Information about http://www.scj.us/contest/contest08.pdf
2008 Society for Collegiate Journalists Contest…
Tags: 1a, art graphics, breakouts, collegiate journalists, community news, contest results, equinox, fairmont state university, front page, front pages, gray text, holiday spending, impact students, keene state college, mug shots, np, president clinton, stress, tuition increase, tuition increases,Pages: 20
Language: english
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2008 Society for Collegiate Journalists Contest Results
Newspapers
NP 1A Overall Excellence, weekly and less often
First Place The Columns Fairmont State University Good, clean writing throughout the paper. Stories focus
Fairmont, W. Va. on campus issues and how they impact students. To
improve, think about the extras, such as more art,
graphics and breakouts with additional information. Not
only are these ways to draw attention to stories, but also
they break up the gray text. For example, the tuition
increase coverage was thorough with three front-page
stories. Could have used a chart-graphic showing tuition
increases during the past five years. The "Stressed"
story could have used a list of ways to stay organized or
to relieve stress. Is it possible to get mug shots of the
people you're writing about?
Second Place The Equinox Keene State College Good newsy front pages with a good mix of campus and
Keene, N.H. community news, even a national touch with President
Clinton coverage. Great holiday spending graphic in the
December issuewould like to see more of them.
Headlines on A1are often similar size. Could try
varying sizes, based on importance of story. Think
about story presentation. The October issue had three
drug stories on front page. The two KSC drug stories
could easily have been packaged together. Paper
dedicates a lot of space to AP national and international
stories. Could some of that space be used for more local
content? You have huge color photos with international
news, but sports pages are gray.
Third Place The Connector Savannah College of Art & Great covers, graphics. Stories seem to focus a lot on
Design what's important to students at an art/design school
Savannah, Ga. creativity. The story about the Target store opening
could have led with react from studentsnot the day/time
of the opening. That information could have gone in a
breakout. Be careful with your corrections. If
information was wrong or shouldn't have been printed
originally, don't repeat it in a correction. Just say what
the story SHOULD have said.
Honorable The Flor-Ala University of North Alabama Wonderfully designed covers, now use some of that
Mention Florence, Ala. creativity inside the paper. The poverty photo package
was a great idea and the photos are good. But why no
pictures of people? You could have told an even better
story through the people living in that area. Paper is full
of short items about events and happenings around
campus, but not much in-depth reporting. What are
some of the issues on campus and how can the paper
present them to readers?
1
NP 1B Overall Excellence, more frequent than weekly
First Place The Technician North Carolina State Strong layout and presentation throughout editions.
University None of the editions looked the same, which means
Raleigh, N.C. designs are fresh and layout staff is doing new things.
Campus calendar and backtracks are good, useful page 2
features. Stories are strong, well written, To make them
better, look for some sources. The Oct. 10 story about
Gumby's reopening should have included comment from
the health department, since it was the agency that shut
the restaurant down. The story said the owner's
"lawyers are allowing him to reopen..." Did the lawyers
really have the authority to do that? The Dec. 6 story
about prof evals was well-sourced, but failed to tell
readers why the evals are important. How much impact
do they have on a prof's job? Do instructors read them,
make changes based on their suggestions?
Second Place District Savannah College or Art & The issues were all full of interesting story ideas that all
Design would have benefitted from more sources. "What's a
Savannah, Ga. Zine" would have been a perfect chance to talk to
students who actually published their own zines.
Likewise, the April 20 cover about censorship was
creative and made readers want to learn more. A lot
more could have been done beyond the short, no-source
story. Security report map on page 2 is a good idea, but
the map is hard to read. Make sure you're keeping
opinion out of news stories.
Third Place The Jambar Youngstown State University This paper's design seemed to get better with each
Youngstown, Ohio edition. A few things to further improve it: Graphics
need to be bigger and easier to read. And take
advantage of color options. For A1, pick a main piece of
art to dominate the page. Photos shouldn't be the same
size. News stories like the one on GPAs by colleges are
always interesting reads. But for context, it would have
been good to include how that year's GPAs compared to
previous years. Always look for trends in stories like
that. Why no headlines on letters to the editors?
