'Global Village' on the air

Jennifer Kruse
News Stringer

Radio students have WSIE-FM, journalism students have the Alestle, and now television students have "Global Village."

"Global Village" is a new magazine television program that is taped on the SIUE campus and airs in Missouri and Illinois. The show is run entirely by students.

The program highlights events on campus to people throughout metropolitan St. Louis. Besides giving mass communications students practical experience, the program showcases SIUE's contributions to the area and the many interesting, positive activities and people on campus.

The weekly, half-hour show is on the Higher Education Channel in Missouri, KTV-3 in St. Louis County and Belleville, EC-TV Channel 6 in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon and GC-TV Channel 6 in Granite City, Madison, Mitchell and Pontoon Beach. Check local listings for the times.

Graduate student Valerie Wieman is the show's producer. She also works at News Channel 5 as a producer on the "Saturday Morning Show." Wieman said she is excited about bringing her expertise and experience to the show.

"I think the show is a great opportunity for students. It's a chance for them to get real hands-on experience that could translate into a job later," she said.

The two hosts are Nick Darr and Maureen Hagrman.

Darr is a graduate student and part-time news broadcaster at WBGZ, 1570 AM, in Alton.

Hagrman, 19, is a junior and learned about the show from the fliers around campus.

"'Global Village' will showcase SIUE while giving students a product to show future employers," she said.

Hagrman said she hopes to land a job in broadcasting or directing. She added that "Global Village" will give her some experience.

Mass Communications Chair Ralph Donald is the executive producer. He noted that the show is 100 percent student-produced. Donald said it is up to the students to hunt down the interesting people and the exciting stories and write about them, interview them, videotape them, produce video packages and put the whole thing together into a program that communicates SIUE's image, message, diversity and scope.

"That's the main reason we're producing this program: to provide our television students with a real show and a real audience and then challenge them to do an outstanding job," Donald said.