Lisa Marshall, Ph.D., is station manager for WMCO(FM) along with being an associate professor of communication at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. She is also treasurer for College Broadcasters, Inc.
College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) is hosting its fifth annual National Student Electronic Media Convention (NSEMC) in Philadelphia Oct. 20-22, 2016.
Lisa Marshall
One of CBI’s goals, like any growing organization, is outreach. We strive to find and encourage college and high school electronic media outlets to become part of CBI, attend our annual convention, and benefit from our membership services.
As a proud member of the CBI Board of Directors, I am (of course) biased about the information and networking opportunities our annual convention specifically provides students, staff, and advisers. But as a radio station manager, reflecting on the educational knowledge and resources my students have brought back from NSEMC, can hopefully speak to the ways the convention can also serve your high school or college electronic media outlet.
The first NSEMC was held in Atlanta in 2012. Instagram was introduced to my four student attendees as the newest and best off-air promotional gateway to the radio audience. Our station’s first post was from the anchor desk during their CNN tour.
San Antonio was CBI’s 2013 convention stop. My two student attendees brought back out-of-the-box ideas from the keynote speaker to better promote themselves as individuals preparing to work in competitive media fields. Those two students graduated and secured their first jobs in electronic media.
CBI traveled to Seattle in 2014. There was so much internal student interest from my media outlet to attend the convention that my department had to open it up to a “if you pay your way, you can all go” method to accommodate the group of five. I remember the students’ excitement from capitalizing from one-on-one conversations with professional speakers and local media contacts, in addition to making connections with students from other schools.
Last year’s NSEMC was held in Minneapolis. My large student group of seven documented the trip in a 40-minute selfie-stick video about their daily experiences to share with their peers and college community. I remember the humble gratitude each student expressed after the convention, especially from the graduating seniors who wished they weren’t leaving college so soon.
Consider attending CBI’s NSEMC as a high school or college electronic media outlet. As a faculty member teaching electronic media, I find the sessions, speakers, and professional contacts to provide not only a valuable supplement to classroom education, but to also help promote ongoing pride and community within our own student media organization. Witnessing student attendees discuss NSEMC year-round, whether through class discussions or nudging a younger peer to attend the following year, always makes me feel very positive about my choice to be involved with CBI.
