April 12, 2001

WKU Student TV Newscast
To Air Live April 17 On WKYU-PBS

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University's award-winning student-produced newscast will be televised live by WKYU-PBS at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17.

Having "WKU NewsChannel 12" live on WKYU-PBS will give the student newscast a wider audience and is a reward to students for a productive year, adviser Terry Likes said.

The 30-minute newscast regularly airs live on the WKU campus cable system at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays then is replayed on WKYU-PBS (Channel 24) at 11 p.m.

"The School of Journalism and Broadcasting has had a strong working relationship with WKYU radio and TV for many years as WKYU offers volunteer and paid work experience for students," Likes said. "WKYU's engineers are very helpful in installing and implementing new equipment as well as the day-to-day maintenance and repair of equipment. WKYU's management has been very open and helpful in affording the student newscast the chance to be seen by viewers off campus."

"WKU NewsChannel 12" began in the fall of 1995 with a 15-minute weekly taped telecast and has grown into two live 30-minute programs per week.
The newscast has won national recognition through the William Randolph Hearst competition, was named best non-daily student TV newscast in 2000 by the Society of Professional Journalists and best student newscast in the state by the Associated Press.

About 50 students in the School of Journalism and Broadcasting participate in NewsChannel 12 as anchors, producers, photographers and reporters.

About a dozen students also work with WKU's StormCenter12, which provides the newscast's weather information and informs viewers about severe weather. StormCenter 12 was created by students majoring or minoring in broadcasting and geography/geology (meteorology emphasis).

"Hundreds of former WKU broadcast students now work in a variety of media outlets around the country and 'WKU NewsChannel 12' enhances that tradition," Likes said.

For more information, contact Terry Likes at (270) 745-2007 or WKYU Educational Television Director Jerry Barnaby and station manager Linda Gerofsky at (270) 745-2400. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.