RTNDA Student Members Visit Kansas City Television Stations

Columbia, Mo. (Nov. 15, 2006) — Seventeen members of the Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) student chapter at the Missouri School of Journalism had the opportunity to learn about news operations at two Kansas City television stations during a recent trip.

Students at FOX 4 News Desk
RTNDA student chapter members gather at the FOX 4 anchor desk for a group shot.

The visits allowed students to compare the real-world media experience they receive as part of their radio-television journalism curriculum at KOMU with other professional news organizations. KOMU is the only university-owned commercial television station in the United States that uses its newsroom as a working lab for students.

“I think the trip was a great experience. It was cool to get two different perspectives of the newsroom, one from a reporter and the other from a producer’s angle,” said Ben Kennedy, a radio-television journalism major from Chicago, Ill.

At KCTV5, a CBS affiliate, Matt Stewart, the weekend anchor and a reporter, shared what a typical day might be like for a general assignment reporter. At FOX Kansas, Jennie Rinas, BJ ’03, and Chris Becker, BJ ’03, discussed how producers manage and add value to the newscasts.

“We try very hard to give our students real-world experience at KOMU and KBIA. Trips like this reinforce those lessons and show the students how journalists operate in different kinds of newsrooms,” said Randy Reeves, MA ’96, an assistant professor and faculty adviser for the chapter.

FOX 4 Newscast
Students had the opportunity to watch a newscast in progress while visiting the FOX 4 station in Kansas City.

Established in January 2004, the Missouri RTNDA chapter is named for the late Ed Lambert, considered the “father of broadcast news” at the University of Missouri. Lambert was instrumental in the School’s purchase of a commercial television station in 1953 and served in various capacities at the station after its launch.

RTNDA is the world’s largest and only professional organization that serves the electronic news profession. Its more than 3,000 news directors, news associates, educators and student members set the standards of news gathering and reporting and are committed to encouraging excellence in the industry.

Chapter members are planning to attend the RTNDA national convention in Las Vegas and visit other television stations in Chicago and St. Louis during the winter 2007 semester.

Updated: April 15, 2020

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