Displaying items by tag: WSIU Public Broadcasting

Sesame Workshop is known around the world for innovations in children’s media. It has become a leader in the field in large part because of the research behind program development. Beth Spezia, M.A. student in SIUC’s College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, has played an active role in a recent international collaborative research project designed to evaluate Sesame Street programs.

Spezia, who is the field representative for outreach for WSIU Public Broadcasting, is using data she gathered for an ethnographic study that is part of the larger summative research project as the basis for her thesis.

“Shalom Sesame is a cultural adaptation of Sesame Street that teaches U.S. families about Jewish life and Israel.” said Spezia. “This new version of the program is designed to reflect life in the Jewish community in this country.”

Spezia said the program uses both English and Hebrew languages. It contains messages for youth about doing good deeds and acts of charity, as well as provides educational information about Jewish traditions and practices.

She credits the arrival of Dr. Dafna Lemish, professor and chair of the Radio Television department, as the catalyst for the study coming to SIU Carbondale. Professor Lemish is a leading scholar in the field of children’s media, with her work covering and recognized around the world. This is a project that Lemish was working on when she arrived in 2010.

“The project is more than just research; ” said Lemish. “beyond an academic experience, we are collaborating with the industry and we will have an impact on children’s programming.”

Lemish explained one of the goals of the study is to explore how media can help children from a social minority group gain understanding and pride in their cultural history. The study should also help parents of these children to better pass on their heritage.

“The research project asks, ‘How does Shalom Sesame fit into the lives of Jewish families in the U.S.?’,” said Spezia. “A series of three home visits with each of 10 Jewish families in southern Illinois and Georgia allowed us to interview children and parents. This helped us to identify what parts of the program are best received.”

Complimenting the ethnographic study in the larger project are a survey of east coast viewers and an in-depth look at Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli version of the program.

“We are providing Sesame Workshop with information that will help them make decisions about production and distribution,” said Spezia. “This is such a great opportunity to have a direct impact on children’s television program’s content.”

Spezia added this project is a good example of SIUC bringing what has been learned through research back to the community through programming. She said it helps audiences understand that research is integrated with the local community.

“This is real, practical work affecting families in southern Illinois,” said Spezia. “We are in a living laboratory. With a project like this, the outcome can reach across the globe and touch families here.”

Spezia found that parents in Jewish families like the program because it helps them to connect with their faith and pass on traditions to their children. It also helps families to feel a sense of community in a geographic region where there are not many Jewish people. Shalom Sesame fills a gap in the lives of Jewish families who do not have easy access to educational resources about their culture.

“It is fantastic to be a part of this important project that goes beyond the classroom into the homes of families,” said Spezia. “With Professor Lemish’s leadership we are able to recruit more students into the field of children’s media; and we are growing the program.”

Lemish added this project was a great opportunity for she and Spezia to learn about each other, as well as the families involved.

“I am Jewish. Beth is not,” said Lemish. “She was able to learn about me and my culture in a new way. I learned about her as well. The cultural discussions we have had add so much to our understanding and to the research.”

Lemish hopes to do more research like this in the future.

“We hope this will lead to other collaborative projects with Sesame Workshop and other children’s media producers,” said Spezia. “This, and projects like this, are positioning the College as an important participant in dialogue and development of children’s media in the U.S.”

Top image: Logo for Shalom Sesame. Bottom image: The Hebrew alphabet. 

WSIU and the Carbondale Public Library have partnered to launch "Community Cinema," a new community engagement project featuring a series of free film screenings scheduled for the last Saturday of every month at 2:30pm at the library, located at 405 West Main in Carbondale.

Screenings will be held from January through May 2012. After each screening, a facilitator and guest speakers will lead a group discussion about the topics raised in the films. Refreshments will be provided.

We're kicking off this exciting new project beginning Saturday, January 28 with the film Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock, which profiles the civil rights activist who played a leading role in the effort to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. The NAACP - Carbondale Chapter and the African American Museum of Southern Illinois will provide a facilitator to lead the post-film discussion.

Carbondale is one of more than 95 cities nationwide who are participating in "Community Cinema," a public education and civic engagement initiative featuring free monthly films from the PBS series Independent Lens. The film screenings are designed to bring organizations, community members, and public media stations together to learn about, discuss, and get involved in the key social issues of our time.

Please look at the attached eCard to see our complete schedule of films through this May - and feel free to share the eCard with others! Scroll over the title of each film, then click to launch the film's corresponding website through your Internet browser. To learn more about "Community Cinema," scroll over the project logo at the top of the eCard and click to launch the website.

Hope you can come to a few or all of the screenings. Invite your friends and neighbors!

