Ailys Toledo/Contributing Writer
Exciting changes are underway for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Starting fall 2013, broadcast media will be available for students to declare as a major.
The SJMC has worked diligently to bring the program back to the curriculum and is ready to take in students.
The new major, broadcast media, consists of two different tracks: broadcast journalism and TV production.
This major re-emphasizes what was done in the past, which was a general track for both fields. When the University faced serious budget cuts in 2008, the program was taken away. Broadcast media will take both tracks and consolidate it into one major.
“I used to be the sole professor teaching the broadcasting courses. The innovative thing about this new program is that I always wanted to teach in conjunction with production students and we are finally doing that,” said Teresa Ponte, chair and associate professor for the Department of Journalism and Broadcasting.
Courses will provide a variety of subjects, from media management to electronic news gathering. The program merges the standard ideas of broadcasting and production with new ideas from the communications industry.
The induction of the new program is especially vital for those students who were unsatisfied with the current programs offered by the school. Many students who were interested solely in the production of digital media rather than the content of digital media now have a new window of opportunity.
“I was considering transferring to another school that offered the major after finishing my UCC courses. I hope to learn how to write, film, and edit content for TV shows and news programs. I want to produce the media that impacts society,” said Chelsea Torres, digital media major.
“We are right in the middle of this amazing vortex of energies and changes. From SJMC’s point of view, this is an exciting time in terms of media and this is the time to get involved,” said Allan Richards, SJMC associate dean and professor.