KNOXVILLE — A news magazine program produced by journalism and electronic media students at the University of Tennessee will begin an eight-week run Saturday on WBIR-TV Channel 10.
“UT Today” will air on the NBC affiliate at 1 p.m. on Saturdays through April 28. The 30-minute news magazine program has three sections: news, features and sports. Stories will focus on UT Knoxville or provide a UT perspective on national and international news.
The first program features the campus safety incidents in the Fort Sanders area. Other stories cover topics such as student housing on campus, Facebook and jobs, and a McClung Museum exhibit. The sports segment features an in-depth look at UT students participating behind-the-scenes at Super Bowl XLII.
The show was started 14 years ago by Sam Swan, a professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media. Swan says the program provides advanced students with a great opportunity to develop their journalistic skills.
“Many students in the class who have served as reporters, videographers and producers have gone on to great jobs at television stations throughout Tennessee and the region,” Swan said.
WBIR-TV provides the airtime to UT for the show each Saturday afternoon. Students in a UT media sales class sell advertising time for the news magazine, and proceeds are used to offset the expenses of the program.
The School of Journalism and Electronic Media is one of four schools that make up the College of Communication and Information at UT. The college offers several undergraduate majors, two master’s degrees, and is home to the one of the oldest doctoral programs in communication and information in the southeastern United States.
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Contact: Dr. Sam Swan, (865) 974-4291, samswan@utk.edu