East Carolina University
C-CURRENT
Fall 2015
The Newsletter for Alumni and Friends of the School of Communication
Alumnus takes talent/experience on the road by Brian Wudkwych
In This Issue: Photo courtesy of Josh Graham
Professor Massey’s prolific publications.............................. 2 How to find us on social media................................3 Joyner E. news studio obtains high tech additions.................5 PIrate treasure found!.............6
It’s now 5:55 a.m. and he’s pulling into his work parking lot. What ensues is a day of selling advertisements, recording multiple sportscast segments and preparing for football broadcasts, which runs all the way to 2 p.m. The day doesn’t end there, however. At 4 p.m. he has a high school football game to broadcast. Thanks to his 15 hours of game preparation, he’s ready for the pregame show, the kickoff and interviews.
Join CommCrew!......................6
We’d love to know what you’re up to!
Finally, it’s 10 p.m. He’s loading his equipment into his car and heading back to the place where the day all began 16 and a half hours earlier — home.
Email Barbara Bullington at bullingtonb@ecu.edu with any •updated information •news (award, volunteerism, job info, etc.).
This is a normal Friday in the life of East Carolina University class of 2015 graduate Josh Graham.
We also welcome any article/ photo/content ideas for C-Current. • E ven if you’ve only had a change in phone number, email address or mailing address, please let us know so we can keep you informed about the School of Communication and what we’re up to.
H
is alarm goes off at 5:27 a.m. every Friday, giving him about 20 minutes to wash up and get out the door.
Josh Graham was well prepared to help provide sports coverage upon graduation.
It didn’t take Graham long to land a job after graduating in May with a bachelor’s degree in communication. By August, he was off to the foreign town of Wray, Colorado, just 2,390 people strong, to work at a local radio station covering high school sports. continued on page 4
Professor investigates what keeps news sites alive by Heather Bunn
J
by Atlavia Lowery
oyner East, a communication/journalism major’s home at East Carolina University, is also a place where research is often underway by students and professors, such as journalist professor, Dr. Brian Massey. One additional title you may not see on Massey’s credential list is “character,” which is one way ECU journalism student Ashley Boles likes to describe her teacher. “There is never a dull moment in his class,” Boles stated, adding that she has learned many useful things from Massey. “He’s an awesome teacher!” she stressed. With a passion for getting answers to questions that nobody else has asked or been successful in finding, Massey is on the brink of having an article published Dr. Brian Massey’s passion for getting answers has led to a new in a top academic journal. This scholresearch study about survival of independent news websites. arly publication focuses on research in journalism and mass communication, The survey shows that the performance of these small and it is peer-reviewed. That means that the author and news businesses depends on their resources. “Product repreviewers do not know each other’s identity. utation” turned out to be the most important resource for Massey first submitted his article to the journal in Febru- them, Massey said. ary 2015, and by September, he was working on the second In the article, Massey explores “tangible” and “intangirevision of it. ble” resources within each independent news website to “Now I’m in the midst of making the changes suggested see which set is more effective for the survival of the busi[by the reviewers] and when I finish I will resend it. The ness. fact that they actually made edits and returned it to me “Say you can either go buy the nicest, newest computer shows they like what they saw. It’s a good sign for me,” said or laptop that is capable of doing lots of things and could Massey, adding, “This is what I do when I’m not grading help your business, or you can go to a seminar and actually papers or teaching.” learn how to do lots of things that could help your busiHe submitted that latest version in October. ness,” said Massey, referring to tangible versus intangible For the article, Massey conducted a survey of indepen- resources. dent Web news sites in the summer of 2014. “Anyone can The tangible resource would be the new computer, while make a [news] website today, but keeping it alive is the the seminar is the intangible one. Massey’s research and hard part,” said Massey. “True entrepreneurship is having survey show that intangible resources are most related to an idea and really knowing what to do with it.” good financial performance at sites. That means that goHis goal was to use the resource-based theory of the firm ing to the seminar would be the best choice for these busiin his article. So he sent a Web survey to 229 independent- nesses. ly-owned news websites. One hundred thirty-three comIn addition to working on his research, Massey has pleted the survey, resulting in a response rate of 58 percent. teamed up with another communication professor, Dr. C-Current • Fall 2015
School of Communication • 2
Join us online:
Massey cont. Cindy Elmore, to bring new, diverse courses, such as Entrepreneurial Journalism, to the School of Communication.
