Students of the KU chapter of the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) spent their spring break in Washington, DC. NBS is a student and professional society made up of over 75 collegiate chapters nation wide. Sixteen Electronic Media students participated in broadcasting conferences at the Hilton Hotel in Arlington, VA.
This year was the 71st annual convention. Participating students enjoyed opportunities to meet with professionals from Discovery Channel, 69 News, MPR, WJLA News, PBS and many other broadcasting outlets.
“I got to meet and network with many professionals,” commented Megan Black, President of the NBS KU chapter. “I also learned so much about how to act and present myself in the industry, which is a key factor in getting a job. It was a great learning experience.”
There was a wide selection of panels students could attend, such as: “Radio in the Nation’s Capital,” “Sports Broadcasting Today” and “How to open the door to the Film Industry.” During the sessions, working professionals shared their experience, advice and answered questions.
“One of the speakers told us, ‘If you love your job, you’ll never be working a day in your life’,” reiterated Black, “I thought that was awesome advice, and it gave me the inspiration to work hard for my dream job.”
In addition to attending conferences, students were allotted time to explore our nation’s capital—a short subway ride from their hotel. Students spent time in museums and viewing the monuments. Some students participated in tours of media facilities provided for them by NBS.
“Students get to see first hand what it is like to have a job in Electronic Media,” commented Black.
The last night of the convention was the awards ceremony. At the ceremony, select students were inducted into the NBS honor society, Alpha Epsilon Rho (AERho). KU represented a significant number of the inductees with six recipients. Electronic Media students Megan Soucy, Melissa Kelly, Haley Bianco, Devin Raventos, Maxwell Farrara and Megan Black became members of NBS-AERho.
The award ceremony also announced the winners of the video competitions. Throughout the year, students submit video and audio entries to compete against NBS chapters across the country. Professionals in the field evaluate the entries and nominations are awarded prior to the convention. Although KU was not up for any nominations this year, KU senior Mike Gdovin won “Student Member of the Year.”
“He represented KU on a professional level and set an example for other KU students to strive for in future years,” said member of the NBS Board of Governors, Matthew Desmond.
Each year, the NBS chapter at KU strives to become a stronger collegiate chapter. With the upcoming retirement of advisor, Joseph Chuk, other professionals are lending their help. 69 News producer, and former KU NBS member Gina Johnson, has volunteered her time to continue to develop the KU NBS chapter.
“KU has done a tremendous job as a chapter over the past couple of years. They have been a helping hand as a local chapter and have been a prime example of how to represent their institution on a national level,” said Desmond.
Next year’s convention is set to be held in Los Angeles, California. NBS encourages students to join the organization if they are interested in media production, TV broadcasting and film.
“It is a great way to network and make friends within the Electronic Media major. We have a lot of fun community service events planned and other tours, socials and video work to look forward to before the end of the semester,” said Black.
NBS is an organization that fosters learning for many college students as they prepare for a life in the Electronic Media field. Notable alumni of NBS include Walter Cronkite, Dick Clark and even Jason Kennedy. With such motivated students, the next person on the list could be from KU.
By Haley Bianco