Category Archives: Alumni

Dr. Gajjala hosts Research Seminar May 20, 2010

Alumni, COMM, Current Students, Faculty, Graduate Program

RESEARCH SEMINAR

Thursday 20th May 2010

14:00-16:00, Room U103 (First floor, Tower 2)

“Laboring to Produce Agency:
Marketing Empowerment through Online Networks”

Professor Radhika Gajjala

Bowling Green State University

Presentation Abstract: Online Social networking tools in recent times are increasingly being used by non-profits and NGOs who are reaching out globally to find connections and networks to empower various marginalized groups in specific locales. This leads to advocacy issues being taken into global spaces where the local context is displaced and re-presented in an effort to garner material and social support for the causes that are taken up by the non-profits. Individuals who train in “social entrepreneurship” skills, mostly using online networking tools, work in these non-profits thus labor continuously  to communicate across diverse contexts. The individuals form a particular kind of labor force in these online settings that are in a sense both “IT professionals” and  “social workers” that perform “communicative labor” (Dempsey, 2009).  In my presentation I will discuss the notions of “empowerment”, “voice” and “agency” that emerge in these online spaces.

About Professor Radhika Gajjala: Radhika Gajjala is Director of Women’s Studies and Professor of Communication and Cultural Studies at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. Her book Cyberselves: Feminist Ethnographies of South Asian Women (2004) was published by Altamira Press. She co-edited South Asian Technospaces and Webbing Cyberfeminist Practice and is currently working on a couple book length projects – one is on “Technocultural Agency: Production of Identity at the Interface” and the other examines “Affect and Placement in Indian Digital Diasporas.”

Url: http://personal.bgsu.edu/~radhik

Lynda Dee Dixon continues to serve on the Sequoyah Commission for the Cherokee Nation

Alumni, COMM, Faculty, Graduate Program

Lynda Dee Dixon, Professor in the Department of Communication, is continuing to serve on the Sequoyah Commission for the Cherokee Nation. She was appointed  by the Principal Chief Chadwick “Corn Tassel” Smith. The commission has included special assistant to Chief Smith Chair Dr. Richard Allen;  Dr. Ellen Cushman (Writing, Rhetoric & American Culture, Michigan State University); Dr. Leslie Hannah (Professor and Director of the Cherokee Language Revitalization Program, Northeastern State University OK); Dr. Tom Holm (Emeritus Professor University of Arizona); and until her recent death, former Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller, first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation. The Commission members continue to develop plans as projected by Chief Mankiller for (1)  permanent archives– virtual and hard copy– of research by and about Cherokees from the past, present, and future and (2) language and culture undergraduate BA and graduate degrees at Northeastern State University. The first report was presented to the Chief last year (2009); the second report will be presented to the Chief at the Annual Homecoming for the Cherokee Nation, August 10. Each year in April and in August, Indian researchers submit research papers for review that if accepted will be presented at two American Indian conferences each year. The conference this April was “Fancy Dancing.”

Public Lecture on Media Convergence by BGSU Centennial Alumni Recipient

Alumni, Graduate Program, TCOM

Dr. David Kennedy, a BGSU Centennial Alumni Award Recipient, will give a public lecture organized by the Department of Telecommunications, titled, “Radio, Televison and Convergence, Brought to You by the Web,” on April 23 Friday at 11:30 a.m. West Hall.  A TCOM alumni gathering honoring him will follow after teh lecture.

Dave is the CEO of Flycast, Inc., a mobile media network with cutting edge applications for smartphones.   He is a 1976 M.A. and 1981 Ph.D. alumni of the former Radio Television Film program.

He received many industry awards including the Broadcaster of the Year by Radio Ink and the Beville Award for Audience Research from the National Asssociation of Broadcasters and Broadcast Education Association.

Congrats to Kathryn “Kat” Sibio, an undergraduate TCOM student of Dr. Lori Liggett

Alumni, Current Students, Faculty, TCOM, Tcom highlights

During Spring semester, 2009, the TCOM 260 class: “Writing for Electronic Media”  at Bowling Green State University, ran a “contest” to produce a :30 second public service announcement for the  National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Northwestern Ohio Chapter.  The “prize” for the contest was to have the writer’s script produced to air on FOX Toledo, WUPW-TV.

BGSU graduate, Trisha Courtney-Tishler, Director of Media/MS Promotions, was to judge of the scripts and choose the one showing the most universal appeal to air year-round.  Fellow Alum and BGSU Adjunct Instructor, Dave Skorupski, Research Director for FOX Toledo, WUPW-TV, volunteered to produce the spot.

The “winning” script was written by (then) Sophomore student, Kathryn “Kat” Sibio, a student of Dr. Lori Liggett.

