University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Power 92 DJ and UALR alumnus Tré Day celebrated 10 years on the air by broadcasting live from the Donaghey Student Center on Oct. 26.During the celebration, then Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey presented a proclamation declaring Oct. 26 as “Tré Day in the Rock.”

“Students, you take the day off,” he joked on air.

Tré said his Air Force-family childhood inspired him to become a DJ.

“One thing about the Air Force life is you travel too much,” he said. “The one constant thing for me was always listening to the radio; I fell in love with it.”

His father knew Power 92’s Broadway Joe and got Tré a tour of the studio, which turned into an internship. He said his first time on the air was as a fill-in for another DJ.

“The guy who was supposed to be on had gone to the dentist and had some problems; I was brought on the air on the spot,” Tré said. “There was no time for me to be nervous.”

Tré began his degree in RTVF at UALR in 1996 and graduated in 2000. He said he understands how difficult it is for working students to go to school, as he was one.

“I worked as a lifeguard in the morning, school was from 8 a.m. to noon, and my internship was 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” he said.

Tré hosts an annual Celebrity Bowling Bash to benefit the UALR School of Mass Communication and sponsors a special scholarship for students. He said UALR offered him the opportunity to attend in spite of his obstacles, and he wants to give other students the same opportunity.

“I knew I couldn’t afford to go to college, so I worked hard in high school to get my GPA up to 3.0,” he said. “My counselor made me fill out every scholarship application, even the ones I didn’t qualify for. I applied [at UALR] and got a scholarship that had a requirement of 3.25, but they had one spot left over. I felt very fortunate. I wanted to make it possible to help other students who might need it.”

As part of his broadcast, Tré presented Dr. Jamie Byrne, director of the School of Mass Communication, with a check for the $4,000 raised at last year’s Bash. The funds will help build a “state-of-the-art audio production facility” for the department.

“We are grateful to you for setting an example of an alumnus giving back to his school and community,” Dr. Byrne said.

“It feels good to contribute back to something that gave so much to you,” he said.

The Bash is held the weekend of his birthday in July each year.

“The first year we had to really try to get people to come,” he said. “Now people are calling me and asking if they can come and bowl…even President Bill Clinton wanted an invitation. He had a scheduled event, and could not make it, but he sent an autographed bowling pin to be auctioned off.”

Tré feels that as a member of the radio medium, he has a social responsibility to promote positive things. But, he was a bit shocked at Mayor Dailey’s proclamation.

“That’s crazy,” he said. “There are probably plenty of others, other people more deserving. I’m just doing my job.”

Faculty Profile
Amy O.Barnes

After working 10 years at UALR as Executive Director of Public Relations, Amy O. Barnes has finished her first semester of teaching in the School of Mass Communication.

“It was great getting to pass along what I’ve learned to someone else,” said Barnes.

“There was a mental adjustment; there are different deadlines in teaching than in the industry. In the [public relations] industry there’s no time to think before you start the next project. There was no time to read up on the industry. In teaching I like the time to research; I like the time to think,” she said.

Barnes received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at Arkansas Tech University and a Master of Arts in Journalism at UALR.

She also has a background in broadcast news, working at local Little Rock stations KATV Channel 7 and KARK Channel 4. She also worked in public relations at Arkansas Childrens’ Hospital.

Once a third-grader who got into trouble for writing stories in class instead of paying attention to the teacher, SMC student Jessica Renard is now an award-winning writer.

Renard won third place for scriptwriting-drama with her script titled “.edu” in the regional competition for the National Broadcasting Society in Dallas.

“I always viewed TV different than just watching for entertainment,” she said.

Renard has also performed in several UALR productions such as “Kindness,” “How I Learned to Drive,” and the “Chekov Project.”

When asked by her friends if she wants to be an actress as well, she tells them, “I’m not a fan of cockroaches,” implying that actors and actresses sometimes have to live in horrible conditions before they succeed.

“Not only does winning an award like this look fantastic on your resume and work to set you apart from the pack, but the critiques of your work that you receive from the judges in many competitions are valuable whether you win or not,” said Dr. Jamie Byrne.

With upgrades to the new Mac labs in the School of Mass Communication, 15 older iMacs were just taking up space waiting to go to a state warehouse, but they found a home Dec. 7 when they were donated to the Magnolia School District.

