Students in the Texas Tech University College of Media & Communication producing content with MCTV, KTXT-FM and The Hub@TTU have been named finalists in the list of 2015 production awards from the College Broadcaster's Inc. (CBI) and the South Central Broadcasting Society.
Finalists in the 2015 CBI national production awards include MCTV for best video special broadcast, The Hub@TTU for best student media website and KTXT-FM for best station imaging.
MCTV, a weekly newscast showcasing anchoring, reporting and production skills of Media & Communication students, received a nomination for its February story “2015 LIVE SGA Executive Candidate Forum” at Texas Tech.
Josh Robinson, media production manager for the college, is in charge of editing, directing and producing MCTV's weekly newscasts. He said this is the first year any student production units from the college have submitted entries to CBI's national competition.
“Both The Hub and MCTV have been finalists in other contests in the last few years,” Robinson said. “Most of those contests have been regional-based. To have any content from either group listed as finalists in a national competition is a huge deal for MCTV, The Hub and the College of Media & Communication.”
The MCTV Newscast also is a finalist in the news program category of the South Central Broadcasting Society's competition. Three students were named as finalists in the competition: Carly Smith and Laura Duclos for best television talent and Sarah Self-Walbrick for audio podcast.
Smith, who graduated in the spring with a bachelor's degree in electronic media and communications, was nominated for on camera weather talent. Duclos, a junior journalism major, was nominated for on camera talent.
“I'm involved with MCTV because I know I'm learning things and gaining experience that I wouldn't be able to get in a classroom,” Duclos said. “I'm definitely a doer and helping out with MCTV is all about being hands-on and also learning by a lot of trial and error.”
Self-Walbrick, a graduate student in mass communications and The Hub's graduate managing director, interned with KTTZ in the spring. One of the packages she did for the station, titled “John Denver at Texas Tech,” led to her award nomination.
“I am very proud of how it turned out, and it is an honor to see other people found it as interesting as I did,” Self-Walbrick said. “The story ended up being shared by a Texas history page on Facebook called ‘Traces of Texas,' which helped get thousands of views. It is one of the most viewed stories of my career and one of my favorites as well.”
The Hub@TTU, a multimedia student-run publication, provides students with a hub of information, entertainment and news. As a finalist for best student media website, Robinson said the Hub's nomination was especially significant.
“The Hub is used to showcase all aspects of what we are producing here in the college,” Robinson said. “Everything from video production to photography, from journalistic writing to social media analysis, that contest really gives us a chance to show off what our students can do.”
Self-Walbrick added, “The best thing about being an online media outlet is the freedom to tell a story how we want.
“The Hub@TTU is striving to have more multimedia elements, and being a finalist in the CBI National Student Publication Awards encourages us to do even more.”
Robinson said the three nominations are an impressive accomplishment considering the competition and that this is the first time the college has submitted entries.
“Sometimes students have a tendency of not seeing how good of a job they are doing, and they doubt the quality of their work,” Robinson said. “But when they do submit entries and become finalists or win awards, it's always rewarding to see their faces light up knowing they actually are better than they think.”
Derrick Ginter, general manager of KTXT-FM, said nominations for the student-run radio station as well as MCTV and The Hub are proof the educational opportunities available at both Texas Tech and the College of Media & Communication are both valuable and exemplary.
For Texas Tech to have finalists in three categories in our first year of competition is excellent. It speaks very highly of our students and their work,” Ginter said. “The competition is quite stiff, so having students contending in these categories is an awesome achievement.