With the studio lights glowing and the cameras rolling, some Bemidji State University students are getting a glimpse into the world of television news broadcasting at the student-run TV station KBSU.
"This semester we started doing newscasts everyday," said Station Manager JonGunnar Gylfason, a sophomore majoring in mass communication. "And that has been unheard of in BSU history."
The station broadcasts KBSU Updates at 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Due to spring break, the newscast will be off the air until Monday. KBSU is Channel 17 for subscribers of Charter Communications and Paul Bunyan Television.
Staff members tape the newscasts, which run about 10-15 minutes, at the KBSU studio in BSU's Deputy Hall the afternoon before they are aired.
The nightly newscast covers stories on happenings on the BSU campus such as concerts, lectures and sports, as well as local, regional and state news.
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"It took a lot of students to get this going," Gylfason said.
And, he said, different students help out with the newscast each day. These students fill roles such as reporters, editors, news anchors and camera operators.
Freshman Lisa Gross, who plans to major in mass communication, anchors the newscast on Tuesdays. She got involved in KBSU through her Introduction to Television class.
She noted that she is learning a lot about the ins and outs of being a news anchor.
"It's a really good experience, especially to be in front of the camera," Gross said.
"It's literally throwing you into as real as it gets," added KBSU Producer Mike Erickson, a junior majoring in mass communication.
Roger Paskvan, associate professor of mass communication and director of broadcasting at BSU, started the station in 1977. He said the newscast is a rewarding activity for students.
"It's extremely good experience for students and good training for future employment," Paskvan said. "The newscasts bring together the skills of journalism."
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When Gylfason became station manager last fall, he began reorganizing the station and replacing its equipment.
"And that gave us the possibility of showing more student productions," Gylfason said.
Besides producing its own newscasts, KBSU is broadcasting other student productions, including those featuring BSU art gallery shows, theater productions, honors lectures and recitals.
Also, every year, KBSU airs 50 live broadcasts of BSU home games.
"Our dream is to do the away games, too," Gylfason said.
He said KBSU has a lot of potential for students.
"If we use these opportunities the faculty are giving us, we can do so much," Gylfason said.
When the station isn't showing student productions, it airs satellite programs and black and white films.
