News professionals discuss future of print and broadcast journalism

Kevin Finch, center, shares his insight on the future of broadcast media as Duke Conover, left, and Dr. Bob Lochte look on. Conover and Finch were panelists at the media forum prior to the department's spring banquet.

Finch, TV news director with WISH-TV (CBS) in Indianapolis, and Conover, managing editor of The Paducah Sun, shared their views and forecasts of the status of the media with JMC students and faculty/staff.

Finch noted that major market TV stations were still doing well and delivering about the same audience as before the recession. Conover said that while big city dailies were experiencing severe economic problems, small dailies and weeklies continue to be profitable.

Finch, a 1981 JMC graduate, has 24 years of experience in radio and TV news.

A national Edward R. Murrow Award-winning broadcast journalist, he has been the news director at WISH since early 2007.

Before that, he served as the assistant news director. He also worked 13 years at the NBC affiliate, WTHR-TV.

Throughout his news career, he has covered major political and sporting events.

He has covered four national political conventions, a presidential inauguration, the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton and the 9-11 events in Washington.

He headed up large crews at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Sydney, Australia and Salt Lake City. He also executively produced coverage of 11 Indy 500's, the NBA finals, the AFC championships and the NCAA men's Final Four.

In addition to the Murrow Award, he has received two national Community Service Emmy Finalists, two regional Emmy Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award and several first-place awards from the Indiana Associated Press Broadcasters and the Society of Professional Journalists.

As an undergraduate at Murray State he was news director for MSU-TV 11 and a late-night DJ for WKMS-FM.

Conover, a newspaper reporter and editor since 1986, joined The Sun in 2007.

Prior to coming to the Paducah newspaper, he spent seven years as the editor of The News Herald in Morganton, N.C.

His other experience includes a freelance journalist for the Los Angeles Daily News, city reporter and copy editor for The High Point Enterprise in North Carolina, editor of CM Publishing with seven weekly newspapers and deputy editor of the Danville Register & Bee.

In addition to participating in the forum, the two news executives spoke to classes and attended the JMC Awards Banquet.