Students Call the Shots on Election Night at WCSU

College students – traditionally predisposed to late nights and all-nighters – may be the perfect choice to be running election night coverage on November 3.  That’s exactly the plan at Western Connecticut State University, where  members of a spirited 40-strong student crew will be utilizing their technological tools and social media expertise to provide WCSU’s 10th annual “Election Connection” production.  The live telecast will bring comprehensive election coverage and exploration of important issues.

An exclusively student anchor team will host this year’s program from 8 p.m. to midnight, with up-to-the-minute coverage of the presidential, congressional and Connecticut General Assembly races, as well as discussions of important issues facing Americans today.

Since its debut in 2011, “Election Connection” has provided election night coverage of news and results from national, state and local contests, featuring an anchor team of student, faculty and expert commentators supported by student reporters covering key races and voter concerns.

Local candidates are invited to participate in live interviews during the show. A new feature of the 2020 production will be a live post-election program, scheduled for Nov. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Both shows will stream over the “WCSU Studio Election Connection” YouTube portal and over the WCSU website at www.wcsu.edu/live. A radio simulcast will air on WXCI-91.7 FM. Social media access is available on the Facebook page “WCSU Election Connection,” on Twitter “@ElectionCT” and on Instagram “#electionCT.”

The “Election Connection” crew kicked off its 2020 series with presentation of a live-streamed virtual debate on Oct. 5 featuring the candidates in the state’s Fifth Congressional District race, which remains available at the program’s YouTube portal.

A pre-pandemic year of election night coverage.

Executive producer Dr. JC Barone, WCSU professor of Communication and Media Arts, observed that students participating in the interdisciplinary course that produces “Election Connection” have been staying late after class and working weekends because they are driven by a commitment to the program.

“The pandemic has placed stressors on how we usually do things, but we are meeting that challenge with much enthusiasm and a robust can-do spirit,” Barone said.

An important edge in adapting the production during the pandemic year has been what officials describe as a “technology cocktail,” blending a state-of-the-art 4K television studio on the WCSU Midtown campus in Danbury with video conferencing, social media and traditional media tools.

Presentations on this distinctive combination of media and digital technologies will be presented during the academic year at educational conferences as well.

“Beyond, that, I think the core values we promote and share in ‘Election Connection’ — respect for one another’s views, teamwork, individual responsibility and a willingness to tackle novel problems — are what power us through the long hours involved and the technical challenges of producing this program,” Barone explained.   

The veteran faculty member has drawn from his extensive professional experience to design the course as a vehicle to train students in media, journalism and liberal arts for the demands of today’s job market.

“Ironically, most students who enroll in this course are not initially interested in politics or news specifically,” he said. “Word has spread that this is an educational experience that will help them in their careers regardless of what their discipline is,” Barone added.

WCSU’s “Election Connection” productions have earned recognitions from professional organizations in the communications field, including first and second place honors in the category of Studio Multi-Camera Production at the national Broadcast Education Association’s Festival of Media Arts for three years as well as numerous top awards from the prestigious National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Additional recognitions include Telly Awards for Live Coverage and a Communicator Award of Distinction from the International Academy of the Visual Arts.

“This year, I shifted to a more collaborative approach to teaching, giving students more responsibility, and they have stepped up,” Barone said. “Much of the success of the class is due to the high level of engagement students are investing.”

The team brings together media novices and veterans, with students staffing key positions including the news director in charge of working with all reporting teams, various producers in charge of overseeing their respective areas, and department chiefs.

“Our goal is consistently to deliver quality programming to the community and Connecticut,” Barone said. “The mixture of in-person training, online technology and peer mentoring within a demanding, high-stakes environment gives them skills they will use beyond ‘Election Connection.’”