HLGU students Alex Bradley, Kamey Tyler, Kelsey McCaughey, and Emma Anderson were awarded several top finishes in a variety of categories in this year鈥檚 collegiate competition. The team earned a second, third, and honorable mention in the feature news category. They also scored a third place in the hard news category. In the sports package category they earned both a first and second place finish. The team also placed first for their HLGU News Update in the recurring news show category.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really encouraging to see all of our hard work pay off and continue to be recognized. It makes our work even more exciting and drives us even more to create quality content,鈥� said student Kamey Tyler.

Thirteen schools participated in this year鈥檚 competition with 192 entries submitted across 31 different categories. Winners were determined by 18 judges, all of whom either teach or work as professionals in the broadcast industry.

鈥淥ur ability to tell good stories really resonated with the judges. The judges鈥� comments praised our HLGU students for solid videography, creative use of natural sound, and strong writing skills. Those are the kinds of skills that will make our graduates stand out when they apply for jobs after graduation,鈥� said Assistant Communications Professor Christy Jung.

The MBEA invests in broadcast education by coordinating educational activities in order to provide a forum for Missouri鈥檚 broadcast students. The MBEA was established to encourage excellence in broadcast education across the state.

To view content created by the HLGU News Team, including submissions recognized by the MBEA, visit .

For more information on the HLGU communication studies department, click here.

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

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.