Other Overall Comments:
Black and Magenta
Can stories written by the school's public relations department be reworked by staff members who gather additional information and do
their own reporting/writing? Using those submitted stories is questionable. How can a student newspaper be objective when it's taken stories
straight from the PR office? Stories need more sources. The front page "Clothesline" story (one source) could have included reactions from students
who saw the display. The story on professors and their tattoos could have included a local tattoo artist commenting about who comes in for tattoos.
Think about the extras, such as more art, graphics, breakouts with additional information. Not only are these ways to draw attention to stories, but
they break up the gray text.
The Carroll News
Great layout and front page design. Look for ways to get students in your local stories. The April 19 story about proposed
changes/developments on campus could have been better had it included voices of students/faculty. Unless a wire story is localized to include at
least 50 percent local information, it should not include a staffer's byline. If a staff member contributes just a quote or two to an AP story, put a
contributing line at the end of the story.
The Crusader
Make sure stories tell readers in the first five graphs WHAT happened, not just that something did/will happen. Don't lede with "so and so
gave a speech..." but tell readers what was said at the speech. Along those same lines, the time and dates of an event should not be in a story's lede.
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Instead, put that information in a breakout. That will help break up the gray pages. The Oct. 5 story about a fraternity being sanctioned didn't tell
readers until the jump what the fraternity did to earn the sanction. That should have been higher. Action and candid photos are always better than
pictures of people staring into the camera. as seen on the April 13 front page.
The Daily Eastern News
Clean design, especially in sports, which seems to be using its limited space well with the reverse jumps. Stories were a good mix of spot
and more in-depth news. As a rule of thumb, stories, even profiles, should have at least three sources. The profile on the tattoo artist was interesting,
but the man being profiled was the only source. At the very least, a customer should have been asked about the shop owner's work. Make sure your
finished product is polished. The tattoo artist story jumped to the wrong pagereaders had to look for it. Make sure pages are being proofed by as
many sets of eyes as possible. An A1 story on international students had only a man's first name in the lede.
The Lance
Stories would have more impact if key info were higher. Instead of telling readers in the lede that the student senate met Monday, tell
readers WHAT the senate did in its meeting Monday. Are the features like "On The Spot" and "Know What This Is?" the best use of your time and
space? Same goes for advice columns. "A Few Important Questions" is a great idea, but would be better if the questions were related to what that
person does on campus or about his/her organization. Design wise, make sure there is a dominant photo on each page. Too many photos were the
same size.
The Loquitur
Stories tend to read like essays. Keep writing tight with shorter, more-to-the-point sentences. A lede should not be more than 25 words.
If you're going to use a lot of AP stories, try to localize them when possible. The Oct. 11 Jena six story should have included locals who went, as
was mentioned by the local NAACP source. As it was, the story was just a rehash of events. Any reason the perspective page is dominated by
women? Could use different voices.
The Marlin Chronicle
Good design on front page and good presentation throughout paper. As for writing, give readers more information. With new construction
stories, like "Village IV arrives at last" story didn't tell me how much the project cost, or more importantly, how much it costs students to live there.
Also, no one-source stories. Ever. The profiles on students are great ideas, but they need more sources.
The Viking News
Paper is covering the issues on campus, including enrollment and parking. When writing news stories, think about what they mean to
readers. In the enrollment increase story, you reported students' opinions about growing enrollment. But what is the school doing to make room for
more students? Are facilities expanding? Are more instructors being hired? Also, think about the entire presentation. The Nov. 29 issue had two
parking stories. They should have been packaged together; instead they looked like unrelated stories. Also, they each cited different numbers for
enrollment and parking spaces.
NP 2 News Stories
First Place "Reliving the Past: Student Eastern Illinois University
dealing with post-traumatic Charleston, Ill.
stress disorder sent home after
having a flashback in class"
Stephen Di Benedetto
The Daily Eastern News
Second Place "FSU student dies: MRSA ruled Fairmont State University
out" Fairmont, W. Va.
Staff
The Columns
Third Place "White Power: North Alabama University of North Alabama
residents protest Klan's presence Florence, Ala.
at Saturday's rally in Athens
Michele King
The Flor-Ala
Honorable "Development on wetlands Keene State College
Mention causing campus flooding" Keene, N.H.
