Department of Broadcasting on the Move, Fall 2009

News Highlights. . .

Broadcaster of the Year Award Goes to Deborah Norville

Two-time Emmy Award-winning Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville was presented with the 2009 Allen B. DuMont Broadcaster of the Year Award at Montclair State University’s DuMont Television Center on October 2. The Broadcaster of the Year Award is given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the field of broadcasting. Since joining Inside Edition as anchor 14 years ago, Norville has led the program to the top spot among syndicated television newsmagazines. Prior to Inside Edition, she was a correspondent for several CBS News magazine programs and also co-host of NBC’s Today show. She began her career at television stations in Atlanta and Chicago. In addition to broadcasting, Norville is also the author of books for both adults and children, and is in demand as a speaker.

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MSU Broadcasting Students Attend Annual Media Forum in DC

The AWRT Montclair State University Chapter is the newest student chapter chartered by the national organization American Women in Radio and Television. Eleven student members along with chapter advisor Patricia Piroh, represented Montclair at the annual Media Forum in Washington DC. Students had the opportunity to hear from leaders in media as well as participate in sessions with professionals in the industry. Key note speaker Lara Logan, chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, gave a motivational speech about her rise to her current position. She also spoke about how she balances her personal and professional life as a mother and wife and as one of the world’s best foreign correspondents.

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DuMont TV Center Continues its “High Def” Upgrade

The high definition conversion continues at the Dumont Television Center. We are pleased that our new Sony HD production switcher and video monitoring system are operational. As anticipated, Dumont’s technical capabilities are now greatly enhanced, elevating the excitement level for both students and faculty. Coming this semester is high definition digital acquisition capability. HD television productions will be recorded on both data cards and optical disks, as video tape formats are phased out. In the fall of 2010, look out for a brand new digital video control room, digital audio control room and high definition machine room. Dumont staff is working diligently with the design, purchase and installation of the latest production gear to create one of the top teleproduction facilities in New Jersey as well as surrounding states.

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For more news and events from the Department of Broadcasting, read the most recent issue of the department’s newsletter, On-Air

People Spotlights . . .

Faculty

LARRY LONDINO, Department Chair, was recently featured in “Uneven Fairways,” the centerpiece program of Black History Month in 2009 on the Golf Channel. The documentary is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Other interviewees in the documentary include Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Jim Thorpe.

DAVID SANDERS, Assistant Professor, produced the National Music Council’s 2009 Leadership in Music Symposium. The symposium featured Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones discussing the social and economic impact of jazz and the American music industry on the world.

Alumni

BLAKE DRUMMOND (’03) has landed a job as an assistant production coordinator for ABC’s hit show Ugly Betty. As an Assistant Production Coordinator, he is in charge of hiring crews, making, copying, and distributing scripts on set and off, and acts as a liaison between writers and crewmembers.

BRENDA SCHAIT, ’87 writes in that as a writer/producer, she is a double Daytime Emmy nominee! The former MSC-TV executive producer was a writer on two of the three quiz shows nominated for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show this year: “Cash Cab” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

LEIGH SCHEPS, ’07 is currently a reporter for WBNG TV, a CBS affiliate in Binghamton, NY. Her on air name is Leigh Dana. Although Leigh has only been with the station for a little over 3 months, she’s already covered several national news stories including the deaths of Michael Jackson and Walter Cronkite.

NICOLE WHETSTONE, ’07, is currently going into her third year with the News & Docs Department at MTV Networks. There, she is associate and segment producer for the long running series, MTV Cribs, as well as the Country Music Network spin-off series CMT Cribs.

Additional alumni credits may be found in the Department of Broadcasting Fall 09 Newsletter