October 20, 2008
Wall receives prestigious broadcasting fellowship
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- For James A. Wall, a senior lecturer in electronic media marketing and management at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a key component in the Department of Radio-Television’s continuing successes is identifying cutting-edge trends in broadcasting and sharing that knowledge in the classroom.
Wall expects to be busy in late January as a recipient of a National Association of Television Program Executives Faculty Fellowship. The annual NATPE conference is Jan. 26-29 in Las Vegas.
The conference includes special working sessions for faculty fellows. Among the presenters will be content producers, providers and distributors from Hollywood, the television and entertainment industries, and new media.
Faculty members learn about current industry trends and developments. Bringing that information back to the classroom is critical for going “beyond the books,” Wall said.
“Because our industry is in such a state of rapid technological changes and developments, it’s important to keep students up-to-date on industry developments,” he said.
Wall, who lives in Carbondale, is a former marketing director at WSIL TV and account executive at KFVS TV, and former owner of a Carbondale advertising agency. He started as an adjunct professor at SIUC, and was promoted from assistant instructor to lecturer in August 2004.
“We are proud of Professor Wall on his selection as a National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) Faculty Fellowship recipient,” Dean Gary P. Kolb said. “This honor is an indication of the quality of instruction that Jim brings to the classroom every day. The students always give him high marks as a teacher and it is great to see him get this much-deserved professional recognition.”
Gone are the days of students and society consuming media only through on-air commercial television. Program producers now also have to seek out alternative distribution avenues, as well, including commercial broadcast Web sites, the Internet, and iPods, to reach various audiences, Wall said.
“Because media consumption patterns are rapidly changing it is very important to be on top of what’s going on in the industry so our students are prepared to take on the future,” he said.