MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Students at NMU now have access to a state-of-the art television studio.
The WNMU studios on Northern Michigan University’s campus were last upgraded before the 1970s. The set, while functional, was outdated last year WNMU, which is a PBS station, put out a request for proposal to find a company to build them a new set. WNMU’s station manager Patrick Lakenen says “Everybody knew that the set was getting old, and tired, and that it needed to be done.”
The new set which was finished in late January, allows for all the station’s shows to have a modern look. The station films shows like Media Meet, Ask The Doctors, and hosts PBS fundraisers in the studio.
But for students at NMU who produce a 15-minute daily live newscast, it offers more than just an updated background. Andrew Hoover, a student producer at Northern, says “To be able to work on something so professional, it’s good for the resumes and the portfolios, and it’s just really cool.”
The newscast is known as public eye news and gives students at Northern a chance to work on a real newscast. Lakenen says “I think it should enhance what they’ve already done and provide them a chance to work on the equipment they will work on when they get into the industry in their careers.”
The new set is also very flexible; most of the set pieces are on wheels, which allows the producers of the news cast, who are students. To be creative with how they want to broadcast stories. Hoover says “Now we are able to try new things; we get to experiment with different ways of presenting the news here.”
The upgrades not only provide more opportunities but, according to the students, puts Northern’s program on the national stage
“I think this set rivals any television station in the country.” Says Hoover.
