Southeastern Channel named one of nation's best
Thursday, November 21, 2013
by: Tonya Lowentritt
ONE OF NATION'S BEST- The Southeastern Channel was recently honored by College Broadcasters, Inc. for one of the top four college television newscasts in the country at the 2013 National Student Production Awards in San Antonio, Tex. Members of the "Northshore News" team pictured, from left, are reporter Shelby Haws, General Manager Rick Settoon, reporter Erika Ferrando, reporter Valerie Ponseti, Northshore News supervisor John Reis, and reporter Nicholas George. Not pictured are students Chrissy Carter, Brooke Bascle, Taneshia Drake, Stephanie Pitre, Aaron Griffin, and Allen Cutrer.
HAMMOND – The Southeastern Channel has been named one of the top four college television stations in the country for its student newscast "Northshore News."
The channel, Southeastern Louisiana University's educational cable access channel, was recognized by College Broadcasters, Inc. as one of the top four in the nation as a National Finalist for its March 6, 2013 episode of "Northshore News" in the Best College Television Newscast category at the 2013 National Student Production Awards convention held in San Antonio, Tex.
College Broadcasters, Inc. made the selections out of 700 university entries throughout the country. The Channel's student newscast was honored along with those from the University of Texas at Austin, St. Cloud State (Minn.) and the State University of New York at Oswego.
The award marked the second time in the last three years that the Channel has been named one of the nation's best by College Broadcasters, Inc. The channel has also been a national finalist for its student entertainment show, "College Night," and sports play-by-play announcing.
"It's a tremendous honor for the Channel and for our television students for their newscast to once again be recognized as one of the best in the country," said General Manager Rick Settoon, general manager. "It's also a credit to those who train and mentor students both at the Southeastern Channel and in the Department of Languages and Communication," he added.
Students contributing to the winning episode were anchors Chrissy Carter of LaPlace and Brooke Bascle of New Orleans, reporters Valerie Ponseti of Ponchatoula, Erika Ferrando of Mandeville, Shelby Haws of Mandeville, Stephanie Pitre of Mandeville, Taneshia Drake of Hammond, Nicholas George of New Orleans, and Aaron Griffon of Baton Rouge, along with videographer/editor Allen Cutrer of Baton Rouge.
"I feel very honored that the show was named one of the best in the country," said Ferrando, a senior. "It feels great that our hard work is being recognized. We work together and help each other to make the best shows possible. We have such a great work environment, and we are learning everything we need to know about reporting for news. We all have such a passion for reporting, and that shows in our stories."
"We are taught to be professional and learn all of the important ins and outs of the industry," said Ponseti, also a senior. "We get so much instruction and so many tips on how to improve our work to be newsworthy. I have gotten real-life experience that I would otherwise be lacking. I feel prepared for the workplace because I have dealt with real-life situations that occur in the industry."
Students working on "Northshore News" take university classes in television news reporting, broadcast performance, video field production, video editing and television studio operations in the electronic media concentration of the Department of Languages and Communication. Staff member John Reis supervises the production.
"The show gives students an immersive experience in every component of producing a news broadcast, bridging the gap between the classroom and practical experience and allowing students to really demonstrate their skills to create a quality show," Reis said.
The Southeastern Channel has won over 200 national, international and regional awards in its 10-year existence, including nine Emmys and 34 Emmy nominations. The channel reaches into over 90,000 households with a potential viewing audience of 250,000 on Charter Cable 18 in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany and Livingston parishes and on Channel 17 in Washington Parish. Its live webcast and video on demand are viewed in 46 countries and 47 states monthly at www.southeastern.edu/tv.
