Annenberg TV News

Background

Founded in September 1998, ATVN gives students hands-on broadcast and multimedia journalism skills that make graduates competitive in media operations across the country.

Regardless of major or class standing, ATVN invites all students to volunteer in the newsroom and studio as assignment desk editors, multimedia journalists, anchors and reporters. Many broadcast journalism classes require students to work a shift in ATVN to supplement their in-class learning. Every semester, a new staff of students takes command of the newscast. Students learn to make editorial decisions under deadline pressure, produce original stories and use studio equipment found in professional newsrooms and studios. These programs include Avid iNews, Avid NewsCutter non-linear editing, Adobe Photoshop, AfterEffects and Drupal content management system. In 2009, ATVN began using Streambox technology to allow for reporter liveshots on air.

With the help of 250-300 volunteers daily, ATVN focuses on news about the University of Southern California and the greater Los Angeles area, in addition to covering major national and international events.

Executive producers

Executive producers at Annenberg TV News are in charge of all running day-to-day operations, including the newscast, managing the Web site at ATVN.org and organizing coverage of events, as well as a number of other weekly duties. EP tenures are usually the same as the school year, running from the beginning of the fall to the end of the spring.