CWU Students Win Top Regional Broadcast Awards

December 23, 2004

Contact: Robert Fordan (509-963-1068/fax 509-963-1060/e-mail: fordanr@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - For the 10th straight year, Central Washington University students have earned top video production honors at the National Broadcasting Society, Alpha Epsilon Rho (NBS-AERho) Region 6 Student Electronic Media Competition.

The region includes schools in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Five of this year's first-place winning entries by CWU will now be entered in the national competition. The winners will be announced at the NBS-AERho national convention in Los Angeles next March.

"These awards show that when Central students are given the tools to do the job, they can produce award-winning products," says Robert Fordan, CWU chapter advisor. "We've got great students and a great communication faculty."

For seven of the last nine years, CWU students have also placed within the top three nationally in at least one of 16 video production categories.

The CWU first-place winners now vying for national honors include:

• "The Ryan Report," by Ryan Loetscher, a senior film and video studies major from South Lake Tahoe, Calif., which took first place in the video commercials, promos and public service announcement category.
• "Secret Asian Man," by Steve Allwine, Enumclaw, a December 2004 broadcast journalism graduate; Kevin Tighe, Maple Valley, a June 2004 broadcast journalism graduate; senior Scott Iwata, Bellevue, public relations, and Loetscher, which won in the comedy program or segment competition. This was the second straight year that CWU students took first place in the comedy program category.
• "Dachshunds on Parade," by senior J. Landon Salyer, Ellensburg, a film and video studies major, which was named the top documentary.
• "Corey Ball," by Aaron Miller, Federal Way, and Andrew Hanson, Sumner, senior broadcast journalism majors, which took first in the music, variety, special program or segment category.
• "Aces Over Kings," by Miller and Hanson, which won in the music video competition.

In addition, Miller and Hanson took first in the show open category for "Ellensburg Extreme," an award made solely on a regional basis.

CWU also placed second in the video commercials, promos and public service announcement category for "Bridges," by Salyer in collaboration with Tessa Staveley, Marysville, and Megan Wade, Medford, Ore., who are both senior public relations majors.

In the instructional, industrial and promotional video category, Leandra Oliveira, a native of Brazil who now lives in Tacoma and who is a March 2004 broadcast journalism graduate, placed second for "Television and Film," a promotional video for CWU's communication department.

In the comedy program or segment competition, "Nugget Gate," by Loetscher and Dan Fergus, Zillah, a December 2003 film and video studies graduate, tied for second place with "Halloween Diary," by Miller and Julie Follette, Seattle, a senior business administration major. Joanne Schmeichel, Woodinville, a June 2004 broadcast journalism graduate, also took second place in the news package category for "Forest Fire."

Third place awards went to Loetscher for "The Ryan Report: Hawaiian Style," Loetscher, Fergus and Salyer in the drama program category for "The Here and Now," Adam Jack, senior, Spanaway, broadcast journalism, in the sports package category for "Wildcat Revenge" and Ryan Coe, senior, Lynnwood, broadcast journalism, in the instructional, industrial and promotional video category for "Mountain View Meadows."

NBS was founded in 1943 and now has chapters on 76 college campuses nationwide. Its stated purpose is to help collegiate electronic media students make the transition to the professional world. AERho is the national honor society of electronic media students.

All members of AERho are members of NBS. However, students must meet national honor standards in order to join AERho.