Friday, October 10, 2008
On-air personalities at USI
 Four USI students are on-air personalities for Access USI, a television show produced and directed by USI students. The 9 p.m. broadcast airs on Channel 12 on Thursdays in student housing to inform students about news and events of interest to them. Ashley Creigh, junior, is the news director and a co-anchor; David DeLong, junior, is a co-anchor. Matthew Staller, junior, is the sports director and sports anchor; and Austin Inge, senior, covers the weather. Ashley Creigh, Monticello, Indiana As news director, Creigh determines what news is covered each week, and she serves as a communications link between Dr. David Black, the show’s faculty advisor, and her crew. She interviews students and shoots video as part of the job. Creigh produced a segment on the power outage that occurred after remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through the campus apartments. She set up interviews with the director of Security and the director of Residence Life to inform students about ongoing problems and solutions. “It’s a challenge to get people to talk about problems on camera,” she said. During summer 2008, Creigh worked at News25, the ABC affiliate in Henderson, Kentucky. She wrote stories and learned production. She said, “I helped produce two newscasts each day.” Creigh and other students who are majoring in radio and television find Access USI an important step in the career ladder, given that radio and television work is one of the most competitive job markets. Creigh said, “Many of us involved with Access USI are finding work in our field before we graduate. The television program has exceeded my expectations.” Creigh will graduate in spring 2009. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and is an Honor’s List member. She was on the USI Cheer team during her first year of college. David DeLong, West Lafayette, Indiana DeLong is majoring in radio and television and journalism. He covers news on campus, across the nation, and around the world. He writes stories for the newscast, gets footage at events, and edits the material for broadcast. DeLong was a vocal presence as disc jockey for 820 The Edge, the University radio station, in his freshman and sophomore years at USI. Working on ESPN or some other sports channel has long been DeLong’s ambition. His work at Access USI has opened more options. He said, “I think being a news anchor can be more challenging. Even though my dream job is to be on ESPN, I definitely would settle for CNN.” DeLong is a member of the cross country and track and field teams at USI. He posted a season best 8K time of 28:24.40 in the Evansville Invitational. Matthew Staller, Peru, Indiana Staller is a radio and television major, with a minor in journalism. In addition to his sports anchor job at Access USI, Staller has an internship with News25, where he works with the station’s sports director/anchor. He writes and edits scripts. He also is a sports writer for The Shield, the student newspaper at USI. He covers women’s basketball. His in-depth interview with Rick Stein, women’s head basketball coach, received an award in a writing competition. Austin Inge, Fort Wayne, Indiana The weatherman on Access USI is Austin Inge, a senior radio and television major. Inge puts the forecast together with the help of the NBC affiliate in Evansville. He records the segment using the WFIE-14 equipment under the guidance of the station’s meteorologist. This summer Inge was an intern at WANE 15 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Inge is a member of the men’s track and field team at USI. He earned Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) All Academic honors in 2006 and 2008. This spring in outdoor track and field, Inge ran USI's fastest 200-meter time of the season when he finished 15th at the GLVC Championships with a time of 22.53 seconds. He is on the USI Honors List for his academic work. The press credentials students receive as Access USI news reporters open opportunities to work with professionals. Creigh and other Access USI students covered the Hillary Clinton rally held in Evansville at Harrison High School during the Democratic primary race. She said, “We were able to set up on stage next to reporters and photographers from CNN and other television stations across the country. The atmosphere was so intense and exciting. It was incredible to see reporters from the top stations going live beside us.” The studio for Access USI is located in the Scripps Howard Video Production complex in the Liberal Arts Center. Kathy Funke Office of News and Information Services 812/465-7050 kfunke@usi.edu |
Copyright © 2013 University of Southern Indiana. All rights reserved.