Endicott Students Experience All Phases of Broadcast Journalism in Exciting Weekend Workshop
3/6/2019
The show must go on in broadcast journalism, no matter how much snow is on the ground. And that’s something Endicott College students participating in a workshop this past weekend took in stride, with only slight variations in plans. 
at Lynn Public Access
Fourteen Endicott students, varying in majors within and outside the School of Communication learned the ins and outs of writing scripts, filming, editing, and reporting, all while producing a news show for Lynn (Mass.) Community Television. All of this was accomplished in 48 hours.
“This was truly a learning intensive for the students,” says Lara Salahi, assistant professor of broadcast & digital journalism. “We had students with no experience whatsoever to students who were in their junior year and put together TV pieces in other classes. We were focused on going through elements necessary to create a news show—understanding how stories come together and deadline pressures to ‘make air.’”
Adds Salahi: “We also got a real feel for what happens when the unpredictable occurs (snowy weather) and stories get cancelled and we have to find a contingency plan.”
Among the stories included in the show were an in-studio interview with Massachusetts state Rep. Dan Cahill; a feature on the Lynn Museum, with special focuses on the area’s art culture and the Lynn Black History Month Story Share exhibit; news updates in Lynn including a closer look at racist graffiti found at the local Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) station; and an interview with a local resident who is running the Boston Marathon in support of Horizons for Homeless Children. The students also interacted with alumnus and current reporter/photographer at WPTZ-TV, Matthew Leighton ’18, over dinner Friday night.
“I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the students. They had a 7:15 a.m. call time every morning, and this took up most of their weekend,” says Salahi. With other homework, early mornings, and long days, I didn’t know how many students would want to participate. But they were all in; it didn’t faze them.”
The Endicott students’ roughly 30-minute episode aired earlier this week on Lynn Community Television. To learn more about the School of Communication and other broadcast journalism opportunities, visit endicott.edu.
“This was truly a learning intensive for the students,” says Lara Salahi, assistant professor of broadcast & digital journalism. “We had students with no experience whatsoever to students who were in their junior year and put together TV pieces in other classes. We were focused on going through elements necessary to create a news show—understanding how stories come together and deadline pressures to ‘make air.’”
Adds Salahi: “We also got a real feel for what happens when the unpredictable occurs (snowy weather) and stories get cancelled and we have to find a contingency plan.”
Among the stories included in the show were an in-studio interview with Massachusetts state Rep. Dan Cahill; a feature on the Lynn Museum, with special focuses on the area’s art culture and the Lynn Black History Month Story Share exhibit; news updates in Lynn including a closer look at racist graffiti found at the local Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) station; and an interview with a local resident who is running the Boston Marathon in support of Horizons for Homeless Children. The students also interacted with alumnus and current reporter/photographer at WPTZ-TV, Matthew Leighton ’18, over dinner Friday night.
“I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the students. They had a 7:15 a.m. call time every morning, and this took up most of their weekend,” says Salahi. With other homework, early mornings, and long days, I didn’t know how many students would want to participate. But they were all in; it didn’t faze them.”
The Endicott students’ roughly 30-minute episode aired earlier this week on Lynn Community Television. To learn more about the School of Communication and other broadcast journalism opportunities, visit endicott.edu.