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UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA CEDAR FALLS, IA THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42
CEDAR FALLS, IA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
VOLUME 119, ISSUE 9
OPINION
CAMPUS LIFE
SPORTS
OPINION PAGE 3
CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 5
SPORTS PAGE 6
Guest Columnist Doris Kelly challenges the lack of transparency in Iowa’s state government.
Panthers get first win of the season taking down Western Illinois 52-17
Staff Writer Theo Alder reviews the whirlwind film “Don’t Worry Darling.”
ESP(anther opportunities)N
Editorial: New Multimedia UNI connects and trains students with ESPN live sports broadcasting Editor MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor
Whether seeing dazzling graphics on their own television during a UNI game on ESPN or watching clips of spirited fans displayed on the video board in the UNI-Dome during
a football game, Panther fans can always expect a high quality live sports experience. Who makes up the team that makes the magic happen behind the scenes? A lot of the workers, whether manning cameras or working in the control room, are
COURTESY/CHRIS MARTIN
Students involved with the ESPN team are trained on manning cameras for broadcasts televised on ESPN, video board footage and instant replays.
UNI students. The Department of Communication and Media offers students, no matter their major or experience level, an opportunity to work on live sports broadcasts with the ESPN team. As communication and media professor Eric Braley explained, each school in the Missouri Valley Conference is required to do a certain number of broadcasts each year. “The Valley has a deal with ESPN that says [ESPN] will provide a large number of broadcasts per year, and each school has to produce their own broadcasts,” Braley said. As a result, UNI has capitalized on the provided ESPN broadcasts by giving students real-world experience working on live sports for a major network. “We train students to be directors, producers, audio, instant replay, announcers and camera operators,” he said. “There’s about 14 positions on a typical broadcast.” Students are trained on cameras and in control room operations, such as directors
who decide which camera feed to display, producers who communicate what graphics or commercial breaks to run and instant replay workers who quickly gather and prepare footage to be shown after an important play. “It’s a hybrid mix between students in these important roles and some former students who are paid freelancers to teach and help them out,” he said. In a typical week, the team produces three to four broadcasts. However, as is characteristic of live sports, anything can happen. Braley said that during the UNI softball tournament in the UNI-Dome this past February, they did 16 broadcasts in one weekend. The opportunity to work on ESPN broadcasts is available to students from any background and from any experience level. “We have had music majors, we have had public relations majors and we have had digital media production students who are actually majoring in it,” Braley said. See ESPN TEAM, page 2
NIXSON BENITEZ Executive Editor
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the Northern Iowan established a new path and a new page in history after hiring a new Multimedia Editor. After a three-month competitive process, the Northern Iowan is pleased to welcome their newest member, Tanner Raine. Raine has a very diverse experience and background in news and will be spearheading this new role. Raine will be working closely with our Managing Editor Emma Koehler in establishing different digital avenues and helping execute our editorial projects for the Northern Iowan.
EMMA KOEHLER/NORTHERN IOWAN
The Northern Iowan is excited to welcome Tanner Raine to the editing team as multimedia editor.
Cedar Falls Ghost Tours ring in spooky season TALIYA JAMES
Staff Writer
As the fall season approaches, horror lovers have a chance to learn more about the haunted history of Cedar Falls. Lauren Riensche offers historical ghost tours around the Main Street area throughout the month of October. Riensche moved back to Cedar Falls after living outside of Iowa for ten years right before the pandemic. She was working from home in a constant routine, but after a year she realized it wasn’t something she wanted to do all the time. “I love to travel, and whenever I travel, I love to take ghost tours,” she said. “It’s such a good combination of history and mystery.” She then started doing some of her own research to create the Cedar Falls Ghost Tours.
Some stories she tells on the tour start with history and others start with ghost stories. “I think that history is a very important component.... so I would say the tours are 75 percent history and 25 percent ghost stories.” When Riensche started the project, she walked up and down Main Street to ask for the history of the area and some spooky stories. She learned the “architecture of the buildings, who built the buildings, and everything in between.” She then got in contact with the Cedar Falls Historical Society to fill in some of the gaps and learn more, which is why she donates 10% of the tour proceeds to them. She gathered research from March of 2021 all the way up to days before the first tour in October of 2021.
COURTESY/LAUREN RIENSCHE
Lauren Reinsche was inspired by her experiences while traveling to start her very own ghost tours back home. This year, tickets sold out in just 36 hours.
The project has been self-funded since the beginning. “My investments were largely in research…and the other big budget item was advertising,” she said. She bought books and online archive subscriptions to dive deep on the history of Cedar
Falls and the area around it, and then spent time advertising with posters, digital marketing and spreading the word. “It ended up being extremely successful,” she said. She sells tickets on Eventbrite. “I looked up the
investment of starting up a website for the tour verses using a platform, and it made more sense to use a platform.” It made more sense for her to use the platform since the event is only a once a year event with six tours being offered this year. “I use my own marketing skills from my own career in marketing and advertising to utilize social platforms…to promote the event.” Although tickets for this year are sold out, they were sold at $20 a piece. “Last year, the tickets sold out in 72 hours, which blew me away…and this year I sold out more tours in 36 hours,” Riensche said. She does have a waitlist available for the next available tour spots. See CEDAR FALLS GHOULS, page 2