Two Student News Programs Earn Prestigious College Television Award Nominations

Montclair State University School of Communication and Media (SCM) student teams recognized for Focus: Disruption–Moving Forward and New Orleans | Raging Storms programs

Two teams of Montclair State School of Communication and Media students have received nominations from the Television Academy for the prestigious 2023 Student College Television Awards. Both nominations are in the news category for the Focus: Disruption–Moving Forward and New Orleans | Raging Storms programs, and were among 132 entries from teams at 35 universities nationwide. Only 21 programs in seven categories received nominations.

For Focus: Disruption–Moving Forward, students from WSMC 90.3 FM, The Montclarion, Red Hawk Sports Network and the News Lab collaborated to produce content across various platforms that culminated in a one-hour news special. The program highlighted individuals who turned their lives around despite the pandemic, and featured interviews with students, parents, and professors who shared their strategies for success-including laughter- in a post-Covid world. The program which originally aired on May 3, can be viewed on School’s streaming platform Hawk+.

The New Orleans | Raging Storms program was produced by a team of student journalists who traveled to New Orleans over spring break in 2022 to report on two issues important to their generation – Climate Change and Racial Injustice. The special report, which is also available to stream on Hawk+, included stories about how the New Orleans and surrounding areas dealt with increasingly violent storms, environmental racism, crime, music, the tourist economy and gentrification. The project was part of a class led by Professor Steve McCarthy and Professor David Sanders. The students spent weeks in preproduction and had a full schedule of filming in Louisiana for one week. After overcoming many challenges during their trip, the students returned to campus and spent the rest of the semester screening, writing, and editing.

“Once again, our students have collaborated to produce incredible work that has received national recognition,” said News Lab coordinator and SCM Clinical Specialist Mark Effron, who along with Professor Vernard Gantt oversee the News Lab and advise students on the #Focus projects. “This nomination, to go along with the Cablefax award the students won earlier this year for another #Focus program, reflects the students’ drive and work ethic, and their ability to produce high-level, professional news programs.”

“The trip to New Orleans was memorable in many ways for the students, and Professor Sanders and I are incredibly proud of their ability to overcome adversity and produce a program worthy of a Student College Television Award,” said Professor McCarthy.

The 42^nd College Television Awards will be held in Los Angeles, California on April 1, 2023. Below are the teams that received nominations.

Focus: Disruption–Moving Forward – Montclair State University
Julia Egan, Producer, Writer
Gabby Taylor, Producer, Writer
Bernice Ndegwa, Producer, Writer
Louis Biondolillo, Producer, Writer
Fabby Prescott, Director
Rebecca Kobik, Director
Keyshawn Reese Producer, Writer

New Orleans | Raging Storms – Montclair State University
Solana Brol, Director, Producer, Writer
Emily Dolan, Director, Producer, Writer
Louis Biondolillo, Producer, Writer
Givonna Boggans, Producer, Writer
Michelle Coneo Fernandez, Producer, Writer
Ryan Breyta, Producer, Writer
Khan Hussain, Producer, Writer
Talon Lauriello, Producer, Writer
Drew Mumich, Producer, Writer
Bernice Ndegwa,, Producer, Writer
Keyshawn Reese Producer, Writer
Gabby Taylor, Producer, Writer
Carter Winner, Producer, Writer
Kaya Maciak, Producer, Writer

Contact: Keith Green, School of Communication and Media, greenk@montclair.edu or 973-655-3701