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WIU administrators cut the ribbon on the new HD studios in the WIU Department of Broadcasting Wednesday. Pictured, from left, are Chief Broadcast Engineer Tom Durso, COFAC Dean Billy Clow, Provost and Academic Vice President Ken Hawkinson, Broadcasting Chair William "Buzz" Hoon, WIU President Jack Thomas and COFAC Associate Dean Sharon Evans.
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WIU students Jack Pluta, a senior broadcasting major from Laurium, MI, and and Chris Lovingood, a senior broadcasting major from Peoria, IL, anchored a newscast demonstration during Wednesday's ribbon cutting ceremony.
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Ribbon Cut on New High Definition Broadcasting Studios at Western

January 22, 2014

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MACOMB, IL – Current Western Illinois University broadcasting students joined with alumni from the school's program Wednesday, Jan. 22 to officially open a new high definition (HD) studio in Sallee Hall.

The WIU Department of Broadcasting in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) recently completed a $100,000 HD upgrade on the department's broadcasting studio and control room. Both facilities are on the third floor of Sallee Hall.

Students currently enrolled in the broadcasting program demonstrated a 10-minute newscast live from the studio for the crowd of students, alumni and WIU faculty, staff and administrators.

"This is a huge investment in the growth of this program," said broadcasting Chair William "Buzz" Hoon. "We also sent out emails to the future students who are applying now for this program because they are the ones who are going to benefit most from this upgrade."

COFAC Associate Dean Sharon Evans gave a history of the department, including its move from Memorial Hall to Sallee Hall.

"I look around and I see a mix of alumni and current students, and I'm just so proud of the success of this department," Evans said.

For the ceremonial ribbon cutting, program and University administrators cut a piece of audiotape that was used as part of a previous broadcasting setup.

The upgraded equipment in the broadcasting department's television studio and control room will benefit all broadcasting students at WIU, including the student-run TV newscast "News3 Live at 4" and sports programming shows, "Pigskin Preview" and "Inside Leatherneck Athletics." The new equipment will allow the development of more student-run television shows through the department, and a morning talk show.

For more information about the department, visit wiu.edu/broadcasting.

Posted By: Jodi Pospeschil (JK-Pospeschil@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing