Beartrap Broadcast Creates Possible Future for Broadcast Journalism at College
Veronica Presberg ‘29
Staff Writer
College journalism students are moving into the television news business with a debut news show developed this year: “Beartrap Broadcast.”
The mock broadcast, a first attempt that will not officially air, covers current news and events at the College and discusses relevant campus news. The topics are real, including the recent composting program developments and chef Ruben’s famous Reuben Sandwiches. It also includes a (fake) weather forecast and sports segment.
The new broadcast unit allowed students in Advanced Journalism (JOUR 320) to experience the hands-on process of assembling a real news broadcast, what it looks like in real time, and how it feels to be on air. It also may pave the way for the launch of a true “Beartrap Broadcast” in the future.
Pamela Ferdinand, a lecturer who also teaches Introduction to Journalism (JOUR 120) in the fall, said she was particularly inspired by students interested in sports broadcasting to try her own newscast. The unit is part of other efforts to expand students’ journalism experiences in digital and print media, including writing articles for the College news office and the Athletic Department, as well as the student-run Stentor.
“Regardless of whether they enter broadcast journalism, many of the same skills are needed in a wide range of fields, especially in a digital-heavy age,” Ferdinand said. “I hope our first initiative has helped them to think about storytelling and communication in new visual, audio, and design dimensions, and perhaps sparked some interest in broadcast journalism as a future career.”
Terry Maday, a longtime producer and the owner of Maday Productions, and Katherine “Kitty” Bliss, an Emmy-winning journalist and former television news anchor, stepped in as guests to help provide feedback to reporters and anchors. This included live-time editing of video segments in the classroom. Adam Rothberg, a Massachusetts-based musician, even wrote custom theme music for the newscast.
“Terry and Kitty brought their extensive experience from working in the field to the class, showing us not only how to shoot broadcast stories but how to edit them down in effective and thoughtful ways,” Ferdinand said. “There’s nothing like seeing a seasoned professional lead you through the hands-on work to get a real sense of the decisions that are made behind the scenes to bring news stories to life.”
Members of the nine-person class were assigned specific roles, such as director, reporter, editor and floor manager, and learned in depth what each job entails.
Daniella Bermea and Allyn Aliyeva directed the production, learning how to supervise a newsroom and delegate responsibilities. They filmed the anchor segments and also helped to find the needed equipment, from microphones to software. A lucky find was the library’s former Virtual Reality room, which has a small stage, theater lights, and a green screen.
Aliyeva also edited parts of the newscast with support from Maday, while Bermea served as a cameraperson for many of the reporters. Maday discussed exposure levels and other recording techniques with her.
“Having the role as a director made me more assertive, and it helped me notice the little details,” Bermea said. “I think it would be really good for [the College to offer] a broadcast class, especially for the journalism program, especially since I want to become a sports reporter.”
Janeth Gomez and Joss Hoffmann anchored the show. With coaching from Bliss, they learned to speak like on-air news anchors, act naturally while reading off a teleprompter, and write their own newscast script.
All of the reporters got experience in the field, doing legwork for the show. With help from classmates, they learned to get the footage they needed for their segment and how to properly conduct interviews on camera.
Karsten Maurer did a live standup on sports, reporting on the exciting future of the College’s Women’s Hockey team and interviewing Head Strength Coach Bill Lund about the strong first-year class.
Personally, I reported on the campus’s composting program and the role students can play in increasing composting. I also interviewed Professor Tod Beer, a sociology professor at the College who is involved in climate change awareness.
Meanwhile, Kate O’Donnell reported on the weather, with a green screen behind her. She gave a brief look into what the upcoming weather for the week would look like and a more in-depth weather forecast.
One of the highlights was James Ryan Prizant’s report from the cafeteria, where he interviewed Ruben on what he does to make his sandwiches so special. Prizant said he learned for the first time how to copy-edit a broadcast newscast script, while his peers provided B-roll images of cafeteria food and staff for the segment.
“I’ve learned how to apply my skills as a student copy editor to formatting and editing the broadcast journalism script for our project,” Prizant said. “Because of this project, I think I’ll be more likely to search for work in broadcast journalism in the future.”