Michael Pezone
The Equinox
3
Honorable "SG overspends budget by North Carolina State
Mention thousands" University
Saja Hindi Raleigh, N.C.
The Technician
Honorable "What about the average Joe?" John Carroll University
Mention Andrew Rafferty Cleveland, Ohio
The Carroll News
NP 3 Editorials
First Place "Privacy Matters" Youngstown State University
Editorial Staff Youngstown, Ohio
The Jambar
Second Place "Response to Backlash" University of North Alabama
Rebecca Walker Florence, Ala.
The Flor-Ala
Third Place "Why the NH primary is Keene State College
important to students" Keene, N.H.
Amy Augustine
The Equinox
Honorable "Dear Mr. Fingernut" Youngstown State University
Mention Editorial Staff Youngstown, Ohio
The Jambar
Honorable "College Community Starts at Ocean County College
Mention the Top" Toms River, N.J.
Editorial Board
The Viking News
Honorable "Taking Action" Get displaced Evangel University
Mention in Kansas City" Springfield, Mo.
Staff
The Lance
NP 4 Spot or Hard News
First Place "Student arrested for making Muskingum College
online threat" New Concord, Ohio
Joshua Chaney
Black & Magenta
Second Place "We are devastated" Virginia Wesleyan College
Mary Toves Norfolk, Va.
The Marlin Chronicle
Third Place "Sox rioters could face Keene State College
disciplinary action" Keene, N. H.
Joe Astrouski
The Equinox
Honorable "Water woes cancel classes at Fairmont State University
Mention FSU, dorms close" Fairmont, W. Va.
Staff
The Columns
4
Honorable "Students fight for professor" John Carroll University
Mention Andrew Rafferty Cleveland, Ohio
The Carroll News
Honorable "Imus fired after making racist, John Carroll University
Mention sexist comments" Cleveland, Ohio
Meghan Wolf
The Carroll News
NP 5 News Series
First Place "Dafur, Sudan: A continuous Cabrini College
genocide" Radnor, Pa.
Elizabeth Brachelli, Katherin
Brachelli,Meghan Hurley, Liz
Lavin, Jamie Hupnagle, Ashley
Cook
The Loquitor
Second Place "Praxis tests teachers" Youngstown State University
Jeanette DiRubba Youngstown, Ohio
The Jambar
NP 6 Continuing Coverage
First Place Counseling center confidentiality Eastern Illinois University
coverage Charleston, Ill.
Stephen Di Benedetto
The Daily Eastern News
Second Place Drug testing for athletes Keene State College
Jeremie Smith, Randy Booth, Keene, N.H.
bach
The Equinox
Third Place Controversial religious group Keene State Oollege
Karen Brosz, Meghan Foley Keene, N.H.
The Equinox
NP 7 Personal Opinion
First Place "Pregnancy brings new Cabrini College
beginning" Radnor, Pa.
Kaitlin Barr
The Loquitor
Second Place "Dad knows how to be a `real Eastern Illinois University
man'" Charleston, Ill.
Katie Anderson
The Daily Eastern News
Third Place "LoCastro's lowdown: John Carroll University
Thursday night responsibility." Cleveland, Ohio
Jenna LoCastro
The Carroll News
5
Honorable "Confessions of a Clarke Clarke College
Mention senior" Debuque, Iowa
Ebonee Shaw
Clarke Catalyst
Honorable "Free speech limited by Eastern Illinois University
Mention effectiveness" Charleston, Ill.
Ashley Ruff
The Daily Eastern News
Honorable "Justifying the Crusades" Evangel University
Mention Kelly Bevill Springfield, Mo.
The Lance
NP 8 Feature Writing
First Place "We are EIU because of Lou" Eastern Illinois University
Sarah Whitney Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
Second Place (tie) "Yo La Tengo not afraid of Savannah College of Art &
quiet crowd" Design
Brian Smith Savannah, Ga.
District
Second Place "Walking a month in Vietnam" Virginia Wesleyan College
(tie) Lauren Perry Norfolk, Va.
The Marlin Chronicle
Honorable "UNA plumber moonlights as a University of North Alabama
Mention painter" Florence, Ala.