Sibio’s script was chosen because of its simplicity and reinforcement of the “Movement” theme used by the National MS Society.  The script emphasized the differences between being an active participant in life and sitting as an observer.  The script also drew attention to the relationship of MS patients to their families.

Due to scheduling difficulties, Sibio was unable to be present during taping of the PSA, but she was present for the editing process.  As she discovered, even though she envisioned her script to appear a certain way, additions, subtractions and other revisions were still necessary to complete the spot.  Some of the biggest surprises in production came in choosing video clips, music, graphic fonts as well as scene transitions.

These simple, yet complicated decisions, can play a major part in the mood and feel of the piece and should not be taken lightly.

Ph.D. Alum Dr. Joy Chao received 2009 Emerald/EMFD Outstanding Doctoral Research Award

Alumni, Faculty, Graduate Program, TCOM

Dr.  Joy Chao, the dissertation advisee of Dr. Louisa Ha and our Ph.D. graduate in 2008, received the 2009 Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Award in the Leadership and Organization Development category for her dissertation titled,”Cultural values and anticipations of female leadership styles in non-profit organizations: A study of Rotary Clubs in Taiwan and the United States.” The dissertation excerpt will be published as an article in Leadership & Organization Development Journal. She’ll also receive a cash award of 1,500 pounds. Joy is now working as an assistant professor in the School of Communication in the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Jason Jackson, a four-time Emmy winner and alum, guest lecture

Alumni, TCOM

Jason Jackson, a 1994 TCOM alum, will speak at 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. WH121 on October 2 (Friday) to the TCOM2600 class and all are welcome to attend.

Jason is a courtside reporter for HEAT telecasts on Sun Sports. Jackson, a four-time Emmy winner, is a versatile broadcasting veteran of over 18 years. He currently hosts The Jax Show on Sports Radio 560 WQAM, and for three seasons (2004-2007) Jackson hosted the post-game coverage for Miami Dolphins’ radio broadcasts

From 1995-2002, Jackson was an anchor/reporter at ESPN. He anchored NBA 2Night, NBA Matchup and co-hosted ESPN Radio’s Gameday. Jackson served as host for ESPN’s coverage of the NBA All-Star Game and the NBA Finals from 1997-2002. He was also a regular contributor to SportsCenter, ESPNews and ESPN.com’s NBA page.

When he was at BGSU, he was news director, anchor and a talk show host at WFAL-AM and WBGU-FM.

TCOM Panel: Transition in Ohio: Challenges to Consumers and the TV Industry

Alumni, Current Students, Faculty, Tcom Public Event

The Department of Telecommunications will organize a digital TV transition panel on Feb 4.  As you may know, all full power TV stations must switch to digital broadcast and turn off their analog signals by Feb 17.  This is an historic moment and our event can generate a lot of media publicity with our focus in Ohio.  Details of the panel is below.  All are welcome to attend.

Title: Digital Television Transition in Ohio:  Challenges to Consumers and the TV Industry

February 4, Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. BTSU Theatre

Moderator:  Pat Fitzgerald, General Manager, WBGU-TV

Industry Speakers

–     Christine Merritt, Executive Director, Ohio Association of Broadcasters:  Digital TV Transition in Ohio: An Overview.

–     Pat Deville, President and General Manager of Erie County Cablevision, Ohio Cable Television Association:  Digital Must Carry – the debate and how it will affect consumers and TV stations in Ohio

–    Bob Chirdon, Vice President and General Manager, and Steve Crum, Chief Engineer, WTOL:  The implementation of DTV transition by WTOL-Toledo

Academic Speakers:

–    Dr. Louisa Ha, Professor and Acting Chair, Dept. of Telecommunications:  Ohio TV stations’ digital TV education efforts and business models

–     Dr. Sung-Yeon Park, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Telecommunications DTV readiness of Northwest Ohio residents and WBGU-TV Viewers

WBGU-TV recorded the event and stream the event
Link to the event video: http://wbgustream.bgsu.edu/bgsu/dtvpanel/

The TCOM alumni mentor program launched

Alumni,

The TCOM Department launched the alumni mentor program. Each TCOM major can apply to receive mentor support from one of our TCOM alumni advisory board or standing committee members. Students can use the mentor for one or more of the following functions:
• Provide opportunities to shadow them on the job
• Help establish links for internship opportunities
• Provide feedback on work produced in TCOM classes (please do not do so until they have received a grade for the assignment)
• Establish regular phone or email conversations to talk about the progress you are making and offer suggestions
• Provide suggestions for an effective resume and portfolio
• Offer feedback on resume and portfolio
• Conduct mock interviews prior to internship interviews
• Invite students to professional meetings (such as NAB and NAPTE) and other networking functions
• Provide contact and job lead information
• Be a “sounding board” for students as they establish their career goals

The program will begin January 1, 2009.