Staff and students will say goodbye to the monthly 30-minute television show Cougar Cast, which has aired for four years on campus station MNC87 and welcome all-new and more diverse programming.
Cougar Cast was started by communication majors and staff with the goal to start a TV show that would get students used to producing and broadcasting content, according Assistant Professor of Communications Dan Kimbrough.
“When I started four-and-a-half years ago there was nothing, and so it was easier to start a television show than it was to launch an entire station,” said Kimbrough.
The crew is ready to expand and offer more than one show.
“We are at a point where we have outgrown it a little bit. Let’s see if we can do more, ”said Kimbrough.
MCN87 or The Munson Center Network gets its name from the building in which it is housed. The goal of MCN87 is to give students the chance to watch and create content in the areas that interest them.
“We have multiples of shows on so we can meet student interests,” said Kimbrough. “As times and people are changing, the crew is ready to move on and build a station offering different shows. “
MCN87 will feature new shows called, “The Story,” which will be produced by a broadcast journalism night class, and “Hey You MU” in addition to a weekly sports show, all produced by communications majors and any student interested participating. “The Story” will air weekly on Tuesday nights and “Hey You, MU” will air every two weeks, Kimbrough said.
The new shows will appeal to different audiences. “The Story” will focus on news headlines, and “Hey You, MU” will concentrate on the fun feature side of campus. “The Story” is the more serious side of the station and will focus on stories outside campus and go into detail about how it can affect campus. “Hey You, MU” balances out the serious side on the station with profiles about people we see on campus, trying local food restaurants for students to go, and a segment that does stories on any type of entertainment. The crew is hoping to air 5 episodes this semester.
Junior communications major and MCN87 station manager Brittany Lovette said the joyful content should attract viewers. “’Hey You MU’ will cover and bring in the fun and what’s going on, on campus.”
The station crew will consist of volunteer members, who may or may not be communications majors, and students in a broadcast journalism class as well as communication majors enrolled in video practicum. the diversity of the staff will provide a wide range of ideas to make interesting content.
“The more people who are involved, the more shows we can have,” said Kimbrough. “We are hoping to grow.”
Staff members learn how to write, produce and host shows as well as how to operate the equipment.
Kimbrough said the goal is to have a mix of students of all majors helping.
“I’d love to have a crew of students running around campus shooting things all the time,” said Kimbrough.
Kimbrough said last semester’s installation of an automated broadcasting system will enable the channel to air throughout cable on campus. Now the goal is to fill the channel with programing.
“This year MCN87 is hopefully getting that channel full of shows,” said Lovette.
The MCN 87 process started for Lovette her sophomore year when she began shooting short clips for the station and beginning to make commercials for different clubs and programs on campus.
“We are going to call them MCN87 Bumps,” said Lovette. “These clips will be used to fill space in between the programing.”
This semester Lovette will oversee all shows and ensure the station runs smoothly.
“My job is to make sure their work is getting done and on time so we actually have something to put on air,” said Lovette.
The MCN87 crew would also like to start to create and post content online for students to watch according to their schedules.
“Putting them online is also a big deal,” said Kimbrough. “We know students may not always be sitting in front of the TV.”
Broadcasts through MCN87 begin this semester and can be found on the university’s cable network, channel 87. T0 see what MCN 87 is about, anyone can go and watch previous content at Vimeo.com and search “Communiations @ MU”.