BEA2026

Faculty and former students from the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication outline the “Hubbard Reporting Experience.” In this collaborative two-week bootcamp, broadcast students go from basic production and reporting knowledge to day-turning news packages for broadcast. Students pitch stories at 8 a.m., then interview, shoot, write, track, edit and air a live newscast at 4 p.m., including remote live shots.

Moderator: Scott Libin, University of Minnesota
Panelists: Sara Quinn, University of Minnesota

Look at the schedule for mid-day breaks and special events and exhibitors.

AEJMC
Asbury University
B&H
Cuez.app
Gray Television
Hearst
ICA
Lorensbergs/Connect2
Routledge / Taylor & Francis
University of Tampa

Since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, radio and television mergers and acquisitions have exploded in a push to deregulate local media ownership in the United States. As family owned stations became conglomerate owned, single stations became duopolies, and shell companies “owned” stations in name only, local broadcasters have borne the brunt of the business decisions of their corporate mega-owners. What has this done to the face of LOCAL broadcasting? This panel discusses impacts on minority radio ownership and programming, labor impacts for station workers, and the state of local journalism in the community.
Moderator: Carey L. Higgins-Dobney, University of Kentucky
Panelists: Chip Mahaney, Southern Methodist University
Robin Mazyck Sundaramoorthy, Lehigh University
Mary Beth Earnheardt, Youngstown State University
Nicole Clarity, Hofstra University

Newsrooms are known for their “salty” workplace culture where “f bombs” fly as frequently as breaking news alerts sound; gallows humor long used to manage the stress of having a front row seat to death and destruction.

Both of these mainstays of newsroom culture are becoming increasingly problematic in today’s multi-generational newsrooms.

This panel will offer thoughts on what that means for educators training future journalists and for the employers who seek to hire them.
Moderator: Steve Bien-Aime, University of Kansas
Panelists: Dan Grainge, President NEP Specialty Capture Division
Wes Akers, Northern Kentucky University

This panel explores how emerging aerial technologies are reshaping drone capabilities and prompting new regulatory frameworks. Panelists will examine ethical, legal, and operational challenges in aerial innovation, highlighting implications for journalism, public safety, and environmental monitoring. The session fosters dialogue on balancing innovation with responsible governance in a rapidly evolving field.
Moderator: Dale Blasingame, Texas State University
Panelists: Julian Rodriguez, University of Texas - Arlington
David Smith, West Virginia University

You can't learn how to be a journalist or a media professional from a textbook or by simply sitting in a class. You learn by getting your hands dirty, doing the hard work and gaining field experience. This panel will be a look at tried and tested experiential workshops — some multi-day workshops — put on by different
universities around the world. These workshops and our panelists run the spectrum: A sports workshop incorporating multiple classes,
an immersive photo and multimedia storytelling workshop, global documentary workshops on social change and environmental issues. We want to include what works and what doesn't work, some step-by-step guides for creating a successful, hands-on workshop. Many of these workshops also provide portfolio pieces for students and/or have a community service component to them as well.

Moderator: Jen Smith, University of Kentucky
Panelists: Jen Smith, University of Kentucky
David Stephenson, School of Journalism and Media, University of Kentucky,
Robin Canfield, Actuality Abroad
Robb B. Montgomery, Visual Editors, NFP
Tynymgul Eshieva Eshieva, American University in Central Asia

Join us for this series of sessions showcasing the work of our Festival of Media Arts Student News winners.

Moderator: Boriana Treadwell, University of Miami

News Competition
Television Long Feature Reporting Category
Best of Festival: Alex Land, University of Florida; The New Florida Follies

Television News Magazine Category
1st Place: Katelyn Kucharski, Delanie Haddad & Gracie Palmer, University of Miami; Hometown Heroes: 2025 Edition

Sports Competition
Video News Program Category
1st Place: Griffin Bloomstein & Nathaniel Cunningham, Syracuse University; Syracuse Women’s Soccer vs Cornell Pregame Show

Television Short Feature Reporting Category
Award of Excellence: Josiah Rozek, Regent University; Canaries in the Coal Mine

Join us for this series of sessions showcasing the work of our Festival of Media Arts Student Audio winners.

