The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) held its annual conference in conjunction with the National Association of Broadcasters' annual show in Las Vegas on April 15-18. Journalism faculty member Kevin Curran, Ph.D. was joined at the conference by Kathryn Powell, a junior Journalism minor who was selected as a Student Scholar by the Radio Advertising Bureau.
Kathryn attended talks from several of the top people in the radio business. She was also matched with a mentor, Erik Hellum, the chief operating officer of Townsquare Media. Townsquare operates 357 radio stations in 74 markets, a digital advertising platform, a live event division, and a portfolio of entertainment websites. She was also able to network with several major firms at the BEA career fair. She and Dr. Curran attended a talk by NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders on how to cover difficult stories.
Dr. Curran delivered a research presentation on "Partisan Media, Knowledge Ghettos, and the Public Sphere." He was also an invited panelist for a discussion on "Defining Media History." The BEA recognizes the work of students and faculty in the annual Festival of Media Arts. Dr. Curran was chair of judging in the News Division's Student Television Long Feature News Reporting category.
LMU is an institutional member of the BEA.