Mason Galemore
Contributing Writer
[email protected]

Storytelling can be done in many ways, from the simple to the extraordinary. For this season of “MSU2Nite,” the student producers’ way of doing things is anything but ordinary.

“MSU2Nite,” a show produced in the Television Studio Production course, JMC 358, is now in its 37th season. “MSU2Nite” informs students of campus and community news through its video-based journalism. Viewers can stream the show’s episodes via YouTube. The course is taught by instructor Christopher Haynes. 

Haynes is a Murray State alumnus who graduated in 2006 with his Bachelor’s of Science in electronic media. Haynes has taught JMC 358 since the spring of 2012. Haynes said “MSU2Nite” serves as a way for students to practice what they’ve learned in their media classes thus far and to use that knowledge to produce weekly content for the show.

“The show allows the students to learn every part of the studio and grow acclimated to every part of TV production,” Haynes said. “It gives the class the benefit of assigning content, conducting idea generating sessions and meeting deadlines.”

The class meets every Tuesday and Thursday night from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Thursday the class brainstorms content and on Tuesday they start production. 

The episodes themselves are split into segments. The first segment of each episode uses an “A block” format where the crew reports on general news and entertainment. The next segment is usually made up of interviews with students who have unique stories, talents or backgrounds.

“It is difficult to produce a 20-minute episode, so doing interviews usually helps lengthen a show,” Haynes said. “It also allows the students to practice their interviewing skills.”

Haynes said the remainder of the episodes are made up of filler content, where crew members can report on whatever they are interested in. For instance, a group of students can report on sports, while another group can report on new shows on Netflix or a newly released album. 

Compared to past classes, this year’s class has created more entertaining and skit based content than in previous years. One of the students in JMC 358 who has brought tons of creativity to the show is sophomore journalism major Dustin Wilcox. 

“We have done a lot more than is required of the class,” Wilcox said. “We have done everything from skits to commercials.”

Wilcox said while he likes how traditional live TV is created, he and other crew members also enjoy creating gags that entertain viewers while delivering news and information in one package.

“I love writing for television,” Wilcox said. “If I were going to write for television I’d want to do a scripted series. I love both comedic writing and serious writing.”

Another crew member of “MSU2Nite” is sophomore television production major Cade Utterback. Utterback explained how “MSU2Nite” has become more unique this semester than in the past.

“What we’ve done this year is throw expectations out the window,” Utterback said. “Instead of asking a guest questions for eight minutes, we might invite them to play Hot Wheels with us, or we might even forego a regular interview and go to an animal shelter and ask dogs and cats a bunch of questions.”

Wilcox and Utterback both described the freedom they have when creating content for “MSU2Nite” as “thrilling.” Although “MSU2Nite” provides creative freedom to those who enroll in the JMC 358 course, it is essential that every crew member can communicate effectively with one another in order to produce quality content.

There are many roles involved in creating each episode. In each episode, there are camera operators, sound editors, teleprompter operators and  reporters s. Each crew member must understand their role and  what they need to do. 

“Without communication, we wouldn’t be able to get anything done,” Utterback said. “Every little bit has to go right, so we communicate with each other effectively and I’d say most of us have a pretty good bond as a result.”

That bond has helped “MSU2Nite” get past many challenges. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, JMC 358 could not meet in the studio because on-campus activities were shut down. 

Haynes described the courage and determination it took for his class to adjust to working during a global pandemic. 

“The way we pivoted our workflow was really hard,” Haynes said. “All the learning objectives for the class are based on operating the studio. The students had to use their phones to do reports. It attests to how well they are able to rise up to the task.”

Once students finish JMC 358, they will have more experience with television and broadcast news. Many of them plan to use the knowledge and experience gained from the course to pursue their dreams in creating content for news and entertainment. 

Wilcox said he plans to go into animation as well as write for television. He said “MSU2Nite” has given him the experience that he needs to be successful while also giving him the opportunity to be creative.

“Let’s say ‘“MSU2Nite” is the only show I ever get to write or produce, I want to say that I did everything I could to make it the best possible show with the little time I had,” Wilcox said. “The mere act of creating a TV show and packaging it is so thrilling.” 

Wilcox said every student going into JMC 358 should pursue all of their ideas and not be afraid to bring them to life.

“Our goal this year was to subvert expectations as much as possible,” Wilcox said. “We wanted to entertain. If someone in the future wants to change the show and put their spin on it, that’s fine too.”

Utterback said he would like to continue working on television sets. He said his dream is to work on animated shows as well as write and produce, and he hopes to try voice acting and small acting roles. He also explained that people are often impressed by the amount of extra work he and his fellow students put into “MSU2Nite.”

“People may wonder ‘why go through all the trouble for a college TV network?,’” Utterback said. “To which I reply, ‘why not?’”