3 ways to get involved with broadcasting at WKU

WKU Broadcasting offers a handful of programs for students to experience the world of broadcasting. From covering campus news on air with NewsChannel12, to reliving sports highlights with Extra Point, to finding your voice as a radio station DJ, here are three ways to get involved with broadcasting at WKU. 

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NewsChannel12 

WKU NewsChannel12 is a newscast that televises the week’s news from student reporters and anchors. The show is filmed live and streamed to the News Channel 12 Facebook at 1 p.m. each Friday. The production of the broadcast is a combined effort between student anchors, producers, photographers and reporters mostly from the School of Media. Stories are pitched by students and reporters on Mondays during news meetings, and the segments that come from those stories are stacked to create a storyline for Friday’s televised show. 

Executive producer and senior Jeanna Kleine-Kracht assigns roles to student volunteers for each broadcast along with creating graphics and ensuring the script is ready for the anchors. The roles on staff include a floor director, camera operators, an audio tech, a teleprompter operator, the graphics coordinator and the talents. The 30-minute program showcases feature stories in addition to covering politics and events occurring on campus.  

“The NewsChannel12 team has become family,” Kleine-Kracht said. “I never thought that when I first stepped in the studio, but I’ve found some of my lifelong friends that I can count on for anything — broadcasting related or not.” 

 

Extra Point 

Extra Point is a 30-minute student-run program that broadcasts sports highlights from WKU and Warren County. Like News Channel 12, the sports cast is filmed live and streamed to the Extra Point Facebook page. Co-executive producers Nick Brake, a junior from Owensboro, and Drew Brumfield, a junior from Louisville, cover sports highlights for the week that include football, basketball, volleyball and soccer. The program follows the live show of News Channel 12 at 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. 

“Extra Point is an opportunity to be involved with elite-level sports coverage while still being in a setting where you can learn and grow from these experiences without the high stakes pressure,” Brake said. 

 

Revolution 91.7 

Revolution 91.7 is WKU’s radio station for alternative music as well as songs from less known, local artists. It is entirely student-run with student volunteers who take on shifts to experience what it’s like to be a DJ. Each student is able to cultivate their own distinctive style during their DJ breaks, where they provide a creative anecdote while reminding the audience that they are listening to Revolution 91.7. 

Additionally, Revolution 91.7 offers positions for social media, podcasting and quality assistance that students are able to try. Photojournalism and journalism majors are also welcome during times when the station needs photos for their social media accounts and articles covering local artists and new alternative releases. 

The station, known for playing Adult album alternative, was the first to play popular alternative rock band Cage The Elephant on air. Since then, the station has had a segment called “local shots” where they play songs submitted by local artists in the Bowling Green area. 

“I always thought that radio was interesting because it felt more personal,” said Spencer Campbell, a senior from Shepherdsville and WWHR’s programming director. “Radio to me is about being able to broadcast the human idea rather than broadcasting the entertainment.”