Featured Articles

Message from the Director Spring 2009 - By Dr. Patrick Murphy Welcome to the inaugural web version of the Mass Communicator! As I prepared this column it was hard not to wax nostalgic, as this will be my last year as Department Chair. Yes, almost six years have gone by since I took the chair position. Where did the time go? The experience has been wonderful, made especially satisfying by the fact that I have worked with a highly talented and creative group of media practitioners and scholars committed to delivering a quality program.READ MORE

Grads, educators must train in new technology, but teach traditional media principles Spring 2009 - By Kenneth Long SIUE Mass Communications Alumni Association President Megan Lynch is setting the new industry standard in journalism as well as a path students should follow. Lynch, an award-winning investigative journalist at KMOX 1120 AM and an SIUE alumna from 1992, she became interested in journalism while attending high school in Chatham, Ill., when she took a TV broadcasting class. She also covered high school sports via radio. “I did newscasts and even a little bit of women’s basketball play-by-play,” Lynch said. “It was enough to whet my appetite.” After graduating from high school, Lynch began her collegiate studies at Lincolnland Community College in Springfield where she continued to study radio and TV, as well as work at the campus radio station. READ MORE

Retirement on the horizon for Kautzer 2009 - By Joe Stilwell The deadline for your news package is in one hour. You finally finish. You press record to copy it to your tape, and nothing happens. The involuntary slap of the hard drive immediately follows. What next? Call John. For the last 28 years, whenever a problem arose in either the video or audio production labs, inevitably Production Engineer John Kautzer was called. But Kautzer will be up for retirement on Sept. 15, and the reaction from the Mass Communications Department is poignant. The consensus seems to be that he really is as nice as everyone says. READ MORE

Roberson-Bailey has a lot of grit . . . and a lot of heart 2009 - By Amy Kirby Since graduating in 1999 from SIUE’s Mass Communications program with a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in television/radio and a minor in journalism, Jules Roberson-Bailey has made quite a name for herself in the news world. Currently a freelance field producer, Roberson-Bailey does the vast majority of her work for CBS News. Most recently, she has covered such big stories as Pope Benedict’s visits to Washington, D.C. and New York City in 2008; the Democratic National Convention; and Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike. “If it’s a big story, I’m probably there,” she said. “If there’s death and destruction, I’m probably there.” Roberson-Bailey has also put in many hours covering sports. Through the course of her career, she has covered seven Super Bowls. She also spent three years working as Ozzie Smith’s producer. During the course of his 18-year career, Smith was a shortstop for the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals. Roberson-Bailey was with him when he got the phone call informing him that he had been inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. READ MORE

’93 grad loves his work as political reporter 2009 - By Mary Kate Malone When David Price walked the halls of SIUE, he probably never guessed he would end up interviewing the future president of the United States one day, but that is where life took him. Price graduated from SIUE in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with an emphasis in television and radio. Today he is the full-time political reporter for the NBC affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa, — WHO-TV. Price is still remembered at SIUE, where he said he got his start in television from Professor Riley Maynard and Broadcast Engineer John Kautzer. “He never complained about assignments,” Maynard said. “He enjoyed the whole process.” READ MORE

Maynard’s passion for acting spills over into the classroom 2009 - By Ellen Price He was cast as an extra in a film last summer, adding to his list of movies and commercials. This scene was different than most, however; it starred Matt Damon. “I’ve done thousands and thousands of things, this was just one of them,” Mass Communications Professor Riley Maynard said. He was modest about his role in the film “The Informant,” a spy movie that will be released in 2009. The scene was filmed at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in May 2008. It’s the second movie that Maynard has been in, the first being “A Will of Their Own,” a TV mini-series.READ MORE

Mass Comm alum helps Enterprise give back to the community 2009 - By Jeff Mason When Alonzo Byrd graduated with a mass communications degree from SIUE in 1981, he probably didn’t think he would eventually be helping Enterprise Rent-A-Car elevate its public image. As the rental car agency’s assistant vice-president of corporate responsibility, Byrd makes sure Enterprise does the right thing by donating to groups like the National Urban League and partially funding Tavis Smiley’s show on PBS. “By supporting causes and institutions in the community that are helping make a difference in the community, you are bringing about change,” Byrd said. “There are a lot of groups and organizations who rely on corporations in general to support them, and, when you can do that, it really makes a difference.” Byrd said his background in journalism at SIUE helped him get the job at Enterprise and much more. READ MORE

You may see ’04 grads’ work every week when grocery shopping and not even know it 2009 - By Catherine Klene Sometimes when someone opens the newspaper, a mess of advertisements for everything from electronics to detergent awaits. SIUE alumnus Ryan Kauffman already knows what will be in those ads — or at least in the Schnucks circular. Kauffman works as the advertising information coordinator for Schnucks Markets Inc. in St. Louis, but before he began creating the weekly inserts advertising apples, ground beef or cooking oils, Kauffman had a desk in Dunham Hall, learning marketing and advertising skills in Mass Communications classes. Kauffman, a 2004 graduate, said his experience at SIUE was a mix of creativity and real- world applications. READ MORE

New Alestle director sees the humor in noble profession 2009 - By Breann Muich Those who know her best describe Southern Illinois University Edwardsville mass communications professor Tammy Merrett-Murry as a good journalist, hilarious, dedicated and hard working. From a very young age, Merrett-Murry was interested in the news and wanted to be a journalist. “When I was a kid there were a lot of television shows about reporters on the air, and I always found them interesting,” she recalled. “I found myself watching ‘NewsHour with Jim Lehrer’ on PBS when I was 7 or 8.” Merrett-Murry has been working in the journalism industry since she was 16 years old when she began working at her local newspaper, the Haysville Pioneer in Haysville, Kan. When it came time for college, Merrett-Murry decided to attend Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan. READ MORE

Clark: Still excited to go to work every day 2009 - By Rachel Marrs When she was a little girl growing up in Effingham, Ill., Rebecca Clark wanted to be a reporter. When she was young, she would perform skits for her grandparents. She would be the head anchor of a newscast, and her stuffed Kermit the Frog was the co-anchor. Miss Piggy was the reporter in the field. She can honestly say she has always wanted to be a reporter. She attended Effingham High School and then left home for junior college in Mattoon, Ill. Clark went on to pursue a degree in journalism at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. “I chose SIUE because it was far from home. I knew my parents wouldn’t want to drive into St. Louis, and, plus, I’m a big Cardinals fan,” Clark said. READ MORE

Grad Carley leaves big PR firms behind to be his own boss 2009 - By Megan BrilleyHe is an entrepreneur as well as a sports public relations agent. He is a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduate and has helped build the careers of football players from Cincinnati to Seattle. He is Tim Carley. Carley began his journey at SIUE in 1988, double majoring in television-radio and public relations. “I knew I wasn’t going into the TV-R track, but it’s always good to have a backup plan,” Carley said. “My professors and advisors helped me with that.” Riley Maynard was among Carley’s college professors. Carley said he owes much of his success to both Maynard and the university. “The tools he gave me I still use in my 30s,” Carley said. “It’s amazing what a college education can do for a person.” “He’s a great guy,” Maynard said. “He knows what he wants and he goes for it.” READ MORE