University Park, Pa. — More than 150 students from the College of Communications will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience when they work together to produce live coverage of the Penn State Dance Marathon for the sixth year in a row.
A webcast of the 46-hour event represents one of the most visible efforts by students, and other endeavors include coverage on radio and television as well as photojournalism and multimedia reports -- all of which may be found on ComMedia at http://commedia.communityq.com/ online, the showcase site for student work in the College of Communications.
THON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, is a year-round effort that raises funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer, culminating with a two-day, no sitting and no sleeping marathon. This year’s event begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, and runs until 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus.
Telecommunications students in two courses -- COMM 498F Webcast Production and COMM 383 Production Administration, both of which are taught by senior lecturer Maria Cabrera-Baukus -- comprise the core of the production crew for the THON webcast. Several students from different majors will assist with the effort.
“The webcast is most definitely a great way to give to the community. For the students participating in the webcast, it is an opportunity to experience a live television production and practice their skills,” said Cabrera-Baukus, who has abundant professional experience in television. “It’s exciting. You can feel the energy. It’s a great experience.”
The webcast will be available at http://www.thon.org as well as televised on the University Park cable television system. Production will be directed from a suite on the concourse level of the Bryce Jordan Center.
As the result of a collaborative effort by communications faculty, students and staff, the webcast will include a simulcast of commentary on ComRadio, the online radio station based in the College of Communications. That combination will produce more live interviews with THON participants and up-to-date features, information and profiles during the event.
Additionally, journalism students will regularly update information about THON online at ComMedia with multimedia reports, photo packages and stories. “Centre County Report,” the weekly news program produced by students in COMM 480 Television News, will cover the event throughout the weekend as well.
Faculty members with students covering the event include: senior lecturers John Beale and Curt Chandler and Thor Wasbotten, assistant dean for student media and online operations.
“It’s always a good event for our students to cover because they face practical, real-life challenges,” said Ford Risley, associate professor and head of the Department of Journalism. “It allows them to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and really put it into practice with a major event.”
Students will receive support from faculty and staff in the College of Communications, including: Jeff Brown, general manager of ComRadio; Chris Maurer, multimedia and computer support specialist; Karen Mozley-Bryan, manager of facilities; and Mike Zelazny, laboratory coordinator, as well as key technical support from Information Technology Services at Penn State and Penn State Public Broadcasting’s WPSU-TV.
“My job as the webcast producer is to plan the whole production, but my main job as a professor is to train my students for webcast productions on their own,” said Cabrera-Baukus, adding that the primary focus of the webcast is to provide a live feed for those who cannot attend the 46-hour event in person, such as THON families, dancers’ families, alumni and students.
Last year’s Webcast attracted more than 18,500 unique connections. Those visitors came from throughout the United States and 51 foreign countries. Foreign countries that produced the most online visitors were Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Australia and Argentina.
Along with the important goal to chronicle and document THON, the webcast has grown in the past few years with improved production techniques that allow truly timely updates from the dance floor as well as the ability to include taped features and interviews to better convey the work of the thousands of students who make THON a reality each year.
“Students producing the webcast get an excellent real-world opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they have learned in the classroom,” said Matt Jackson, head of the Department of Telecommunications. “At the same time, THON and the community benefit from increased awareness and more money raised for charity. For students producing the webcast, nothing compares to a live, 46-hour event. The planning and coordination required helps the students to hone their skills as professionals, and the benefit to the community is immense.”
Online donations to THON have increased regularly since the live webcast efforts started.
Established in 1973, THON has raised more than $61 million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center. Because of THON’s support, the Fund is able to offset the cost of treatment that a family’s insurance won’t cover, as well as provide for other expenses that may affect the welfare of the child. The Fund also supports the medical team that cares for the children and funds pediatric cancer research through start-up grants and the Four Diamonds Pediatric Cancer Research Institute. THON raised $7.4 million last year.