By By Steve Gillespie/The Meridian Star
July 19, 2001
Meridian Community College became the only two-year institution to win top honors while competing against four-year universities in the state broadcasters association annual awards.
MCC snagged two Gold Awards at the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Excellence in Broadcasting awards June 30. One was for an informational show students produce during the school year, another was for commercials faculty produced.
MCC's "Image Spots" promotional campaign took top honors in the faculty division. Staffers Ray Denton and Laura Davis produced the commercials that featured testimonials from MCC students and faculty promoting the campus.
The informational show, "@MCC," won in the student division. The program showcases MCC events and students; it airs on Comcast cable channel 12 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and on channel 61 at 9 a.m. on Wednesday and Friday.
While students had worked on "@MCC" before, they now participate in every aspect of production.
Students supply talent, work cameras, do sound, gather news, prepare graphics, write, produce, direct and edit the 30-minute program.
Charlotte Davis, who was a co-anchor of "@MCC" during the school year and plans to graduate this summer, said she hopes to use what she has learned to win a job with a network.
Although she isn't working on the show this summer, Davis, a Meridian resident, said she has been keeping her skills sharp by "doing some editing, helping to organize, recording commercials."
Bynum and Denton, production center director, are veteran broadcasters. Denton said winning MAB awards are tough; broadcast professionals from other states usually judge contest entries.
Bynum said it is a challenge at times to meet the needs of individual students, but she said the program at MCC is small enough to be able to do that. The broadcast communications program is a two-year curriculum that averages about 20 students.
Denton said students learned how to work as a team by producing "@MCC." He said that the students "all have different personalities and that's one reason the show came together so well."
Steve Gillespie is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call him at 693-1551, ext. 3233, or e-mail him at sgillespie@themeridianstar.com.