Broadcasting students host live pregame shows in Lincoln Haymarket

The show featured various members of the CoJMC community. Alum Gary Shapiro, news broadcaster for 9News in Denver, Colorado, is interviewed here by Matt Reynoldson.
The show featured various members of the CoJMC community. Alum Gary Shapiro, news broadcaster for 9News in Denver, Colorado, is interviewed here by Matt Reynoldson.

The College of Journalism and Mass Communications’ student-led radio station, KRNU, hosted four Husker football pregame shows in the Lincoln Haymarket this football season. The shows were broadcast from Catalyst, a free collaborative workspace offered through Union Bank & Trust for entrepreneurs and startups in Lincoln.

The show, KRNU Kick-Off, was broadcast live prior to the regular pregame show, “Husker Countdown.” Broadcasting professor Rick Alloway, general manager of KRNU, said the idea has been discussed for years. A streetside presence in the Haymarket served as a way to promote the CoJMC and also provided students with an opportunity to gain real-world experience in sports communication, Alloway said.

The show was anchored by Matt Reynoldson, a senior broadcasting student, and David Eickholt, a senior broadcasting and journalism student.

“I found the experience to be worthwhile, and I found it really helped my interviewing skills when we had different guests on,” Eickholt said. “My broadcasting ability improved throughout the duration of the season. It's just another great addition to the KRNU lineup on game day.”

The show featured various members of the CoJMC community, including Dean Maria Marron, professors Michelle Hassler and John Schrader and Gary Shapiro, alum and news broadcaster for 9News in Denver, Colorado.

"I think the show really helped me expand my interview skills and ability to do radio in a non-sports sense," Reynoldson said. "I was able to interview Dean Marron, Michelle Hassler, 9News Denver morning anchor Gary Shapiro, and some others. On a lot of these, I did the interview solo, so I had to show command of the interview as well as working through the comments of our guests."

The show includes pregame chatter with an emphasis on highlighting events taking place in the CoJMC, as well as other important programs.

“Any promotion of what we do is important for the college,” Alloway said. “The show gives publicity to students and what they do, but also shines a light on other interesting programs in the college, KRNU and the University in general.”

Professor Jerry Renaud was the on-site producer for KRNU Kick-Off this year and said the experience was positive overall and helped prepare students for a career in sports communications.

“It was a great opportunity for the students to see what it’s like to broadcast a live pregame show,” Renaud said. “It helped promote the new sports communications major and the college of journalism in general.”

Broadcasting a show in front of a live audience is a beneficial experience for students pursuing a sports communications career, Alloway said. It helps them prepare for real-world scenarios and gives them confidence.

“Live pregame shows are a staple of sports broadcasting,” he said. “At the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, we try to focus on live, real-time performances. Getting these students in front of an audience to interact with that audience was a great learning opportunity.”