During an Educational Renewal Zone committee meeting earlier in 2006, Associate Professor Dr. Mark Giese mentioned how the SMC had computers that were obsolete and would be surplused.

Magnolia School District Curriculum Coordinator, Kim Wyrick, immediately said, “We’ll take them.”

This started a long process to make it happen. Dr. Christina Drale, associate dean for the College of Professional Studies, obtained permission from the state to donate the computers after doing extensive detective work.

“You think it would be easy,” said Giese.

Wyrick said the computers were much appreciated and will be put to use this spring.“The students will use the computers in presentations and for research,” Nancy Lewis, curriculum coordinator for the school district, said.

Giese hopes to make donations of unused SMC equipment routine.

Angela Thomas spent four years getting her BA in Journalism at UALR as an undergrad and now as a candidate for a Masters of Arts, she is using what she has learned in her new position as editor of AY Magazine.

“You never stop learning…journalism is a field where you will truly use everything you learned in class,” she said.

A niche magazine for baby boomers, AY covers topics of interest to a general audience from 20-year-olds to grandparents. Thomas oversees a staff of six with seven to eight freelance writers.

“Magazine writing is different from newspaper writing,” she said.

“There’s more space to tell a story in magazines,” said Thomas. “There’s freedom to slightly relax AP style. You have an opportunity to have a creative voice,” she said.

The position is different from the one she held as editorial assistant at the magazine for a year and six months.

“You don’t anticipate the busy work,” she said.

Thomas and the editorial assistant do the bulk of the writing. “A normal work week is usually 40 hours, 60 hours during production,” she said.Thomas said that editors must have technical skills as well as people skills. Also, editors need to have the viewpoint that there’s something interesting about everyone. Diplomacy is also a must, she added.

“You should strive for perfection,” said Thomas. “But take Dr. Byrne’s advice: ‘Your next issue is an opportunity for perfection.’”

Thomas said graduate school is an option undergrads should consider. While in graduate school, Thomas was a graduate assistant for Dr. Tim Edwards.

“In the School of Mass Communication you feel as if you have a connection with the staff and the department itself,” she said. “Even as the department is growing I hope they don’t lose that,”

Angela has three children, ages 16, 12, and 10, and celebrated her 18th wedding anniversary Dec. 2.

The School of Mass Communication introduced Web design to the curriculum last fall. A class project in Dr. Kwasi Boateng’s class created therockreporter.com, a news and entertainment Web site where visitors can register and submit news.

While creating the site, students gained experience in Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Joomla, a free open source content management system for publishing content on the Internet.

Initially, the students used news from a wire source but have started to incorporate original material onto the site.

When a user registers, he or she is given a title such as editor, publisher, or registered member. All material is then edited and approved for posting. The Web site will soon include a blog, podcasts and news events around Little Rock.“I hope it will evolve into a community Web site,” said Boateng. The site will be an ongoing project, with students adding new content each semester.

Aside from creating therockreporter.com, students also designed personal Web sites where they have posted both class and professional work.

“The personal Web sites can be used as a portfolio as well,” said senior Russ Galusha.

Check out this student Web sites: www.ualr.edu/sxporter,

Matty (left), Joseph, Jeff, Demp and Paula Dempsey gather for a family photo after the dedication of the Demp Dempsey Television Studio on the seventh floor of Stabler hall.

Many of Arkansas’ media and business elite filled the new Demp Dempsey Television Studio on Nov.10 to help Paula Dempsey surprise her husband, Demp Dempsey, with the dedication of the studio that bears his name.

Demp and Paula own and operate Dempsey Film Group, a full-service film/video production and post-production business in Little Rock.

The endowment, established by Paula Dempsey, will be used to maintain and upgrade broadcast equipment in the studio on the seventh floor of Stabler Hall. Another $4,000 was added to the endowment the day of the dedication by friends and family of the Dempseys.

“Our students learn in a real-world environment where new technology often outpaces our resources,” said Dr. Jamie Byrne, director of the School of Mass Communication.

“This endowment will go a long way toward helping us keep up with those changes.”Those offering congratulations to Dempsey included Dr. Byrne; Bob Denman, UALR’s executive director of Development; Carlton Wing with Dempsey Film Group; and the Dempseys’ three sons, Matty, Joseph and Jeff.

Paula Dempsey coaxed her husband to the luncheon by telling him it was for a meeting. During his speech, Dempsey was obviously overcome with emotion and gratitude.

