Published: February 27, 2008 11:08 pm         

Local, area students learn about communications fields

Ever heard of a “Purple People Eater” water sprinkler or the “Rest E-Z,” an alternative to the traditional cast?

Probably not.

But if Drummond High School sophomore Kressa Hart continues her current interest in marketing, these products might hit the shelves in the future.

Hart, along with nearly 50 other area high school students, designed ad campaigns, got tips for handling controversial stories in their school newspaper and learned what the perks of being a radio personality are during the annual Northwest Oklahoma High School Media Day.

Media Day is geared toward students enrolled in journalism, mass communication, graphic arts or related courses or those who may be interested in pursuing one of those fields.

“Media Day’s purpose is to expose students to careers in media from media professionals,” said Wendy Quarles, executive director of PEGASYS, Enid’s public-access television station. “They get hands-on experience and learn about critical issues.”

Keynote speaker Galen Culver, reporter and photographer for KFOR NewsChannel 4 in Oklahoma City, told students media, as an industry, is in a state of flux.

“The skills sets — good writing and knowing the basics of photography and sound — are still the same, though,” Culver said about television work.

He showed several clips from his “Is This a Great State or What!” feature, which airs three times a week, including one about Enid’s own “The Mysterious Lab of Dr. Fear,” a television show on PEGASYS.

Culver said he chose news as a career because it changes constantly and every day is something new.

Students from Enid, Cimarron, Drummond, Deer Creek-Lamont, Mooreland and Timberlake attended the event.

Local radio personalities, public relations and marketing representatives and a newspaper editor presented sessions.

Students taped a “Community Talk” segment for PEGASYS and ran cameras and the audio board. They also participated in seminars about television and radio.