It’s hard to believe that while we are looking ahead with anticipation to the 2005 AEJMC convention it also is necessary to look beyond that and to the 2005-2006 academic year. Next year, I will be serving the RTVJ division in a separate capacity, as its liaison with RTNDA, and I plan to bring the same energy and enthusiasm to that role that I have to being division chair.

I recently returned from the annual RTNDA and BEA conventions, where I had a great opportunity to meet some of the people I will be working with as the liaison. Proving that it is indeed "a small world after all," RTNDA’s vice chair is Angie Kucharski, the new vice president and station manager at WBZ in Boston. Angie was my news director for almost a year when we worked at WBNS in Columbus. I know how much Angie cares about the broadcast profession and about young people; those two assets ensure that she will be an advocate for everything that we in the academic world do for broadcast journalism. Angie’s responsibilities include producing the overall 2006 RTNDA convention program, and I will work with her as I plan the programming related to broadcast education. I welcome any programming ideas that you have.

Our outgoing liaison is Don Heider, who provided me an excellent update about the issues that he tackled during the year. I also had the chance to pick the brains of two other former liaisons – Bill Davie and Bob Papper. Based on those collective conversations, I believe I can now provide you with a brief look at my plans for the 2005-2006 year.

They include:

* Continuing the discussion about expanding the Murrow Awards to include an award for a student journalist;

* Determining a proper and consistent role for broadcast educators during the student resume and tape critiques that are annually sponsored by RTNDA; and

* Seeking ways in which the academic community can work closely with RTNDF, the educational arm of RTNDA, to promote issues relating to the First Amendment. This effort comes on the heels of the annual RTNDF First Amendment Awards dinner, during which three people were recognized for their efforts in fighting for press freedom. At that dinner, NBC News president Neil Shapiro told the audience that the current climate of “active malice” toward broadcast journalism mandates that people remain vigilant about the First Amendment. If you want to learn more about the 2005 award recipients, please see http://www.rtnda.org/about/dinner05.shtml.

Don, Bill, and Bob reminded me that the effort to gain student recognition at the Murrow Awards began almost a decade ago. They added that this year might be our best opportunity to achieve it because the current RTNDA Board of Directors has a positive opinion of broadcast education. There are some critical issues that need to be addressed, as I move this item forward. They are (among others) entry fees, potential judges, and whether the students who submit entries have to be RTNDA members. Don suggested that I draft a resolution calling for the addition of a student category and present it at the RTNDA’s June meeting, which I will attend, in Washington, D.C.

Of course, I haven’t forgotten about the upcoming AEJMC convention. Denise Dowling did a great job getting panel ideas submitted, and I know she and I are very excited about the programming that will be presented in San Antonio. To borrow a line from the recently completed NFL Draft, Dale Cressman is now on the clock. He is our research chair and will soon receive the judges’ comments to the papers that were submitted for possible presentation at the convention. Dale tells me that the division received plenty of legitimate entries from a variety of methodologies this year. My thanks to him for his hard work, and thanks to go out to the judges for their service to the division and AEJMC.