Many in Cedar City aren’t aware of a news source close to home — right on Southern Utah University’s campus. SUTV-9 News is a student-run news station that broadcasts from the TV studio in SUU’s communication department every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-4:30 p.m.
The show is available on cable television in Cedar City, where it is affiliated with UCTV, CNN, and the Classic Arts Showcase. It can also be viewed as a live stream on SUTV’s YouTube channel.
The program varies each week and changes every semester as new students take the paired course. There are news updates at least one day of the week, usually Tuesdays, in which student reporters cover both local and national news.
Oftentimes different shows are aired on Thursdays, sometimes devoted to covering sports, entertainment or educational materials. Students have produced cooking shows, game shows and live coverage of events like SUU’s Battle of the Bands.
In the repeatable class, students learn how to create news packages where they film, edit, interview and narrate events around campus, in Cedar City or even on national and international levels.
During their shows, students have the opportunity to play any role in the creation of a news cast. They can produce, direct, run audio or cameras or be an anchor, with positions changing throughout the semester.
“For someone going into news and journalism specifically, it’s a great class because you report on stuff and practice writing in a news kind of way,” Sarah Hutchings, an anchor and producer in the class, said. “I like the class because everyone is really fun to work with and it’s great to work with things I’m excited about.”
Students who join the class are generally communication students interested in working with the media, but anyone who would like to help broadcast a real news show is welcome to take the class. COMM 3504 is offered by Professor Jon Smith every semester, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-4:45 p.m.
More information can be found on the SUTV-9 website.
Story by McKayla Olsen
mckayla.olsen@gmail.com
Photos by McKayla Olsen
