Welcome to the SIUC College of Mass Communication and Media Arts

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Media are more dynamic today than perhaps at any time in history, rapidly evolving on a global scale with new technology, theory and practices, transforming both those who practice in the field and their audiences. We meet those challenges with modern facilities, forwardthinking faculty and a hands-on philosophy.

Our faculty provides students with a solid foundation of media history while leading the way in traditional and emerging fields. Students learn how various platforms – print, cinema, electronic, broadcast and photographic – stand alone. And they discover how those areas are converging and forming a new media environment.

Students receive hands-on experience in professional media environments. We provide valuable internships with top organizations and media companies and our students annually win numerous state and national media awards. Most importantly, our students graduate with quality experience and portfolios demonstrating the expertise they have gained in pursuit of their diploma.

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Big Muddy Film Festival

The Big Muddy Film Festival is one of the oldest student-run film festivals in the United States. From the beginning it has been dedicated to encouraging grassroots filmmaking in local communities.

The festival was founded by recently-retired Southern Illinois University faculty member Mike Covell in 1978. Barbara Laing, Jeanne Kracher, and Linda Balek directed, curated, and wrote grants for the first festival in 1979. Today it is run by graduate and undergraduate students of various backgrounds.

Created to bring films not typically available to the community, the first Big Muddy Film Festival was held in late March of 1979. There were approximately 45 entries, which played to packed houses at the Student Center Auditorium over a three-day period. Since then, the festival has expanded into a 10-day event, and films are not only shown on the SIU campus, but throughout the town of Carbondale and the greater Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky region.

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River Region Evening Edition

More than seventy students from across the SIUC camps come together each semester to produce River Region Evening Edition, a live, half-hour newscast aired on WSIU-TV. The program airs at 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the Fall and Spring terms. The Evening Edition is staffed entirely by volunteer student broadcasters and journalists-- students are completely responsible for reporting, writing, editing, producing, and anchoring the show.

The Evening Edition news team continues to garner national and regional recognition. In 2009, a student was honored with a First Place award for Best Videography by the Illinois News Broadcasters Association. Others received second place awards for Sports Reporting and Best Newscast. A sister program, the monthly live sports program called Saluki SportsView, also earned a First Place Award from the INBA.

The Studies Programs are summer internship programs housed in SIUC's College of Mass Communication and Media Arts. They are a joint venture by the Department of Radio-Television, the Department of Cinema and Photography, and the School of Journalism. The Studies Programs allow students to gain hands-on experience while earning academic credit by doing internships in Hollywood, Chicago, New York City, Nashville, and Washington, D.C. The first Studies Program was launched in Hollywood in 1995, followed by Chicago in 1998, New York City in 2005, Nashville in 2006, and Washington, D.C. in 2007.

Through the Studies Programs, students are placed in summer internships with media companies to gain experience and insight into their chosen fields. The internship base is constantly expanding with new opportunities being added for students. The contacts made by students during the internship experience provide an invaluable basis for gaining first-hand knowledge of the many media industries. They also provide a network of helpful professionals who can be of future assistance to students in the pursuit of their career goals. Alumni are centrally involved in these programs by helping students in placing them, having students intern at their companies, and creating endowed scholarships to help students with limited resources take advantage of these opportunities.

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WSIU Radio and WSIU TV

Since 1958, WSIU Public Broadcasting has inspired personal growth, community engagement, and a love for learning in people of all ages. From award-winning programming and educational workshops to town hall meetings and service projects, we are committed to improving the quality of life of the people we serve.

Licensed to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, WSIU Public Broadcasting is an integral part of MCMA. We operate six digital public television channels, three public radio stations, and the first digital radio channel in the region WSIU HD 91.9.1 FM. WSIU Radio also will begin programming on a secondary digital channel WSIU HD 2 (91.9.2), and a third digital channel is available for future use. We also maintain local TV and FM production units and an education and community engagement department.

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alt.news 26:46

alt.news is a student produced magazine-style show that prides itself on being innovative, informative, and above all, entertaining. We push ourselves to utilize the cutting edge of television technology to present stories that you don't find on your typical newscast.

Students do everything from the initial concept to the final air copy of a show, encompassing all facets of television production from shooting and editing to writing and advertising. In recent years, alt.news has been nationally recognized with multiple Emmy awards and has even gone on to be broadcast in larger markets.  Students from all fields of study are appreciated.

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Daily Egyptian Student Newspaper

Nearly 100 SIUC students work as editors, reporters, photographers, page designers, graphic artists, advertising sales representatives, production technicians and circulation drivers. Seven professional staff members work as advisers and department managers.

The DE boasts an independent operation that pays student workers an hourly wage as they gain experience in newswriting, photography, editing, design, advertising sales, ad creation, and web production.

In just the last year, the Daily Egyptian won over 25 awards from the Illinois College Press Association, and was the recipient of the National Newspaper Pacemaker for General Excellence, the nation's most prestigious award.

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Studio A Presents ...

Studio A is a student-produced, multi-camera television series, originating from, appropriately, WSIU-TV’s Studio A. While the programming produced will be aired on WSIU, the primary purpose is to give the SIU student community the hands-on opportunity to work on multi-camera productions. The students’ production roles range from producers, directors, and writers to camerapersons, audio engineers, and lighting designers to set designers, graphic artists and editors.

Upperclass students will mentor the younger, less-experienced students. Those upperclassmen—as well as faculty and staff—will hold seminars and training sessions. A Production Team will decide on projects and oversee their progress from idea to production to distribution.