2019-2020 Yearbook

Each semester, the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) visited local news stations as part of the organization. In fall 2019, their trip began at 4 a.m. to the Channel 7 news station in Little Rock, Arkansas, where they watched the 6 a.m. show. Junior Ethan Brazell said it was difficult to wake up early, but the experience was . the loss of sleep. "We got up so early because their morning show starts at 6 a.m., and we wanted to see what a morning show looks like, because at a news station, morning shows run different than a 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. show," Brazell said. "It was really cool to wake up and see very energetic anchors at 6 a.m.' The NBSmembers toured the station, sat in on a director's meeting and sat behind the news set. Junior Lauren Bateman said she spotted multiple differences and similarities between HU16 and Channel 7. "They had a smaller staff, so we got to see one person doing four jobs at once and how that works," Bateman said. "I was surprised to see how similar it was to what we actually do.'' While visiting the Channel 7 news station, the NBS students had the opportunity to visit Harding alumni who worked there. Dr. Ginger Blackstone, assistant professor of communication, said she felt like a proud mother whenever she visited former students and was happy to see them in their careers. "I'm happy to say that our studentsthat have gone to that station have typically had a good experience and enjoyed being there; some people have stuck around for years," Blackstone said. "I'm happy to see a place where there's still camaraderie [and] where people still enjoy being there. I'm very proud that our students caught the bug and are excited about it." The NBS members said it was encouraging to see alumni succeeding in their careers. "It's cool to see the longevity of a career, and that you can leave school and go to work somewhere for 20 years and still love it," Brazell said. "I'm sure it's a fear for a lot of people to wonder, 'Am I doing something that I want to do for 20 years?' So, it was very encouraging to hear from them and just the encouragement of 'Keep doing what you're doing, continue learning as much as you can and looking for opportunities."' story by Grace Baker organizations 271

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