CBPA News

MSU Shield Yearbook is Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Competition Finalist

Murray State University's yearbook, the Shield, was just announced as a finalist in the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Competition. The book was one of 15 finalists nationwide. The Associated Collegiate Press is the oldest and largest national membership organization for college student journalists. The more than 20,000 students who staff ACP member publications work on yearbooks, newspapers, magazines, broadcast programs and online publications.

ACP's Pacemaker Competition is "college journalism's most prestigious and oldest prize for general excellence…[and] honors those who set the pace, surpassing all others," the organization's website said.

The editor-in-chief of the book is Jessica Smith Jeffress, a junior from Mayfield. Dr. Ann Landini, associate professor in the department of journalism and mass communications, serves as adviser to the publication's student staff.

Among the other schools selected as finalists for this year's Pacemaker Competition are University of Arkansas, University of Miami, University of Illinois, Indiana University, Kansas State University, Western Kentucky University, Wellesley College, University of Mississippi, Northwest Missouri State University, North Carolina State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas, Texas A&M University and James Madison University.

The Shield was a finalist in the Pacemaker Competition in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and went on to receive the Pacemaker Award each of those years.

Winners of the Pacemaker Award will be announced in the fall at the ACP/College Media Advisers convention in Kansas City, Mo. For more information about the Shield, contact the staff at yearbook@murraystate.edu or by phone at (270) 809-4495.

Murray State Alum Surprises Ad World with Jump into Newest of New Media

January 29, 2008
For Immediate Release

Murray, KY – Murray State University alumnus Sean Finnegan shook up the international advertising world on January 22 with the announcement that he would leave his position as CEO of Omnicom Media Group Digital to become Chief Media Officer for new media leader Vibrant Media. Finnegan’s role with Vibrant will be to align the marketing, business development and product innovation departments with the company’s sales team; his start date is February 1.

According to Vibrant’s web site, the company defines itself as “the world's leading provider of in-text advertising and a contextual media pioneer”. In-text advertising involves the placement of hyperlinks in web text that open a window containing a text or video ad when users move their mouse over a link. Clicking on the link generally takes the reader to the advertiser’s web site. The links typically are double-underlined to differentiate them from other types of web links.

In an interview with Abbey Klaassen of Advertising Age, Finnegan explained his move, saying “It's a new environment, one that's intimate and entrepreneurial, yet still proven – [Vibrant has] 3,000 publishers, 120 million-person reach. It's doing extremely well revenue-wise, has a great reputation and performs well for advertisers. I made that decision about the environment and came to a place where I have passion about the product and a [place that has a] proven model. And Doug [Stevenson, Vibrant’s CEO] has given me the keys to oversee marketing, business development and product innovation.”

For more information, contact:
Sue Moore Fenske, Director of Development
College of Business and Public Affairs
106 Development Center
Murray, Kentucky 42071-3313
Tel. 270.809.3123
Fax. 270.809.3436

MSU Tonight returns to MSU TV-11

MSU Tonight returns to MSU TV-11 on Thursday evenings, starting January 31. The program, produced by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication's JMC 358 class, features news, information and entertainment related to Murray State University and the surrounding area. If your organization would like to be featured in an interview segment, please contact Jeremy McKeel (TV Operations Director) at 809-3170 or at william.mckeel@murraystate.edu.

TV-11 is a cable-television service provided by Murray State University's Department of Journalism and Mass Communications. As a laboratory environment, TV-11 provides Electronic Media and Journalism students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in all facets of television production. An affiliate of Kentucky Educational Television's KET2 service, TV-11 provides the finest in television programming twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Locally produced programming airs weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m.

TV-11 reaches 43,800 households in western Kentucky and northwest Tennessee. Locally, TV-11 is available on channel 11 to subscribers of Newwave Communications in Murray, Mayfield, Benton, and Calvert City, as well as subscribers of Murray Electric System Broadband in Murray. Subscribers of Mediacomm in Calloway and Marshall counties may view TV-11 on channel 7.

Scott Adair and awarded URSA grant

Scott Adair, senior marketing major at Murray State University, was recently awarded an Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity grant in the amount of $150. Adair will study economic development within Kentucky’s State Resort Park System and explore potential benefits and possible pitfalls linked to an increase of Public-Private Partnerships. Adair states, “A staggering $10.2 million has been invested in Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park and Lake Barkley State Resort Park to make much needed renovations.” However, in order to maintain the high standard that Kentucky state parks have set forth, necessary renovations, due to common “wear and tear”, will need to be completed to every state park on a regular basis. Adair also states that in the past, “Kentucky Government has raised taxes only to find that this provided little relief”, which leads to his main question: “Where can fiscal funds be found when raising taxes is not an option?”

Dr. Terry Holmes, Chair of the Department of Management, Marketing, and Business Administration, will serve as faculty mentor on this project. As a recipient of URSA grant funds, Adair will present during MSU’s Scholars Week in April, 2008. He will be presenting his project during Posters-at-the-Capitol on January 31, 2008, in Frankfort, KY.