It’s a first for the Cinema & Television Department, Westphal, and Drexel University! Undergraduate students enrolled in DNews in the winter term got to see their work streamed live on CBS Philadelphia at the end of the quarter.  

Under the guidance of DNews faculty, Michelle McHugh, each student pitched, coordinated, shot, wrote and edited a news package on a story impacting the University City community. The classes then created two show rundowns, wrote scripts for anchors, and recorded video of the anchors pitching to each story. Recordings took place inside the URBN Center, headquarters of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, under the guidance of Bill McNulty, co-manager of the Cinema & Television Department Equipment Room.

“Throughout the winter quarter, the students learned about the many differences between the digital news gathering process and that of other genres,” said McHugh. “At the end of the term, many reflected on their takeaways from the course, which included a newfound respect for news media professionals who work under tight deadlines, often changing stories two or even three times during a shift, just to make slot.”  

At the end of the quarter, Professor McHugh edited all show elements into one newscast, which was shared on CBS Philadelphia’s streaming platform as part of its Collegiate Corner series.  

Michelle McHugh is an assistant teaching professor with the Cinema & Television Department and, in her full-time role with the university, works as the Director of the Paul F. Harron Graduate Program in Television & Media Management. She spent 14 years in the television news industry, leading newsrooms and field crews as a senior executive producer, line and field producer. She was recognized with a prestigious regional Emmy® Award for her work as a journalist covering the impact of crime in Philadelphia on the city’s youth and families. Michelle is a six-time regional Emmy nominee, having been recognized for her writing, live and breaking news coverage in the fourth largest media market in the U.S.