Eric Hanback
The Flor-Ala
Honorable "Student teacher's sense of Youngstown State University
Mention humor keeps inner city students Youngstown, Ohio
alert"
Jeanette DiRubba
The Jambar
Honorable "Heroin becomes addition for Cabrini College
Mention younger generations" Radnor, Pa.
Megan Pellegrino
The Loquitur
Honorable "Breaking down the other white North Carolina State
Mention meat" University
Tyler Dukes Raleigh, N.C.
The Technician
Honorable "Bent but not broken: A Virginia Wesleyan College
Mention goose's story" Norfolk, Va.
Dan Andrews
The Marlin Chronicle
Honorable "Fighting Juvenile Arthritis Youngstown State University
Mention Sarah Sole Youngstown, Ohio
The Jambar
NP 9 Sports News
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First Place "Games to air on FM radio after North Carolina State
switch" University
Clark Leonard Raleigh, N.C.
The Technician
Second Place "Good seats available" Eastern Illinois University
Matt Daniels Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
NP 10 Sports Features
First Place "There's no way I'm going to let Eastern Illinois University
her name die out" Charleston, Ill.
Matt Daniels
The Daily Eastern News
Second Place "Practice what he preaches" Eastern Illinois University
Matt Daniels Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
Third Place "Sports memorabilia: Keene State College
Sidestepping the swindlers" Keene, N.H.
Keith O'Neil
The Equinox
Honorable "O"Brien looks forward" North Carolina State
Mention Clark Leonard University
The Technician Raleigh, N.C.
Honorable "Rising salaries a concern" North Carolina State
Mention Clark Leonard University
The Technician Raleigh, N.C.
NP 11 Sports Columns
First Place "A rather abrupt ending" Eastern Illinois University
Matt Daniels Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
Second Place "Tragedy puts sports into Virginia Wesleyan College
perspective" Norfolk, Va.
Ben Giles
The Marlin Chronicle
Third Place "No time for the crimewhy?" Ocean County College
David Nugent Toms River, N.J.
The Viking News
NP 12 News Photography
First Place Bearly Wild Keene State College
J.J. Prior Keene, N.H.
The Equinox
Second Place Democratic Debate 2008 Cabrini College
Grace Turnbach Radnor, Pa.
The Loquitur
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Third Place Gut Wrenching Keene State College
J.J. Prior Keene, N.H.
The Equinox
NP 13 Feature Photography
First Place Braving the `swamp' Eastern Illinois University
Jay Grabiec Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
NP 14 Sports Photography
First Place Vollyball celebration Eastern Illinois University
Eric Hiltner Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
Second Place Basketball dunk Eastern Illinois University
Karla Browning Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
Third Place Women's Rugby Eastern Illinois University
Karolina Strack Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
NP 15 Cartoon Strips and Panels
First Place "Robot Dave is Better Than Savannah College of Art &
You" Design
Jon Chadurjian Savannah, Ga.
District
Second Place "Rocket Tonic" Savannah College of Art &
Pranas T. Naujokaitis Design
District Savannah. Ga.
Honorable "Fungasm" Savannah College of Art & This was not on official entry, but it shared the comics
Mention Ling Zhou and Leo Prusakov Design page of an entry....I saw it and liked it. Had it been an
District Savannah. Ga. official entry it would have taken first place.
NP 16 Editorial Cartoon
First Place "Yield" Savannah College of Art &
Dave Valeza Design
District Savannah. Ga.
Second Place "Virginia Tech tribute" Eastern Illinois University
David Pennell Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
Third Place "Parking Problems" Fairmont State University
Lucien Knight Fairmont, W. Va.
The Columns
8
NP 17 Graphic Illustration
First Place "District's Tips for Freshmen" Savannah College of Art &
Jon Chadurjian Design
District Savannah, Ga.
Second Place "Hatred or Harassment?" North Carolina State
Kathryn Graf University
The Technician Raleigh, N.C.
Third Place "Mayoral Match-up" Keene State College
Jack Earl Keene, N.H.
The Equinox
Honorable "Voter Insert" Keene State College
Mention Amy Augustine Keene, N.H.
