Green River College Journalism Program Expands
By: Nick Cresia
Staff Writer
Green River College’s Journalism Department offers a wide variety of classes to students interested in the field.
In the radio and audio technology industry, there is a lot that has changed throughout the years with equipment, programming, and production. There is no exception in how the campus adapts to those new changes as well.
Green River College will be providing two new classes in the Journalism Department. The first one being Journalism 140: An Introduction to Audio Editing and Digital Recording. The course will be led by Jon Kasprick, who is the Chief Engineer for the school radio station, KGRG. Kasprick has taught this class numerous times and with technology always advancing, the lessons seem to adapt along with it.
Former Green River student and KGRG alumni Chris Leir has taken the class when it was previously available at the college and learned a lot from the curriculum.
“It’s pretty dense with information and terminology for editing programs,” said Leir.
“It can be overwhelming at first, but the class is very informative and fun. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get into the realm of music editing, multi-tracking, radio production, or even voice-over work.”
The introduction course will also cover proper audio production and editing techniques in the recording studio provided on campus at KGRG’s office in the Student Affairs building. Students will learn about basic technical principles and techniques related to broadcast audio systems, studio operations, and broadcast transmission.
“The best part of the class would be learning about multi-tracking and creating a production piece for a radio station like the one we have at school,” Leir said.
“There are a lot of layers that go into a piece and the class helps make your work sound tighter and more professional,” they Leir.
The introduction class will be meeting spring quarter Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1 p.m. There are seats still open for students interested in registering.
The other course to be added this spring is Journalism 157: Social Media and Broadcast Marketing. The lectures will be led by KGRG General Manager Tom Krause. This new class explores the role of social media, digital delivery, and other marketing tools that are utilized in the broadcasting field. Trends in television and other forms of new media platforms are also discussed.
Green River student and KGRG alumni Leslie Fenn explains why it is important now more than ever to have an understanding of social media in the field of broadcasting.
“We started using social media more and more as time went by at KGRG,” said Fenn. “The platforms most people look up these days are Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. We seemed to get the biggest response from Instagram.”
Many former students at Green River College have excelled from their start at KGRG taking these same classes. Just recently, Curtis Rogers, who now works for 710 ESPN Seattle, attended this most recent Super Bowl in Miami working for the John Clayton Show. Many KGRG staff, including Krause, managed to discover that through social media postings on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Krause also provides classes that have already been implemented at school with Journalism 115: Digital Radio, where you can practice your on-air skills with KGRG. In addition to Journalism 125: Podcasting Lab, led by KOMO News Reporter Charlie Harger. This class allows you to host and create your own podcast with guests of your choice.
“All the classes provide a great stepping stone to finding your passion in radio or the media industry,” Fenn said. “It’s all about the opportunities at KGRG and what you’re able to do with them. Taking Journalism 157 will help students learn how to get their media product out to people that fit their market.”
With open seats available for registration, Journalism 157 will be meeting this spring quarter on weekdays at 12 p.m.
Photo Cred: KGRG
