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Tiger News is building a quality production with UofM students

Tiger News has operated at the UofM for more than 50 years and has covered a wide range of topics, including sports, student organizations, local news and student-driven topics.

The heads of the production, University of Memphis journalism professor Joe Hayden and executive producer Caleb Suggs, say student involvement is paramount.

For those concerned that television broadcasting is not for them, Hayden said WUMR, the UofM campus radio station, and Meeman 901, the campus public relations firm,  as other ways to get involved, but Tiger News has many positions beyond being an anchor.

“Tiger News is a network, and there are different segments within that umbrella,” Suggs said.

Suggs said the network has both on and off-camera positions, including reporting, sports commentary, videography and public relations.

Despite apparent difference among positions, Suggs said there was some significant overlapping needed skills.

“Videographers are more tech heavy, but reporters need to know technology,” Suggs said.

Suggs saw an opening to improve the program and quickly got involved as the executive producer.

 “I connected with the broadcast journalism professors when I was in high school,” Suggs said. “When Dr. Roxane Coche left last summer, I talked with Dr. Hayden about improving the program. He made me Executive Producer the same day.”

Suggs said he is challenged by the responsibility of being a teacher to students and organizing each show while still a being student at the UofM.

“I have the responsibility of a teacher and the responsibility of an organizer,” Suggs said. “I’m kind of an event planner.”

Suggs oversees the segments in production and devotes personal time to aiding new students, showing them the ropes and guiding their learning.

“We take you as you are,” Suggs said. “We are all still learning. I’m a student myself. After Dr. Coche left, it was a lot of work for Dr. Hayden, and I help ease that burden.”

Hayden’s trust in students to get the job done has been a freeing factor. He said tries to let the students pursue their own goals, only interfering when he is concerned about bias or poor imaging.

Hayden said students working with Tiger News enjoy what they do and also build up their own résumé.

This freedom extends to the students being able to perform their own interview segments called “spotlights.” Suggs helps students produce their programs.

“Tiger News is a vision that one person has that takes a whole team to accomplish and each person has a vision,” Suggs said. “We try to give everyone an opportunity to do what they want to do.”

“Journalism students need to work in student media,” Hayden said. “The program helps students get job experience, confidence, and production skills.”

The program gives UofM students the opportunity to learn from and imitate real television reporters to become familiar with the industry and to seek their own career in the profession by creating their own television productions.

Both Hayden and Suggs urged students to get in contact with Tiger News, and they would do what they could to help new students and seasoned journalists alike.

Tiger News can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Caleb Suggs can also be reasched at cjsuggs@memphis.edu.


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