘Lion King’ live-action remake announced and controversy with the ‘Birth of a Nation’ film.”
“Game Time,” CUTV’s sports show, hosted by senior journalism and media production majors Haley Berry and Jonathon Good, won second place in the TV Sports Magazine category.
In addition, journalism and media production student Jay Escobar claimed first place in the Music Video category, and music major Mason Stuart won first place in Radio Commercial.
To view the award-winning CUTV programs, go to aggiecentral.com. Like Aggie Central on Facebook for updates on the shows.