The Equinox
Honorable "Underage Drinking" Eastern Illinois University
Mention Chris Lee Charleston, Ill
The Daily Eastern News
NP 18 Front Page Layout
First Place The Daily Eastern News Eastern Illinois University Judicious use of a graphic and breakout box, a clean
October 19, 2007 Charleston, Ill. layout, beautiful typography, and smart restrained color
Chris Lee use made this smart, sophisticated page stand out.
Second Place District Savannah College of Art & Clean, sophisticated magazine-style page that takes pains
October 19, 2007 Design to keep the word count minimal. With such a minimalist
Staff Savannah, Ga. approach, every detail needs to especially honed. With
sharper, more telling copy and greater contrast behind
the deck to make it more readable, this page could have
taken first place.
Third Place The Connector Savannah College of Art & Effective composition and layout that nicely divides up
October 19, 2007 Design the page organically. The hand-lettered flag work nicely
Brian Steel Savannah, Ga. with the graffiti theme. Display copy is engagingly
written but could've been shortened a touch. This page
could've placed higher if the brick texture were better
integrated. Making it lighter rightly makes the text
readable, but unfortunately it also turns the bricks
peculiarly pink which undermines the street edginess.
The abnormal scale of the billboard compared to the
bricks only further highlight the computer-generated
artifice which also chips away at the hipness sought.
Instead of a ghosted background photo, perhaps the
brick background would've worked better as a hand-
drawn line drawing in the style of the Connector flag.
9
Honorable The Marlin Chronicle Virginia Wesleyan College
Mention April 27, 2007 Norfolk, Va.
Jaci Downey
Honorable The Equinox Keene State College
Mention October 4, 2007 Keene, N.H.
J.J. Prior
Honorable The Loquitur Cabrini College
Mention February 22, 2007 Radnor, Pa.
Kat Brachelli and
Brittany Liberatore
NP 19 Photo Essay
First Place Snow Days Eastern Illinois Universtiy
Jay Grabiec Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
Second Place White Power University of North
Justin Michael and Alabama
Nathan Benjamin Florence, Ala.
The Flor-Ala
Third Place So lo que es posible! Keene State College
J.J. Prior Keene, N.H.
The Equinox
NP 20 Editorial Page
First Place The Daily Eastern News Eastern Illinois University
April 19, 2007 Charleston, Ill.
Jim Allacco
Second Place The Marlin Chronicle Virginia Wesleyan College
November 30, 2007 Norfolk, Va.
Jeni Meyers and
Elizabeth Appleyard
Third Place District Savannah School of Art &
Staff Design
Savannah, Ga.
Honorable The Lance Evangel University
Mention October 5, 2007 Springfield, Mo.
Staff
Honorable The Viking News Ocean County College
Mention October 11, 2007 Toms River, N.J.
Editorial Board
NP 21 Sports Page
10
First Place The Daily Eastern News Eastern Illinois University Clean layout, strong photos, beautiful typography,
November 13, 2007 Charleston, Ill. judicious use of spot color, clear hierarchy and sense of
Kevin Murphy proportionvirtually everything about this design is done
right and gives the page a sense of quality and integrity.
Minor nits: the columnist photo is somewhat oversized;
the "Football Game Spotlight" label could've been more
informativesay "Football Eastern 37, Jacksonville State
23; there could be a touch more space between the
caption and "Dominating Defense..." headline. Still
professional nonetheless.
Second Place The Equinox Keene State College The goofy illustration went the extra mile to really make
February 1, 2007 Keene, N.H. what could've been a dull package into something that
Randy Booth stood out. It would've been better 1) if the faux
noir/mystery man motif were carried further to the rest of
the package, 2) if the centerpiece headlines typefaces
were of the same family and 3) the secondary image was
combined with one of the niece potential pulled quotes.
Nonetheless, the creativity and extra initiative deserves
recognition.
Third Place The Marlin Chronicle Virginia Wesleyan College Nice photo, punchy one-word headline, a solid poster
March 16, 2007 Norfolk, Va. page.
Ben Giles and
Mike Canino
Honorable The Daily Eastern News Eastern Illinois University
Mention April 27, 2007 (p. 11) Charleston, Ill.
