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The first airing of The Vibe, a new weekly student news broadcast, debuted tonight on the show’s website and is available for viewing.
The Vibe, which is run entirely by students, focuses on the upcoming elections, political news, campus issues and events, and includes interviews with successful alumni. Upcoming segments will include interviews with President Daniel Weiss and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. Tonight’s show was recorded live this morning, but future broadcasts will have the ability to be streamed live on the website.
The show is staffed mainly by students from two sections of the Economics of Elections course taught by Mark Crain, Simon Professor of Political Economy and chair of policy studies. Students in the In the Media First-Year Seminar taught by Nicole Crain, visiting professor of economics, and the Jewish Humor First-Year Seminar taught by Robert Cohn, Berman Professor of Jewish Studies, will also contribute to the show.
The students have been working in the Lafayette Media Studio in the basement of Conway House. The new facility is equipped with a green screen, Skype technology for interviews, a teleprompter, high-quality cameras and lighting, and editing software.
According to Crain, this is a true “learning by doing” experience that meshes the technical aspects of putting a show together with broadcast journalism, as students will rotate through all the roles including writing a news story, interviewing, filming, editing, producing, directing, and reporting.
The students also have free rein concerning editorial judgment. They are in charge of what issues and stories to cover, and Crain says they have found it to be a balancing act producing content that will keep viewers informed and entertained.
Crain also stresses that the project has been supported by departments and organizations throughout the College community including the Alumni Association, the Communications Division, Information Technology Services, The Lafayette student newspaper, the Lafayette Video & Media Team, and numerous academic departments.
“This is an example of how well Lafayette can work together across divisions and departments to share resources and expertise,” says Crain.