GREENSBORO – Broadcast students at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will be graded by their professors as well as the Triad community this semester when they produce “UNCG Today,” a new studio talk show that debuted on commercial television Jan. 30.

Seniors and graduate students from UNCG’s Department of Broadcasting and Cinema are directing the show as part of their Directing for Television course. Their responsibilities include direction, production, lighting, audio and occasional field interviews. Jim Longworth, host of “Triad Today,” will be the on-air personality. Longworth is a 1976 graduate of UNCG and has written “TV Creators,” volumes I and II, published by Syracuse University Press.

“We are breaking new ground with this, because it will be a real show, aired on commercial television and produced by a university,” Longworth said. “The students will be graded but this is a real product. They are jazzed about it. They want to do well because people will see it. Their names will be on the credits.”

The half-hour show airs Fridays from 6 to 6:30 a.m. on ABC 45 (cable channel 7) and Mondays from 7:30 to 8 a.m. on WUPN 48 (cable channel 14). The program is taped Wednesday mornings in the Carmichael Building studio.

The purpose of the show is threefold, Longworth said. The first goal is to give students real-world experience that will make them successful in the job market. The second mission is to broaden the university’s message and finally, to show community members how UNCG is relevant to them.

Topics, chosen based on their accessibility and relevance to the local community, include science, the arts, athletics, business, social issues, and distinguished local alumni. Longworth said he hopes to keep the show fast-paced and have a variety of topics on each show.

“I think people will want to see something like this. There is a hunger for information,” Longworth said. “Everything is in the format of someone reading the news. We want to bring back the interactive element to television. You never know exactly what you’re getting into with a talk format. Guests are always leading you in a new direction.”

The first week’s guests included UNCG basketball coach Fran McCaffery and UNCG alumni Matt Russ and Ann Fitzmaurice-Russ, owners of Tate Street Coffee House.

Ten students are enrolled in the course. They rotate positions each week, gaining basic knowledge of each job.

“In order to be a good director, you need to know all of the positions, so you know what to ask for,” said Gary Lowell, faculty advisor, UNCG alumnus and former director of Channel 2’s “Good Morning Show” with Lee Kinard.

The student directors also have to face unexpected situations that arise during taping. Because they have one shot at recording during their class time, it is similar to a live taping. Previously, students in the course produced fake commercials, interviews and cooking segments. They were expected to act as the on-air talent as well as directors, which made many uncomfortable, Lowell said.

“The students have really picked it up quickly,” he said. “There’s nothing like doing the real thing.”

By Tiffany Aumann
Posted 1-28-04

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