Matt Daniels
Honorable The Columns Fairmont State University
Mention September 7, 2007 (p. 5) Fairmont, W. Va.
Staff
Honorable The Carroll News John Carroll University
Mention April 26, 2007 (p. 11-12) Cleveland, Ohio
Chris Ostrander
NP 22 Inside Page Design, Hard News
First Place District Savannah College of Art & Similar to this paper's submission in last year, this is
February 23, 2007 (p. 2) Design still the nicest treatment for a police blotter I've ever
Christie Pedder Savannah, Ga. seen. Some needed refinements have been made (more
location labels on the map, more appropriately sized
College Security Report seal), but the numbers on the
map are still too small and are borderline unreadable
after the ink dot gain. In the future, if each week's map
and data are carefully saved, a cumulative look at the
whole semester might be worthwhile. With the proper
data sifting and categorization, you could plot out where
the semester or year's thefts occurred, or where violent
crime occurredor even a roundup of the top bizarre
incidents of the school year. Comparing and mashing in
maps/data from previous years might also yield some
insights and contexta poor man's CompStat.
Second Place The Carroll News John Carroll University A solid, clean page. The pullout would've been better
November 15, 2007 (p. 15) Cleveland, Ohio used with a Sarkozy quote or more significant piece of
Brad Michael Negulescu info.
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Honorable The Lance Evangel University
Mention October 12, 2007 Springfield, Mo.
Staff
Honorable The Marlin Chronicle Virginia Wesleyan College
Mention November 30, 2007 (p. 2) Norfolk, Va.
Ben Giles
NP 23 Inside Page Design, Soft News
First Place "Gifts that Give Twice" John Carroll University
Colin Beisel and Cleveland, Ohio
Katie Sheridan
The Carroll News
Second Place "Summer Preview" Eastern Illinois University
Adam Testa Charleston, Ill.
The Daily Eastern News
Third Place Kathryn Graf North Carolina State
The Technician University
Raleigh, N.C.
Honorable "Keepers of the Hours" Virginia Wesleyan College
Mention Lauren Perry Norfolk, Va.
The Marlin Chronicle
Honorable Keene Pumpkin Festival" Keene State College
Mention J.J. Prior Keene, N.H.
The Equinox
Honorable "These Girls Roll" Savannah College of Art &
Mention Staff Design
The District Savannah, Ga.
Radio
RD 1 Broadcast News
First Place "88.1 Seconds of Technician" North Carolina State Fast-paced delivery and to-the-point news. There's not
Saja Hindi University much you can do in 88.1 seconds, but you cover the
WKNC-FM Raleigh, N.C. bases. It's a nice newscast. Kudos to Saja Hindi, who
has excellent delivery and a very good on-air presence.
Second Place "Breaking News - Fire" Muskingum College Great live reporting. Caitlin Schultz obviously did a
Caitlin Schultz New Concord, Ohio good job of finding sources and getting the latest
WMCO 90.7 FM information to WMCO's listeners. The reporting gives
listeners the sense that the radio station will be on top of
breaking news that affects the campus.
Third Place "Battle of Forsyth" Savannah College of Art & A fun take on a unique story. This story didn't take
Matt Terrell Design itself too seriously. This might have been a good
SCAD Radio Savannah, Ga. candidate for a "reporter-free" nat sound piece, which is
fun to do when covering things that provide lots of
sound opportunities.
12
RD 2 Feature Broadcast
First Place "Bootcamp" Savannah College of Art & Very nice use of nat sound, and the reporter places
Ben Frisch Design himself in the scene by describing what is happening
Matthew Terrell Savannah, Ga. around him. It was great to hear from others who took
SCAD Radio the class. A suggestion to strengthen the piece: start
with the boot camp class sound. That'll grab the
audience early, and it promotes active listening. You'll
have time to introduce the instructor later. This is a
creative piece of reporting.
Second Place "Fashion Show Casting Call" Savannah College of Art & Be very selective about the soundbites used. Fight the
Ben Frisch Design tendency to include someone just because you have them
Matthew Terrell Savannah, Ga. or to lengthen the piece. This was a fun piece, but the
SCAD Radio soundbites could be trimmed considerably to make them
more potent. Here's another idea to consider: the last
soundbite concerns how someone should walk on the
catwalk. To make the piece even stronger, it would have
been better to put this soundbite into the story just
before the reporter stepped onto the catwalk. That
makes for better story flowwe hear how it's supposed
to be done, then we hear the reporter doing it.
