John Brown University communication students are working to create TV news broadcast Eaglebreak. In its second season, students continue to grow and improve as on-air personalities, reporters, editors and producers.
Eaglebreak began in 2012 as a class, but has become a program designed not just for students who are interested in broadcasting, but for anyone who wants to help produce relevant news campus-wide.
Senior communication major Michael Burchfiel is the director, editor and producer for the sports segment of Eaglebreak.
He said his goal is to make the sports show visually appealing and smooth.
“I would like the show as a whole to reach a broader student audience and for people to recognize the show more,” Burchfiel said. “Right now I think there are a lot of people who have no idea we are even here, but think that a TV news program would be a great idea and worth watching.”
Kara Gould, advisor for EagleBreak, shared that oftentimes it’s a struggle to get students interested in current events.
“EagleBreak is student-produced, which means that students generate story ideas and desire to create a show that JBU students, as well as other campus community members, would like to see.”
EagleBreak is released on Fridays on their Facebook page. The segments include news, features and sports. Students get real-world experience from creating the lighting and sound to script-writing and camera work, Gould said.
“In the first two seasons, EagleBreak staff have won several awards, including awards from the Spring Creek Arts festival, the South Central Broadcasting Society, and the Arkansas College Media Association, which named EagleBreak anchor Amy Perry Arkansas College Television Anchor of the Year for 2014.”
Lacey Fryer, a senior double-major in communication and Family and Human Studies, also talks about how EagleBreak has helped her. She and Burchfiel were the “guinea pigs” of the program and were there from the start.
Fryer is in charge of producing the general news and features show. She comes up with story ideas and assigns them.
“I’m responsible for the overall look and feel of the show,” she said.
Though most people involved with Eaglebreak are communications majors or students involved in news, anyone and everyone can benefit from helping to produce the show.
“The experience that students can get from this is great,” Fryer said.