As part of a two-week course, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications students will be covering the 2015 State Games of America in Lincoln and Omaha.
The Nebraska Sports Council and the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau are hosting the State Games of America July 28-Aug. 2. This year’s games include more than 60 sports. A record 18,000 participants from across the United States are expected to come to Nebraska.
About 40 students from all majors are enrolled in the college’s special topics class to cover and promote the event. The students will cover the games with taped segments featuring athletes and events, as well as live broadcasts of the opening ceremonies and three evening shows. They also will be creating social media posts and live-tweeting events.
“It isn’t very often that we have the opportunity to put together a class with students from all majors,” said Barney McCoy, associate professor of broadcasting. “It’s a great chance for our students to see what each other do. In this two-week course, they’re going to learn a lot and get a lot of real-world experience working together in this fast-paced setting.”
The college has partnered with CityTV and Lincoln CBS affiliate KOLN-KGIN to help with live broadcast coverage. Students will work with local broadcast professionals in covering and promoting the events. The University of Nebraska at Omaha will provide production facilities for those covering games and events in Omaha.
The State Games of America have been held every two years since 1999 in cities across the nation. All residents of the host state are eligible to participate with state games participants from other states who earned a medal in a qualifying event in the two years leading up to the games. The State Games of America will take the place of the Cornhusker State Games in 2015.
