Bellisario College of Communications

Communications students drive annual Homecoming webcast

The Homecoming webcast goes live at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at http://homecoming.psu.edu or http://commedia.psu.edu

On-air hosts for the the Homecoming parade webcast will be (left to right): Gabrielle Chappel, Tariq Rashid and Amy Simpson. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

A tradition-rich Homecoming week at Penn State culminates Friday with the parade through campus and College Avenue, and its progress will be chronicled by what has become another tradition -- the parade webcast produced by Penn State students.

Students enrolled in COMM 383A Webcast Production, taught by Maria Cabrera-Baukus, a senior lecturer in the Department of Telecommunications, annually produce the webcast -- which can be watched beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at http://homecoming.psu.edu or http://commedia.psu.edu online. 

“The class really enjoys producing the webcast. It is an experience that is very close to what they will face in a professional situation,” Cabrera-Baukus said. “The students get involved in the mechanics as well as the management of the production.”

This year marks the 10th consecutive year students from the College of Communications have led the webcast of the nation’s largest Homecoming parade.

As part of the course, students receive training in many facets of television production. They then put all that work together for the live parade webcast. Along with gaining practical experience, the students in the course, most of whom are telecommunications majors, provide a service for the University -- and for Penn State alumni and friends all over the world.

All positions related to the production are staffed by members of the class. Collaboration from College of Communications faculty and staff, personnel from WPSU-TV and staff from Information Technology Services at Penn State help make the webcast a reality.

The three student hosts for the parade webcast -- Gabrielle Chappel, a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish from Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania; Amy Simpson, a senior broadcast journalism major from Laurel, Maryland; and  Tariq Rashid, a senior broadcast journalism major from Abington, Pennsylvania -- were selected from auditions conducted at the beginning of the fall semester.

The webcast also has a Twitter presence (@psuwebcast) with behind-the-scenes information and photos.

Floats are sure to be a big part of this year's Penn State Homecoming Parade. Students enrolled in COMM 383A Webcast Production annually produce a webcast of the festivities This year's broadcast will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at http://homecoming.psu.edu or http://commedia.psu.edu online. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated June 2, 2021