WSIU Public Television is proud to once again broadcast live coverage of select SIU Men's Basketball games to Saluki fans this season. All games will air live on WSIU's main HD channels, WSIU-TV 8.1 and WUSI-TV 16.1, with repeats broadcast the same day on WSIU's second digital channel, WSIU WORLD, channels 8.2 and 16.2.

Teamwork is essential for the success of WSIU's coverage of Live Saluki Basketball – from the businesses and organizations who sponsor the games to the WSIU staff working behind the scenes to the students who serve on the production crew.

"WSIU is the perfect place for students like me who crave opportunities to get involved with live productions," says Nick Gresham, a senior in Radio-Television from Chicago who is working on the crew for a second year. "The experience you get doing live broadcasts helps you market yourself for internships and jobs after graduation. I feel honored to help WSIU with these productions as a way of returning the favor for the opportunity to learn."

Fellow student and co-worker Amber Polczynski, a senior in Radio-Television from Du Bois, Ill. and also a multi-year crew member, agrees with Gresham. "I sign up to work on WSIU's sports coverage crews because I get hands-on experience in sports production, which I hope to pursue for my career. I'm also learning how to think on my feet and work as part of a team. I think my experiences will give me a leg up on the competition after I graduate."

Says Michelle Suarez, Executive Director of the SIU Alumni Association, a sponsor for the third straight year, "In addition to serving the southern Illinois community, WSIU continues to provide valuable hands-on experience to SIU students. The SIU Alumni Association is proud to support WSIU."

Other sponsors for this year's broadcasts include Dr. Michael B. Clay of SI Dentistry of Murphysboro, Ill.; Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC of Carbondale & Mt. Vernon, Ill.; Wright Do-It Centers of Murphysboro & Sparta, Ill.; Cook Portable Warehouses, serving the 12-state region; and the SIU Foundation.

The broadcast schedule is as follows:

Tue, Jan 24, 7pm: SIUC vs. Bradley (home) - repeats 10pm on WSIU WORLD

Tue, Jan 31, 7pm:  SIUC vs. Northern Iowa (away) - repeats 10pm on WSIU WORLD

Sat, Feb 11, 12pm: SIUC vs. Indiana State (away) - repeats 3pm on WSIU WORLD

Updates to the schedule, should they occur, will be posted to wsiu.org/salukis.

Photo: Amber Polczynski working on the floor at an SIU basketball game as WSIU a student camera operator.

WSIU hosted a student appreciation dinner in May celebrating its top student employees for 2010-11. Honorees were presented with a framed certificate and cash gift, and their names were engraved on plaques on display at the WSIU stations. This year's winners are:

FM Student of the Year: Brad Highland, Cinema & Photography, Thomson, Ill.

TV Student of the Year: Haylea Peters, Radio-Television, Litchfield, Ill.

Student Service Award Winners: Chelsea Stone, English, Woodlawn, Ill. and Mallory Henkelman, Journalism, Danville, Ill.

Lee D. O'Brien Award: Ryan Kinsella, Radio-Television, Bartlett, Ill.

Photo caption: Lee D. O'Brien Award winner Ryan Kinsella (center) with Ila O'Brien (left), wife of the late Lee D. O'Brien, former WSIU Executive Director, and Beth Spezia (right), Educational Outreach Coordinator and Ryan's supervisor. Photo: WSIU.

Whad'Ya Know? Public radio host Michael Feldman enjoyed his 1998 visit to SIU Carbondale so much that he brought his popular comedy quiz series back to campus on Saturday, March 26 at Shryock Auditorium. Nearly 800 public radio fans from the region and beyond joined WSIU for the live national broadcast. Special guests included Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, Dona Bachman, Director of the University Museum, and local musicians Wil Maring and Robert Bowlin.

Photo caption: Michael Feldman, host of "Whad'Ya Know?", talks with Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon. Photo: Rusty Bailey, University Communications.

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Greg Petrowich, executive director of Southern Illinois University Carbondale's WSIU Public Broadcasting, will be a member of the Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors.

Petrowich’s three-year term begins July 1. The terms can be renewable twice for a total of nine years on the board. He will be one of approximately 36 board members.

The private nonprofit educational organization is “dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities,” according to its website. The organization receives funds from individuals, corporations, foundations, the Illinois General Assembly through the Illinois Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Petrowich oversees operation of WSIU’s three public radio stations -- WSIU, WUSI and WVSI; two PBS stations -- WSIU and WUSI; and the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service. WSIU Public Broadcasting is within the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts

Prior to coming to WSIU in April 2009, Petrowich was chief executive for seven years of KUAC-FM/TV/DT -- the public broadcasting stations at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Prior to that, he managed KRCU-FM, the public radio service at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, from May 1996 to April 2002. He also served as operations director at the station from August 1991 to May 1996.

