The HLGU team of four competed against several other member schools from across the country in the 24-hour news competition sponsored by the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) on February 26. During the competition, students wrote, shot, and edited a television news segment without any help or guidance from their faculty sponsor.

鈥淭he story they produced had a great script, solid soundbites, and strong videography,鈥� said their instructor, Christy Jung. 鈥淚鈥檓 not surprised that they won. This group is a really special group that is very motivated. They are always working hard to be better at their craft.鈥�

When accepting their first place award in the 24-hour competition, the team also accepted five other awards for individual submissions to other NRB competition categories, including first place in TV Newscast, first and third place in TV News Story, and 2nd and 3rd in promo.

HLGU student Emma Anderson was on the 2018 team that placed fourth in the competition. Joining her this year were Kelsey McCaughey, Kamey Tyler, and Alex Bradley.

鈥淧articipating in the 24-hour news challenge is a perfect way to put everything we鈥檝e learned in the classroom into action. It provides a special opportunity to get real world experience in a fun, competitive atmosphere,鈥� said Anderson.

Jung added, 鈥淥ur program provides lots of hands-on learning so our students are prepared and ready to compete. Our students are committed to telling stories with integrity and professionalism.鈥�

by Rebecca Sneed ’12

Four students from HLGU are preparing to compete in the 24-hour news competition sponsored by the National Religious Broadcasters or the NRB. The group from HLGU have already won five national awards from the NRB, including first place in TV newscast and first place in TV news story. The HLGU students will accept those awards on February 26 in Nashville.

While in Nashville, HLGU students will also compete against 150 other college students from all around the US during the 24-hour news challenge. During the competition, students will write, shoot, and edit a television news segment all on their own without any help from their faculty sponsor. In 2018, students from HLGU placed 4th in this national news competition.

鈥淭his trip will allow our students to practice their journalism skills in a real world situation. It really is an incredible opportunity for our students,鈥� said Christy Jung, assistant professor of communication studies at HLGU.

HLGU student, Emma Anderson was one of the students who participated in the contest in 2018. She will return to Nashville for the 2020 competition. Joining Anderson are three additional students, Kelsey McCaughey, Kamey Tyler, and Alex Bradley.

鈥淧articipating in the 24-hour news challenge is a perfect way to put everything we鈥檝e learned in the classroom into action. It provides a special opportunity to get real world experience in a fun, competitive atmosphere,鈥� said Anderson.

鈥淥ur students are so excited to compete in Nashville,鈥� Jung added. 鈥淥ur program provides lots of hands-on learning so our students are prepared and ready to compete. Our students are committed to telling stories with integrity and professionalism.鈥�

If you would like to help make a donation to offset the cost of this trip, you can give online at hlg.edu/giving or by calling the HLGU Institutional Advancement office at 573-629-3124. Be sure to indicate that your donation is for the student NRB trip to Nashville.

Students had 24 hours to produce a single-story newscast about a specific event happening at the NRB convention. The HLGU student attendees were members of HLGU鈥檚 Broadcast Project class. Sierra Brown, Cassidy Winters, Jill Alexander, and Emma Anderson, made up the team along with faculty sponsor Christy Jung, assistant professor of communication studies.

As the 24-hour competition began, the HLGU team went to work, preparing to cover the top story of the day, Vice President Mike Pence. The Vice President was one of many speakers scheduled to make an appearance at one of the convention鈥檚 super sessions. Other celebrities in the session included Dennis Quaid from the upcoming movie I Can Only Imagine, Jason and David Benham, who served as emcees for the event, and a surprise appearance by Ben Carson.

The HLGU news team was the only school competing in the 24-hour challenge to obtain press access for the super session including Vice President Pence. Jill Alexander, one of the HLGU reporters, said that being the only school in the press pen among other professional news stations was an incredible experience.

鈥淲e were running with the big dogs,鈥� Alexander explained. 鈥淭here were reporters from all over. We were standing right next to the crew from USA Today, and the amazing thing was we really didn鈥檛 look any different from them. We were news reporters that day, not students but journalists. We had the knowledge and skills to produce a news story covering the Vice President in a professional and journalistic way,鈥� said Alexander.

The HLGU team placed fourth in the competition. This was HLGU鈥檚 first time being represented in the 24-hour news competition.

To view the news story, go to the 番茄社区 University Facebook page. Next year鈥檚 National Religious Broadcasters Convention will be held in Anaheim, California.