More recent publications by Dr. Massey
From alumni social events to awards, and scholarships to job openings, new content is added regularly! LinkedIn www.linkedin.com (search “Comm Crew”) Facebook www.facebook.com (search “CommCrew”) Twitter twitter.com/commcrew
•Elmore, C. J. & Massey, B. L. (2012). Need for instruction in entrepreneurial journalism: Perspective of full-time freelancers. Journal of Media Practice, 13 (2), 109-124. [Peer reviewed.]
For more news (and to see our new site design), go to www.ecu.edu/comm.
•Massey, B. L. & Ewart, J. (2012). Sustainability of organizational change in the newsroom: A case study of Australian newspapers. International Journal on Media Management 14(3), 207-225. [Peer reviewed.] •Massey, B. L. & Elmore, C. J. (2011). Happier working for themselves? Job satisfaction and women freelance journalists (article attached). Journalism Practice, 5 (6), 672-686. •Massey, B.L. (2010). What job ads tell us about demand for multiplatform reporters at legacy news outlets. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 65 (summer), 142-155.
Also, check out student-written news stories at www.piratenewsnetwork.net
•Chang, L.A., & Massey, B.L. (2010) Work motivation and journalists in Taiwan and the US: An integration of theory and culture. Asian Journal of Communication 20 (March): 51-68.
Special thanks to: Fall 2015 COMM 3310 Copy Editing and Design students for their contributions to this newsletter.
C-CURRENT • Fall 2015
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School of Communication • 3
Graham
not only do internships, but get involved with student media because I think those are the things that prepared me for what I’m doing now.”
continued from page 1 Photo courtesy of Josh Graham
John Harvey didn’t get to watch Graham grow from a wide-eyed freshman. After a long stint as Penn State’s head advisor for its student newspaper, Harvey sought a change of scenery, first making a stop at Georgia Southern. He arrived in Greenville to head all of ECU’s student media two years ago, but it didn’t take long for the media advisor to see that Graham stood out. “Josh Graham was the kind of person that came to college and didn’t wait for some professor to tell him how to do it,” Harvey said. “He just taught himself. I didn’t teach him anything. He wanted to be a broadcaster and he studied it.” Harvey, the School of Communication and Greenville are all 1,633 miles in the rearview window. That’s not to say Graham won’t be back one day. But, for now, it’s 15-hour days of doing the thing he loves.
As a student, Graham gained experience in the field of communication as sports editor of The East Carolinian, sports/news director of WZMB, and much more. He’s pictured here as a play-by-play reporter for the Lady Pirates at the American Athletic Conference. Graham, a sports man through and through, has found a start. “I was prepared because I prepared myself,” Graham said. “The School of Communication played a part in that as well. However, it’s up to the college students to prepare themselves.” During his four-year stint at ECU, Graham became one of the most experienced communication students to walk through the halls of Joyner East. He was the sports editor of The East Carolinian, a sports/news director at WZMB, a publisher/reporter for Inside ECU Sports, and he interned at Pirate Radio and 94.3 The Game. All of this ambition, as well as succeeding in the classroom and building relationships with his professors, has made Graham who he is. “I think the School of [Communication] and journalism is existent with the fundamental understanding that you shouldn’t just be in school, just taking the classes,” Graham said. “I liked how the school encouraged students to C-Current • Fall 2015
“I was prepared
because I prepared myself. The School of Communication played a part in that as well.
”
School of Communication announces Certificate in Health Communication Available to students enrolled in graduate degree programs and nondegree applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree. (Students currently enrolled in the MA in communication are not eligible to earn the certificate.) The program requires 12 s.h. of health communication coursework.
For full details: phone 252-328-4227 or visit www.ecu.edu/cs-cfac/comm/graduate/certificate.cfm School of Communication • 4
Joyner East Studio growsthanks to equipment acquisition by Kai Jones
TEC-TV crew members working on their weekly student-run show in Joyner E. studio.
by Dr. Glenn Hubbard
T
he SOC’s TV studio in room 215 has acquired new technology in the form of three new robotic video cameras, a remote control unit for the cameras, and a new teleprompter. Professor Glenn Hubbard is excited about the opportunities the new equipment gives his students. He said the new cameras are really impressive, not only for the robotics, but because the picture resolution of the camera is much higher. The addition will allow students to do anchor shots with two people facing the middle camera without having to look at the teleprompters on the side. The school’s budget has recently been hit hard with cuts, so how could the new equipment be afforded? Hubbard explained that ITCS decides who gets the money. “We’ve been very fortunate,” said Hubbard. “Students pay technology fees. So, when our students are having to pay those fees, it’s really nice to know that that money is coming back to you in the form of really good equipment that you get to use.” Hubbard said that this is the first time that the studio acquired significant new technology since the room was set up C-CURRENT • Fall 2015
three years ago. One of the exciting aspects for Hubbard regarding the new setup is the ability to let students get a chance to work with the technological part of broadcasting a show. “Because of the greatly increased quality of the cameras, it means just about any student who is doing something on camera—whether it be with TECTV or anything else somebody is doing on the camera—is of a professional quality.” TECTV is the student-run news show that is broadcast weekly and shot in 215 every Wednesday. Lindsey West is the producer. “The new cameras really give us a chance to make our show professional,” said West. “With the robotic cameras we can now have over-the-shoulder graphics, (and) experiment with shots and angles.” Hubbard said that there is still some equipment that 215 could use to make it as close to professional as possible. “We have little wish list items,” said Hubbard. “We’ll probably be adding some lights. In terms of big things, it will probably be necessary to upgrade the EDIUS software to a new version.” School of Communication • 5
You can help the School of Communication continue to grow by:
joining CommCrew
for friends and alumni of the East Carolina University School of Communication Name: ______________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________________________ E-mail:_______________________________________________
Your membership supports academic scholarships, student journalism, and creative media production. •Recent Alumni ($25) •Member ($50) •Patron ($100) •Benefactor ($250) •Director ($500)
•Chancellors’ Society ($1,000) • Call me about corporate sponsorship. •Other (amount) _____________________
Please make your check payable to the ECU Foundation and return to: Dr. Linda Kean, Director School of Communication, 102 Joyner, Mail Stop 524, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353
You can also donate online at: onestop.ecu.edu/onlinegiving/ Please designate your gift to: “College of Fine Arts and Communication,” then “School of Communication,” and under “Other Area” type “CommCrew.”
Pirate treasure found in Czech Republic!
School of Communication 102 Joyner East Mail Stop 524 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858-4353
Top French journalist visits ECU
discusses press freedom
Agence France-Presse deputy chief editor for North America (and AFP journalist for more than 20 years), Léon Bruneau, visited ECU Oct. 29 to discuss differences between French and American journalism and news audiences. Invited to ECU as a visiting professional by the School of Communication, Bruneau addressed an International News Communication class in the morning, followed by a public session at 4:30 p.m. He discussed the January 2015 attacks on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, implications of the attack for freedom of the press in France, and described how it compares to U.S. press freedom. Prior to his current position, Bruneau was a U.S. politics correspondent in Washington, covered NATO and the European Union in Brussels, and was senior editor on the International Desk in Paris. Agence FrancePresse is the world’s third largest news agency, with 200 bureaus covering 150 countries, and nearly 1,600 journalists relaying news around the clock. Bruneau photo by Dr. Cindy Elmore