For the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, “Good Day DePaul” is once again hosting its weekly newscast in person from the lower level of the DePaul Center.
Riley Moulton and co-host Tori Trevino, both juniors studying journalism, taped the first episode of the student-run newscast back in-studio on Wednesday, April 16. The episode later aired on Vimeo the following Monday.
Good Day DePaul is supported by longtime faculty adviser, Rick Brown. Brown teaches several undergraduate and graduate level classes in writing for broadcast, as well as an intro class for television news reporting.
Before taking classes in television news in fall quarter, Moulton said she “honestly had no idea” Good Day DePaul had a studio space for students to practice their broadcast skills.
“It makes it feel more real,” Moulton said. “With an actual news studio, it feels like this (newscast) could actually run on-air.”
Trevino transferred to DePaul from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she participated in their broadcast program. Similar to other four-year universities in Illinois, such as Northwestern, University of Illinois broadcasts its newscasts through public access cable TV channels.
“This (new) studio space means everything to me when it comes to taking broadcast classes,” Trevino said.
When the pandemic started, students began meeting via Zoom to produce the newscast remotely.
While the space was closed due to university-wide Covid restrictions, the university decided to upgrade some of the in-studio technology.
Though the space is largely the same now as it was prior to the pandemic, some notable changes include an additional camera, and an upgraded switch board and intercom system used to direct students during the newscast.
Plans to renovate the studio underwent various changes which ultimately delayed its reopening.
In a statement to The DePaulia, Jason Martin, department chair of journalism, attributed some of the challenges to the “size and scope” of the university.
At one point during its closure, DePaul considered expanding the studio — the space was later used to store gear for the esports and gaming facility on the lower level of the DePaul Center concourse.
“Rick Brown and the students of Good Day DePaul have kept the cameras rolling. But it was critical to have them back in a physical studio,” said Lexa Murphy, dean of the College of Communications.
Students who participate in Good Day DePaul must take Brown’s coinciding class, where they’re required to anchor the show, as well as report, edit and produce their own video packages for the newscast.
With a newly reopened studio space, students in Brown’s class will take turns anchoring upcoming episodes with the help from students in the Jarvis College of Commuting and Digital Media, who collaborate with Good Day DePaul to help produce and edit the show.
“There was a need for a studio,” said Erin Gessert, a second-year graduate student who will anchor future episodes of Good Day DePaul. “Getting that experience in before stepping into an actual studio during your first job will be super beneficial.”
In 2023, Gessert received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Illinois State University, where she reported the weather for the ISU broadcast program.
“For the longest time, I thought I was just a ‘print person,’” said Gessert, who’s taking Brown’s classes to learn more about TV news before graduating. “I’m very happy I did that; I’ve liked it a lot more than I thought I would.”
Last quarter, Gessert took Television News I, the prerequisite to Good Day DePaul. The intro class teaches students to use camera equipment and the basics of putting together a news story for broadcast, including editing with Adobe Premiere.
Now that the studio is open again after its five-year hiatus, Gessert said she looks forward to developing her on-air voice, learning to read off of a teleprompter and building chemistry with co-anchors.
“I think any school that has the opportunity to have a TV station within their journalism program should do it,” Gessert said.
Students interested in TV news can also take classes in on-air performance and technique, as well as on-air interviewing.
Bing Wang, a graduate student who formerly worked at TaiwanPlus News, a government-funded news channel in Taiwan, agreed with Gessert that there was an “absolute need” for those interested in broadcasting to have a designated space to develop their skills while at DePaul.
“The studio acts like an actual newsroom,” Wang said. Access to a studio gives students a “professional workflow experience that can’t be replicated in the traditional classroom,” Wang added.
While Wang and Gessert have yet to make their in-studio debut, the graduate students look forward to the opportunity. Both students are certain the reopened space will add to their student experience and help them develop skills to use in their professional careers.
“Just having that experience working with other people in a studio is going to improve the skills of students who want to go into broadcast,” Gessert said.
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