One School of Mass Communication faculty member, David Weekly, instructor; and one SMC staff member, Jerry Halpain, lab coordinator; garnered five awards in the 27th Annual Telly Awards for two different video productions.

Weekley won a bronze for his work on an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recruitment video and Halpain won a sliver and three bronzes in four separate categories for his work on an Arkansas Foodbank Network promotional video.

The Telly Awards honor the very best in local, regional, and cable television commercials, and video and film productions.

Halpain, an SMC alum, won a Silver Telly Award, the contest’s highest honor, for editing.

“The piece focused on problems with hunger in the community and highlighting ways that the Foodbank Network is working to solve those problems,” he said. “I was happy that it was for editing, I consider myself an editor above anything else.”

Halpain said he saw the stereotype of hungry people being homeless and out of work debunked while producing the video.

“The majority of Foodbank clients featured in the video were home owners that were employed full time and just couldn’t pay all the bills and afford groceries,” he said. “It was eye opening in the sense that your co-worker could be going without food because they can’t afford it. That was the overall message the Foodbank wanted to convey in the video.”

Weekley, a previous Bronze Telly winner, won another bronze for a video promoting careers with the AGFC.

Both staffers will receive the awards later this year after they are custom produced by the same company that makes the statuettes for the Oscars and the Emmys.

Using all the skills they have learned during their college career, Radio, Television and Film seniors produce “The Seventh Floor,” a weekly live-to-tape show broadcasting on Channel 62 Fridays at 10 p.m. and again Saturdays at midnight.

The capstone course is a real-world experience for the students.

“Once we get rolling, the students handle everything,” Dr. Mark Giese, associate professor said. Giese also acts as executive producer for the 30-minute show.

And if the students don’t get the job done, he said, they can be fired.

“Before this class, the students have been able to work on their own; in the real world you don’t produce television by yourself,” Giese said. “Part of this class is teaching people how to treat each other with respect and how to work together.”

First, students meet and pitch segment ideas to the rest of the class and Giese.

“The student(s) who make the winning pitches become the lead producer for that segment,” Giese said.

As line producer, the student is responsible for producing the six- to seven-minute cover story for the episode, producing a Man-in-the Street interview segment based on the topic of the cover story, ensuring copy has been prepared for the on-air talent and the teleprompter, and assigning crew for the taping, among other duties. Other jobs on the set include director, assistant director, floor director, technical director, audio, teleprompter, graphics, and tape operator. These jobs can rotate on a weekly basis depending upon how many students are enrolled in the class.

Cover stories for this spring’s production have included the Little Rock Zoo, the 50th anniversary of the integration of Central High School, and violence in the media.

Giese hopes to make “The Seventh Floor” the signature show for Channel 62 by being able to offer the class program every semester.

At its annual scholarship banquet April 11, the School of Mass Communication awarded 16 students over $21,000 in scholarships to Mass Comm students. Scholarship recipients were honored for achievements in the school by receiving the scholarships.

The Scholarships and recipients were:

Arkansas Broadcasters Association Sam Anderson Scholarship - Meaghan Milliorn

Arkansas Broadcasters Association Patricia Willcox Scholarship - Arlton Lowry

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Scholarship - Jessica Clark

Harry Ashmore Journalism Scholarship - Jessica Clark

Robert L. Brown Sr. Memorial Scholarship - Will Tracy

Governor Orval E. Faubus Scholarship - Alisha Wright

Edward J. Friedlander Scholarship - Julian Marie White

Gannett News Producers Scholarship- Cynthia Alpe

Jerol Garrison Scholarship - Dana Kohrs

David M. Guerra Electronic News Scholarship - Ashley Mathis

Robert Hamilton Memorial Scholarship - Kelly Schlachter

J. Irby Scholarship - Zach Smith

Herbert and Gertrude Latkin Scholarship Fund - Caroline Tyler

C.O. Lawhorne Memorial Scholarship - Caroline Tyler

Roy Mitchell Scholarship - Meaghan Milliorn

W. K. Rutherford Freedom of Information Scholarship - Tonya Kron

Edith Wood Sweezy Memorial Scholarships in Journalism - Zach Smith

Television Broadcasters of Arkansas - Felicia Russell

Tre Day - Rachel Grant and Jessica Looney