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USU is training site for 2002 Olympic broadcasters
By the USU Communication Department
Students at Utah State University are being invited to sign up for training to assist in broadcasting the 2002 Winter Olympics to the world two years from now. The comprehensive training program, coordinated by International Sports Broadcasting, was announced in Salt Lake City today, as representatives of five Utah colleges and universities gathered to get the Olympic effort off the ground. USU Communication professors Penny Byrne and Ted Pease, who were named to the advisory committee for the ISB training program, were joined by representatives from Weber State University, the University of Utah, BYU and Salt Lake Community College. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime for students to get their foot in the door in this extremely competitive field," said ISB President Manolo Romero in convening the training advisory group. "ISB is thrilled to provide a springboard from which these students can launch their careers." Byrne, who directs USU's broadcast journalism program, echoed Romero's comments. "This partnership between our campuses and the host broadcaster for the Olympics is an unparalleled opportunity for our students to put their training to word in a world-class professional environment. Obviously, working the 2002 Olympics will launch many of our students into exceptional professional careers." ISB is the host broadcaster of the 2002 Olympics, and will serve as the single clearinghouse for video and audio feeds to broadcast companies from more than 80 nations that have signed on to beam the 2002 Winter Games worldwide. ISB officials estimate that the Utah student technicians will make up nearly one-third of the ISB team during the Games. The ISB training program includes a comprehensive curriculum of broadcasting and related skills that students will need for more than 400 paid positions in support of worldwide TV, radio and web-based coverage of the 2002 Olympics, which begin in Utah two years from now. USU and the other four sites will collaborate in training, leading up to workshops developed by ISB to direct students who complete the campus-based training into Olympic broadcasting jobs in 10 different areas, from camera operators to computer graphics and audio technicians. "The Olympic Games leave behind a variety of physical improvements in the host communities; we want this training program to leave behind a human legacy of highly qualified student broadcast professionals," said ISB vice president Mark Parkman in greeting the faculty representatives from the five partner campuses. Students interested in enrolling in the ISB Olympic training program must apply for positions, and then enroll in the two-year sequence of courses at one of the five Utah training sites. Upon successful completion of the campus-based classes, students then qualify for the ISB workshops, which will begin in March 2001. Preliminary informational meetings at USU, led by ISB training manager Jim Owens, are scheduled for later this month. For more information about the USU 2002 Olympics Broadcast Training Program, contact the Department of Communication at 435-797-3292, or visit the ISB website at www.isbtv.com.
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Archived Months:
September
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