Moderator: Allysa Adams, Arizona State University

Educational Program Category
1st Place: Bryan Gonzalez & Claire Macchiarola, University of Central Florida; Hospice Chaplain Provides Comfort in Life's Final Moments

Narrative Audio Category
1st Place: Krystal Guerra, Texas Christian University; Deliver U.S.

Non-Narrative Audio Category
1st Place: Wyatt Lehr, Denise Valdez-Alavarez, Bayleigh Koch, Brian Tessmer & Sean Keating, University of Nebraska at Omaha; Live from the Strauss Performing Arts Center: CFAM 20th Anniversary, Segment 2/3

PSA, Promo, or Commercial Category
1st Place: Marisol Sela, Texas Christian University; PSA - Smokefree.gov

Join us for this series of sessions showcasing the work of our Festival of Media Arts Student News & Audio winners.

Moderator: Heather Dunn, Arizona State University

Radio Reporting Category
Best of Festival: Boone Kilpatrick, Syracuse University; 40 Feet In the Air

Sound Engineering and Production
1st Place: Dylan Singletary, Liberty University; You Love You

1st Place: Seth Krispin, Regent University; Boy From Two Blocks Down

Showcasing your most innovative teaching ideas. As part of our quest for the most innovative teaching ideas, we present “BEA Ignite” – where you can share your best classroom project/exercise/ideas. Following the traditional “ignite” format, presenters get 5 minutes and 20 slides to share their passionate teaching idea. The seven best “ignite” ideas were selected to make their presentations “live” during this BEA2026 session.

Andrew David, Moderator/Host
Michael Bruce, Producer

Lauren Bavis, Syracuse University - How PR and Journalism Students Collaborate on “Both Sides of the Podium”

Kara Gould, Samford University - Using Informal Debate within Panel Discussions to Encourage Student Engagement in the Classroom

Christine Guest, Ithaca College - Co-Lab with Yamdu: Unlocking TV/Film Team Teaching

Angelica Kalika, University of Colorado Boulder - Beat the Machine

Teresa Puente, California State University - Long Beach - Creating a Social Video Awareness Campaign

Danna Ramos, University of the Incarnate Word - Pop Culture Broadcast

Lakshmi N Tirumala, Drake University - Voice Before Camera - Teaching Media Students to Speak Story First

As published on the RTDNA website, “The RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Newsroom Survey is the only comprehensive annual research of radio and television newsrooms.” This session, led by the survey’s researchers, will present the latest findings, providing an overview of the current state of local radio and television news. This includes information on staff demographics, worker safety, management hiring and retention decisions, and use of new technologies including AI.
Moderator: Keren Henderson, Syracuse University
Panelists: Timothy Mirabito, Syracuse University

Calling all BEA "Best of" Festival winners!  Winners will meet for a brief run through of the evening awards ceremony.

In a rapidly changing information landscape, strong journalism matters more than ever.

Join the News Division meeting in Las Vegas to connect with colleagues, exchange new ideas, and help shape exciting initiatives for the coming year. These meetings are a welcoming space to build community, spark collaboration, and make your voice part of the conversation. Whether you’re a returning member or attending for the first time, this is a valuable opportunity to network with peers, share insights, and play an active role in your division’s future. We’d love to see you there.

Chair: Carey L. Higgins-Dobney, University of Kentucky
Vice Chair, Programming: Keren Henderson, Syracuse University
Vice Chair, Research: Chandra Clark, University of Alabama
Communications Chair: Tabitha Ann Bartoe, Regent University, WKEF/WRGT

Student News Live debuted with 24-hour streaming coverage on Election Day 2024, featuring young journalists from across the world, including reporting live from the White House. Building on that success, the program is launching a podcast to amplify student voices on campus and community issues nationwide. This session will feature Student News Live board members outlining opportunities for students to get involved.

