New digital studio
prepares students for broadcast careers
Production day in Virginia Tech’s new Multimedia Center encompasses all elements of a national news broadcast, including comparable state-of-the-art equipment. “It is real-life professional experience, not only in TV but in video production,” said Syrenthia Robinson, a faculty member in the Department of Communication. “We are multiple platform and multimedia.” The students even produce their own news feed. “The best part about the Digital Newsroom class is that it is all hands-on,” Robinson said. “Students share their discoveries … and as they share, they learn by teaching. They also work with a Ross graphics system and Adobe Premiere Pro editing suites, which puts them ahead of the competition.” The new studio provides students with the opportunity to implement skills and knowledge, and build on-camera confidence. In addition, Robinson said that the state-of-the-art facility is outfitted with the same technology used in top-50 newsrooms across the country.
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SPHERES 2015 -16
Students often intern with TV stations in Roanoke and work basketball and football games for Raycom Sports and ESPN. Recent Virginia Tech alumni are on the air across the United States. Wolf Gohlke, a 2014 graduate, is a sports reporter and anchor for WVIR, the NBC affiliate in Charlottesville, Virginia. “The new multimedia studio’s digital newsroom was great,” Gohlke said. “It gave me insight into what it would be like to work in TV news. Many things I learned there translated to the professional arena. “The new studio gave me the opportunity to perform on set and develop an on-air decorum. The field technology was easy to use and made recording stand-ups and interviews seamless. A number of the elements incorporated into classes at Virginia Tech are utilized by real news-station affiliates.” Cameron Austin, who graduated in December 2014 with a degree in multimedia journalism and a minor in sociology, served as editor-in-chief of the Collegiate Times and now works as a reporter for the Roanoke Times.