Communication Field Trip Visits DFW Media Outlets

Communication majors from Southwestern Adventist University pose with Channel 8 newsanchors John McKaa and Cynthia Izaguirre during the students’ annual Communication Field Trip.

Southwestern Adventist University’s Communication department field trip kicked off bright and early at 8 a.m. yesterday. This annual trip gives communication majors a preview of how and where they may be using their talents and education in the real world.

Communication majors visited several different organizations that are specifically involved in each of the different emphases within the communication department including journalism, public relations and advertising, and radio, TV, and film).

The bus’ first stop was at the Cleburne Times-Review. We were met by News Editor Monica Faram who explained to us what the typical day and week look like for small-town newspaper writers and editors. She stressed the fact that their newspaper is very much a typical small-town paper with a strong connection to the local community and discussed some differences between sharing news through print as opposed to digital platforms. She also mentioned opportunities available for up-and-coming writers to submit their stories to the paper.  

Next, comm students visited the Pavlov Advertising Agency in Fort Worth, where Creative Director Khris Kesling, Director of Brand Strategy Scott Kirk, and Public Relations & Social Media Coordinator Brenna Jefferies shared with students the process of branding, advertising strategy, and building PR/client relationships.

“Advertising isn’t an art. It’s a business technique.” said Kirk.

After lunch, students took a tour of the George W. Bush Presidential Library on the SMU campus, then visited the broadcast of  WFAA Channel 8 5 o’clock news broadcast where they watched it live in studio.

Some things have changed in the past year in that particular studio. The camera operators have since been replaced with automated cameras and only left a floor manager to run the broadcast in studio. They had also placed the teleprompter on monitors in convenient places around the studio rather than only having it run underneath the camera. Additionally the teleprompter operator was replaced with a joystick controlled by the anchors.

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