Petrowich earned his bachelor’s degree in radio-television from SIUC in 1991.

He is currently on the board of directors for National Public Radio, and the Rotary Club of Carbondale-Breakfast.

Greg Petrowich, executive director of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s WSIU Public Broadcasting, is mid-way through his first term on the National Public Radio governing board.

Petrowich, who came to WSIU in March 2009, is one of 10 station managers from across the country on the board. The station managers, along with six public members and the NPR Chief Executive Officer, make up the 17-member board.

“It has been an eye-opening, sometimes challenging experience,” said Petrowich. “Locally we focus most on news and programming. On the board, we look at everything- policies, financing and programming.”

Petrowich serves on three committees as part of his board duties: membership and governance, development, and distribution and interconnect.

“I think it is important for people to take a turn in the governing process,” said Petrowich. “It is important to have a variety of viewpoints. Public radio in Los Angeles and New York City is quite different than in Southern Illinois. Everyone needs to be represented.”

A recent project the board has been overseeing is the renovation of a newly purchased building for the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C.

While being a member of the governing board is not designed to give members an advantage, Petrowich said it does obviously help with the flow of communication.

“When you are involved in the frontline you have a better understanding of what is coming down the pipe,” said Petrowich. “New media is one of the areas we are tracking and is rapidly developing. It is good to be up-to-date on the issues and new trends.”

Petrowich added that in addition to the large geographic region served by WSIU, the high number of students receiving hands on experience at the station make it somewhat unique to the NPR system.

Currently, approximately 100 SIUC students work in a variety of areas with WSIU alongside 33 full time employees and 100 plus volunteers.

“We use the operations of WSIU radio and television as a teaching and programming experience for students,” said Petrowich.

In addition to his duties on the NPR governing board, Petrowich has a full load of projects locally with WSIU. Renovating the workspace and programming for multicast television channels are two of the larger, on-going projects.

“The building we are in was designed for broadcasting 40 years ago,” said Petrowich. “We are currently spending out two grants that will transform the television studios into modern studios, which will help students to gain more knowledge for today’s work place.”

“As far as the television programming, we have three times as much real estate to program with the addition of channels 8.2 and 8.3”

Petrowich said that in 2009 WSIU television went to a multi-channel format which now allows the broadcast of more programming, including SIUC basketball games, local programs, etc.

Two items Petrowich is currently paying particular attention to are the 50^th Anniversary celebration for WSIU and federal funding challenges. Currently, WSIU receives about a third of its $3.5 million budget from federal grants.

Petrowich earned his bachelor’s degree in radio-television from SIUC in 1991. He and his wife have two children.

Crystal from Alabama - M.S. Advertising

My name is Crystal Essex, I am originally from Marion, Alabama.  I am pursuing an M.S., specifically within Advertising and Strategic Communications.

My area of interest within the M.S. program specifically lies within advertising, public relations and marketing research.  Within my program, I did my master's project on hair care advertising and it was titled "Going Straight: How Hair Care Advertising Constructs African American Beauty."

I chose SIUC because of the flexibility of the curriculum of the program.

I felt that I had the opportunity to learn other skills outside of my background already in the media but it specifically enhanced advertising and marketing research so I felt that  the flexibility of the program was a great fit for me.

Through the university I am  PROMPT fellow which allowed me to have a fellowship for the two years that I was here to complete my degree.

I had an assistantship with WSIU.  The first year, I worked with River Region Evening Edition, which is the news station for WSIU.  I had the opportunity to serve as the business manager and I interacted with the student workers on a daily basis.

The second year, I moved to promotions with WSIU and I had the opportunity to do various activities from designing promotional pieces to writing press releases, media advisories, designing newsletters, taking photos, so my experience within that realm of advertising research and graphic design was definitely enhanced by  working with WSIU promotions.

I had the opportunity this past April to present at the MCMA Graduate Student Symposium in front of various faculty and other students who had different interests within the field of Communications.

As far as publications, I'm in the process of working with my advisor Dr. Katherine Frith to possibly publish a chapter for one of the books that she is editing.

My plans for the future are to pursue job opportunities within marketing research or public relations, and try my best to add to the field of advertising and marketing research.

I certainly would encourage you to overview the curriculum and look at it because it does provide flexibility for those who are interested in a program in which they can hone in on their skills

in one particular area, as well as developing skills that they may not have thought they originally wanted to pursue.