Third Place "Commentary Corral - Queer Savannah College of Art & Kudos for tackling a topic that makes some college
Theory" Design administrators nervous. The commentaries are well-
Paul Weinberg written, and they are delivered in fine fashion. For this
Matthew Terrell judge, this entry doesn't fit the traditional definition of
Jeff Garris "feature reporting," but it deserves recognition for its
SCAD Radio execution.
RD 3 Sports Broadcast (no entries)
RD 4 Commercial, Promo, PSA (no longer than 60 seconds)
First Place "Village Vote" Muskingum College Both entries in this category were submitted by the same
Caitlin Schultz New Concord, Ohio person at Muskingum College's WMCO Radio. Caitlin
WMCO 90.7 FM Schultz has a professional delivery, and she showed an
awareness of her topics. For instance, her delivery on
the "Village Vote" entry reflected an appropriate tone
for the event, while her delivery on "Community
Calendar" was upbeat and light. The mix of voice and
music was very good, as well. The music did not
overpower her voice, and the two struck a nice balance.
Second Place "Community Calendar" Muskingum College
Caitlin Schultz New Concord, Ohio
WMCO 90.7 FM
Television
TV 1 Broadcast
13
First Place WEIU Newswatch Eastern Illinois University Nice open to newscast, filled with sound bites; good way
Charleston, Ill. to grab audience's attention. Confident anchors who
seem very credible and knowledgeable about the stories
they are telling. Nice hard story to start your newscast;
work on trying to get to the story/video faster, with less
time spent on the lead. Be careful not to use false
present tense in your stories; for example, instead of "a
woman dies in a crash," say "investigators are still trying
to find out what caused the crash that killed a woman."
Although we often hear stories that are written in this
false present tense, it's not natural or conversationalit's
"TV news speak." Any journalists use false present
tense as a way to write a lead that doesn't feel old, but a
way to write a lead that still feels current and active is to
let viewers know what's happening right now, as the
second example above does. Nice use of graphics to
complement stories that do not have video. Good way
of helping viewer digest information. Good "first
weather" element. Great story about the ride-along with
police; it's a story that's pertinent to many members of
your audience, and you've told a story that's often
discussed in a new and interesting way. This will keep it
from feeling tired or "old news" to viewers. Nice video
quality and reporting throughout newscast.
Second Place ECTV Newswatch Evangel University Nice, fast-paced open; good way to start yuour newscast.
Springfield, Mo. Start of newscast is a bit slow; anchors pause a bit too
much and there is a slow camera transition. Anchors are
calm, professional and seem credible. Some video is
lacking natural sound; work to get more of this into your
newscast, because it really makes a story come alive to
viewers. Try to begin your newscast with a package or a
story that feels "lead-worthy," something that you've put
the resources of your newsroom into. This is a good
newscast that would stand up to many small-market
commercial news products. You should be proud of
your work!
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Third Place News 11 (03/07/07) Valdosta State University Be careful not to use false present tense in your stories;
Valdosta, Ga. for example, instead of "a woman dies in a crash," say
"investigators are still trying to find out what caused the
crash that killed a woman." Although we often hear
stories that are written in this false present tense, it's not
natural or conversationalit's "TV news speak." Many
journalists use false present tense as a way to write a
lead that doesn't feel old, but a way to write a lead that
still feels current and active is to let viewers know
what's happening right now, as the second example
above does. Instead of using CNN packages and
national/international stories at the top of your newscast,
lead with more local content. Obviously, there are times
that this will not be the case, such as a major news event
or breaking news. But when that's not the case, start
with a local story. Local content is something only you
can give your viewers; national/international news is
provided by many other news outlets. Also, work to
localize a big national/international story. That can be a
strong way to lead your newscast; you can pair the local
angle with the bigger story. In your local packages, get
to your sound quicker. Your newscast is technically
clean, and the anchors are confident. In the package
about the Spring Break Fair on campus, the rollover
simulator video is great; it's the most visual part of the
package. Find a way to get that at the top or near the top
of your package, instead of buried in the middle. Don't
worry neas much about setting the stage for the story at
the start of the package; your lead should do that. Try to
incorporate video and music into your teases, if possible.