Moderator: Rob Quicke, Marshall University
Panelists: Nick Hirshon, William Paterson University
Rob Quicke, Marshall University

Local television is at a crossroads.
We will look at AI already being used in newsrooms and how these tools could reshape both editorial workflows and ethical standards. We will discuss the operational, technical and editorial makeup of consolidated newsrooms, the rapid growth of streaming newscasts and other local content, and how it all affects the future job market.
We'll also address ownership changes and how these shifts change the way local television has been defined over the years.

Moderator: Suzy Smith, Ball State University
Panelists: Terry J. Heifetz, Ball State University
Michael Brouder, Ball State University
Stephen Crews, Gray Television

During the ceremony, recipients will be recognized with a specialized screening of their winning project and a cash award of $1,000 from the Diana King Memorial Endowment.

The 2026 Best of Festival winners were selected from a pool of over 2,250 entries, representing over 300 colleges and universities in the following competitions: audio, documentary, film & video, interactive multimedia, news, scriptwriting, sports and two-year colleges.

2026 Best of Festival Winners

Audio Competition - Faculty
The Traveling Radio Show Goes to the CSU!; Jeff Jacoby, San Francisco State University (Long-Form Production Category)

Audio Competition - Student 
Deliver U.S.; Krystal Guerra, Texas Christian University (Narrative Audio Category)

Documentary Competition - Faculty 
Chicken Ghetto; Sangsun Choi & Paul Lee, Kennesaw State University (Short-Form Category)

Documentary Competition - Student 
Hunter; Jack Hanning, Carter Moore, Nick Reed & Rylie West, University of Tennessee (Documentary Feature Category)

Film & Video Competition - Faculty
Kid Super Pilot; Christian Washington, Huntington University Arizona (Narrative Video Category)

Film & Video Competition - Student
Southern Apocrypha; Eli Murray, Ethan Hickey, Jordan Moore & Amy Csaki, Middle Tennessee State University (Narrative – Mini Narrative Category)
Komets Blackout Night Promo; Bryce Garrett, Huntington University (Promotional Category)

Interactive Multimedia Competition - Faculty
Eyes of Freedom Immersive; Pat Clark, University of Colorado Boulder (Interactive Reality Category)

Interactive Multimedia Competition – Student
As Tough As Ice; Murphy McFarlane, Syracuse University (Multimedia Storytelling Category)

News Competition - Faculty
From Denver to Mecca: A CNN producer’s personal pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site; Kareem El Damanhoury, Muhammad Darwish, Angelica Pursley & Matog Saleh, University of Denver (Television Feature News Reporting Category)

News Competition - Student
40 Feet In the Air; Boone Kilpatrick, Syracuse University (Radio Reporting Category)

The New Florida Follies; Alex Land, University of Florida (Television Reporting Category)

Centre County Report: April 4, 2025; Allie Wenskoski, Sarah Schultz, Francie Ebert, Hannah Neurohr, Owen Gelber &
Denys Khrulov, Penn State University (Television Newscast Category)

Scriptwriting Competition - Faculty
All These Lonesome Graveyards; Nathan Patton, Missouri State University (Original Television Series Pilot Category)  
Scriptwriting Competition - Student Bandit; Cooper Johnson, Missouri State University (Original Television Series Pilot Category)

Sports Competition - Faculty
Authentic ACC: Syracuse Spring Football; Jordan Kligerman, Austin Beehner, Mike Lang & Richard Wiesmann, Syracuse University (Long Form Sports Video Category)

Sports Competition - Student
Ball State Sports Link: My Black Is; Nate Locker & Amadou Diallo, Ball State University (Promotional Video/Tease/PSA Category)

Student Two-Year Colleges Competition
25 Years of Harper Radio; Zoe Meshenberg, Harper College (Non-Narrative Audio Category)

Graduate Student Competition
Piloting the Past into the Future; Rio Harper, Dian Ling, Nicole Cummings & Nathan Olszewski, Syracuse University (Documentary)