More After This: Grant brings
TV professionals back to J-school

By Lindsay Henderson
J-School Web reporter

Members of the KHQ-TV news team from Spokane, Wash., will return to the University of Montana this spring as professional guest lecturers, thanks to a grant awarded to the Radio and Television Department last fall.

The grant, one of only 10 such grants awarded across the country, brought a bevy of professional talent to UM last semester for the Broadcasters in Residence program. The program will continue this semester and will bring in six KHQ staff ranging from a sports anchor to an executive producer.

The broadcasters will put on workshops and visit classes throughout March and April. Last semester the professionals visited labs to watch the students work and then critiqued them. They also held weekend workshops where students worked on deadline to create a news story.

"I have been so pleased with the feedback from students," said Denise Dowling, assistant professor in the Radio and Television Department and author of the grant. "Someone that comes from the actual business side is really meaningful to them. That is one of the strongest aspects of the program."

Katrin Frye, a senior in broadcast journalism, said the visit was helpful because it gave her a glimpse, in the classroom, of the real world of broadcast news.

"People come in and work over exercises with us, and chat with us both in groups and individually," said Frye. "We get a chance to pick their brains about their jobs. That’s the kind of information you have a much harder time absorbing from a book or a class."

Frye is particularly excited about meeting with KHQ’s news director Patricia McRae, who will be a guest this semester.

"This woman’s reputation as a dynamic director and cool person precedes her, and I can’t wait to hear what she has to say," said Frye.

The $11,000 grant that made the program possible was awarded to UM through the Knight Foundation by the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, a middleman in grant distribution for various foundations.

"The selection committee believed UM’s proposal had merit," said Jennifer McGill, executive director of ASJMC. "They thought KHQ would be a nice match and that the program could help to create a permanent relationship."

Dowling said it’s a nice match financially as well. "A great thing about this partnership is that everyone can drive," she said. That makes it a low cost program, since the only thing left to pay for is gas, food and lodging. KHQ still pays its employees while they take a little break from the newsroom to teach, but the broadcasters aren’t paid anything extra.

Dana Haynes, KHQ anchor and reporter, was a visiting broadcaster last semester and thought the experience was positive for both the students and KHQ staff.

"It’s great to work with young, energized journalism students," she said. "Who better to tell students what the real world is like than the people who are actually in it?"

KHQ staffers scheduled to visit the School of Journalism’s Radio-Television Department in Spring Semester 2002 include Director Nikki Nordberg, Executive Producer Enica Jordan, Assignment Manager Jana Gray, General Manager Lon Lee, News Director Patricia McRae and Main Sports Anchor John Fritz.

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