Television Studies

David Ballou, Professor
Darlene R. Bolduc-Ballou, Director of Broadcast Operations
Tim Lewis, Assistant Professor
Mark Mohrmann, Video Broadcast Technician
Richard J. Portner, Professor
Elizabeth Wheeler, Instructor
Aaron Young, Telecommunications Technician

A.S. Television Production
A.S. TV News
B.S. Television Studies:
Broadcast News
Broadcast Design and Production

Program Mission Statement

The Department of Television Studies offers preparation toward a professional career in broadcast journalism, commercial video production, and an ever-growing field of emerging visual and media technologies leading to an associate’s degree or a bachelor of science degree. Classroom study complements extensive hands-on experience at both the introductory and advanced levels in on-camera performance, broadcast news reporting and writing, and commercial video production.

Established in 1980, the Department has a national awardwinning reputation for its live daily news casts, News 7, broadcast to more than 9,000 homes and utilizing affiliations with CNN/ NewsSource and the Associated Press as well as establishing active student chapters of professional organizations;

               -Society of Professional Journalists, (SPJ)
               -National Press Photographers Association, (NPPA)
               -American Women in Radio and Television, (AWRT)

The Television Studies program offers students skills and knowledge acquisition in television production and broadcasting. Lyndon students demonstrate competence and creativity in written, oral, and presentational communication, and critical and analytical skills. The experiential nature of the program through LSC-TV/News 7, internships, field trips, regional conference participation, and national convention attendance are unmatched in all of New England.

Common Program Goals

Our common program goals are designed to ensure that our students acquire the skills and knowledge in television necessary for professional career opportunities. The two-year Associate of Science degree provides individually designed study for those persons seeking skills enhancement for entry-level professional opportunities in television. The four year Bachelor of Science degree consistently leads to entry level career placement upon graduation.

Program

Assessment

Each year changes are made to our Television Studies program, based on cooperative education supervisor feedback and other assessment gathering information tools. Since our interns are placed in positions that demand appropriate and up-to-date skills, we are able to adjust the program based on the success and limitations that result from our students’ cooperative education placements, and alumni feedback.

In addition, the faculty are actively engaged in working with and observing the industry. Faculty have been awarded grants for extended visitations and participation at regional television stations such as WCAX-TV CBS affiliate, and at national media such as CNN. These activities provide further assessment of the program.

Public feedback from viewers of LSC-TV programming provides additional documentation for our program assessments. In a similar fashion our competency-based assessment of individual students helps us identify possible changes in the program itself, as do the end-of-term “demo tapes” or portfolios we require of our students.

LSC-TV News 7 has achieved consistent recognition since 1996, by the Associated Press and the National Society of Professional Journalists as the “Best College Newscast” in Vermont and The New England Region with National Honors as “Best College Newscast in the U.S.” in 1997, as well as achieving recognition as Best Daily College Newscast in New England and Vermont on a regular basis. In 2003 and 2004, LSC-TV News 7 received Awards of Excellence from SPJ; Vermont Association of Broadcasting, Inc. Communication Award ; and an Emmy Award by The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation - College Television, and College Media Advisor’s only “Best College News Broadcast” 2004.

Students consistently achieve recognition by those same national organizations as award winners in television photojournalism, feature reporting, spot-news reporting, and investigative reporting, along with awards in overall excellence in journalism.