This is it.
High school is finally coming to an end. For me, the next step is attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s College of Mass Communications and Media Arts. I intend to obtain my Bachelor Degree in Radio, Television and Digital Media with a specialization in TV/Video Production. Once I have earned my degree, I plan to move to California or New York where I will start my career in the media industry. I have put a lot of thought and research into my future plans. I know that SIUC’s MCMA is a good college choice and that my major will provide me with a good job after I graduate college.
alt.news 26:46
Southern Illinois University Carbondale has over 400 student groups offered on and off campus, fifteen of which are specifically geared towards students studying at the College of Mass Communications and Media Arts. alt.news 26:46 is one of the most well-known extra-curricular options at SIUC. It is an Emmy winning, student produced, magazine style news show shot and broadcast in HD. In its 13 year history, alt.news 26:46 has won national acclaim by capturing 30 Professional Regional Emmy Awards and 5 National College Television Awards; more awards than any other student produced program in the country. From students at the College of Mass Communication & Media Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, alt.news 26:46 airs on the PBS affiliate, WSIU, reaching 1.3 million households in 5 states. It is a very unique news broadcast designed to keep your attention with stories from across the country that are too obscure for the 5 o’clock news.
To learn more about alt.news 26:46, click the button below to visit their website.
River Region Evening Edition
In addition to alt.news 26:46, SIUC students are given the option to get hands-on experience at River Region Evening Edition. In fact, more than seventy students from across the SIUC campus come together each semester to produce River Region Evening Edition. The show is put together entirely by volunteer students; students are completely responsible for reporting, writing, editing, producing, and anchoring the show. River Region Evening Edition is seen in more than 300,000 households across Southern Illinois and parts of Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee, the Evening Edition is designed with two purposes. First, it is a full-service newscast, competing head-to-head with other local news programs to keep the public informed. Second, it gives students the opportunity to work in a genuine news environment with real deadline pressure. The Evening Edition is a partnership program. Faculty and staff from within The College of Mass Communications and Media Arts work together to guide the students' newsroom experience, often in concert with their class work in the Department of Radio-Television. This allows students to learn much-needed skills blended with their academic studies.
Internships
Not only are there student programs, SIUC also has a great internship program stretching all across the United States. Internships are located in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, Washington, D.C., and New York City; enterprising students have secured spots throughout the United States and internationally. Students attending MCMA have interned in all sectors of media industries, including recording studios, radio stations, film production houses, photography studios, broadcast companies, newspapers, magazines, advertising firms, and beyond. Although students are encouraged to search for their own companies in which to intern, popular and successful companies include (but have not been limited to) Country Music Television, AFI, Telemundo, NBC Universal, CNN, National Geographic, WSIL-TV, the Southern Illinoisan, and the San Jose Group.
Benefits of the Dream
With a Bachelor in Radio, Television, and Digital Media I can go on to become a camera operator, a director, a film/video editor, a marketing director, a music producer, a newsroom manager, a producer, a screenwriter, and so much more. A camera operator is an entry-level position in the film industry, a sort of stepping-stone, which would pay a median wage of $40,300 . A typical move in my chosen field is from camera operator to film/video editor. This position pays a median wage of $51,300. My personal dream is to have a career as a producer or director; in wages, this dream equals a median of $71,350
SIUC offers many more extracurricular activities and clubs for their students than just the two listed on this page; learn more about the vast opportunities in Carbondale by clicking the link below.