The UMTV news program, NewsVision, was recently awarded first prize for newscasting in the National Broadcasting Society competition. This is the fifth year the program has placed first in the live newscasting category. UMTV, the on-campus television station, has produced NewsVision for the past ten years.
UMTV Executive Producer Garrett Russo also received an honorable mention in the category of News Package.
“Because the program has won so many times, we have to make it better every year,” said producer of the show and broadcast journalism junior Maureen Capasso. “We are proud to have won it again for UM.”
As recipients of the award, six communication students and two faculty members working on the show were invited to attend the awards ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia.
Chris Osborne, of CNN, was the emcee for the ceremony.
The students attended a four-day conference where personalities of the industry, such as Jeffrey Kofman of ABC News and UM alumnus Brian Hegner of Fox Sports, gave lectures on production, networking, and marketing.
The competition is open to all chapters of AERho, the National Broadcasting Honors Society, of which Capasso is the UM chapter president.
The National Broadcasting Honors Society is very competitive, as over 100 schools have chapters, including the University of Florida and Penn State.
Capasso and Garrett stress the importance of the contributions of the people they work with on the show.
“Carolyn Cefalo, our advisor, is tremendous,” said Capasso. “She keeps us in line, and definitely should be recognized for the success of the show.”
Students participating in UMTV are working hard to make next year’s show even bigger and better.
“It’s important to realize that it’s entirely campus-run,” says Capasso. “The next time you pass someone filming on campus, you might end up on an award-winning show!”
The trophy that NewsVision received will be displayed in the School of Communication.
You can catch NewsVision on channel 24 (on campus) at 7 p.m. on Thursdays.