April 28, 2015
Students win statewide broadcast honors
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Students who work on the live student television newscasts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale captured statewide honors over the weekend.
WSIU’s River Region Evening Edition received three awards from the Students in the Illinois News Broadcasters Association (SINBA) in Bloomington on April 25. The awards were presented during the annual Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) ceremonies.
The monthly sports magazine show, “Saluki SportsView,” won first place honors for the “Outstanding Sports Television Program in Illinois.” The team award honors all River Region Evening Edition students who work on the program, both in front of and behind the cameras.
“The hard work we put into these shows pays off and to me it is one of the best feelings anyone can have,” Gabe Pishghadamian, the program’s student producer, said. Pishghadamian is a senior from DeKalb majoring in Radio, Television, and Digital Media (RTDM).
The news team of more than 100 students earned second-place honors for “Outstanding Television Newscast.” In addition, Alan Selph, a senior from Chicago, another RTDM major, earned second place for “Best TV Sports Reporting.”
“These honors continue the winning tradition that broadcasting students have achieved at SIU Carbondale for 45 years,” Greg Todd, River Region Evening Edition news director and Radio-TV instructor, said.
"It's always nice to have our students' hard work recognized beyond the campus,” said Joey
Helleny, a senior lecturer in the department. “The SINBA awards are very competitive and we're very proud of these students' achievements."
Students produce more than two hours of television newscasts that air on WSIU-TV channel 8/16. Newscasts air at 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday when school is in session during the fall and spring semesters.
“It provides our students with a level of training that is hard to find at the university level, combining a quality education with a hands-on experience that helps our graduates rise to the top of the resume mile during job searches,” Todd said.
Helleny added, “River Region Evening Edition and Saluki SportsView allow our students to put into practice what they learn in the classroom. Hands-on learning has always been a hallmark of our program."
Todd recognized the contributions of Helleny and Eileen Waldron, also a senior lecturer in the department; Darryl Moses, associate director for television and video services with the SIU Broadcasting Service, and Abby Hargrave, a production specialist with the broadcasting service.
“This continued recognition of the students’ newscasts excellence wouldn’t be possible without the hard work, skill and talent of the students we attract to SIU’s Radio-TV program year after year,” he said. “Attracting quality students is a direct result of the high-quality education provided by the RTDM faculty and the hard work and commitment by the professionals at WSIU Public Broadcasting.”