Push your local/campus content higher in your newscast;
it's the most interesting part. Your mix of
local/campus/state/national/international news is good;
it's a nice way to give the campus viewer an entire view
of their world. This is a good newscast that provides a
great and important service to your audience. You
should be very proud of your accomplishment!
TV 2 Features
15
First Place VSU-TV In Depth Valdosta State University "Going Green" is a hot topic right now, so your choice
Valdosta, Ga. of topic is very timely. Open is nice and fast-paced.
Tease before open is good and works well with the open,
but you might want to try working with video and music
to liven up your teases. All the packages are nice, and
take a look at going green from many different practical
angles. However, it might have been nice to include an
explainer package at the top of the shop on what global
warming is, and why the topic is controversial.
Although global warming is all over the news these
days, many people still don't understand the science
behind it. Continue working to tighten edits and make
packages more fast-paced; loose edits slow down a
package and give viewers a chance to put their attention
elsewhere. Use all the time you need in a package to
fairly explore the topic, but make sure there are no
redundancies that lengthen package. Try to make
readers into voiceovers, whenever possible. Television
is a visual medium, and you should shoot video
whenever possible to complement story. The concept of
a reporter on set to front a story is great! However,
when the reporter is going to sit on the desk with the
anchor, the reporter and anchor should interact and look
at one another, instead of just both looking straight
ahead. Nice mix of stories to explore complex topic,
very informative. Try to incorporate music into
newscast when coming out of/going into break. Nice to
do the package that takes a look at a going green issue
inside Valdosta, gives another perspective than just on-
campus.
Second Place Strobelight Evangel University Nice, contemporary feel; good work with the off-the-
Springfield, Mo. shoulder camera. Nice editing; again, very
contemporary. Watch nervous language in interviews,
phrases like "you know." These type phrases can slip
out subconsciously, so watch tapes of yourself to notice
when/where/why you might be doing this. Make sure
interviews don't run too long. Consider using more
video and pre-produced packages to get viewer out of
studio; this could add a lot to the show. Good job
overall; very entertaining, and it's nice to show grads of
your school and show how they're impacting/working in
the entertainment industry.
16
Third Place Coping with Stress Cabrini College Since your school does not have a broadcast or cable
Radnor, Pa. channel, it's great that you're doing Web-based stories.
The Web is a big part of broadcasting's future and
what's currently going on in the industry; continue to
take advantage of the Internet and its uses, and it will
serve students at Cabrini well as they enter the job
market. Survey element of the story is good; it gives
your story more "meat." Graphic to illustrate the survey
is very nice; possible consider putting men on one
graphic, women on another and then end to compare
them on a third graphic. This might help the viewer stay
focused with the reporter's voice track. Don't let
interviewees hold the mic. Consider making the story
shorter; it's fine to use the time needed to fully explore
the topic, but make sure you're not being redundant or
repetitive. Use your time to pack in as much meaningful
content as possible. Fortunately, on the Web you are not
as constrained by time, but in a traditional newscast, this
is especially important. Instead of using the word "one,"
go ahead and say "you." This is natural and
conversational, and lets the viewer know you are talking
directly to them.
TV 3 Sports Broadcast
First Place Cabrini Tip-Off Cabrini College Nice video quality; good shooting and editing. This
Radnor, Pa. story conveys the excitement of the event to the viewer.
Good use of natural sound. Since your school does not
have a broadcast or cable channel, it's great that you're
doing Web-based stories. The Web is a big part of
broadcasting's future and what's currently doing on in
the industry; continue to take advantage of the Internet
and its uses, and it will serve students at Cabrini well as
they enter the job market.
Second Place (tie) Valdosta vs. UWA Valdosta State University Nice presentation quality. Hosts are knowledgeable and
Valdosta, Ga. likeable
Second Place (tie) Valdosta vs. UNA Valdosta State University Good shooting, nice video. Nice sound. Excellent
Valdosta, Ga. production quality, very professional and clean