Published: February 28, 2007 11:53 pm         

Area students learn about communication careers at annual event

Kyle Clifton hopes to someday work in mass communication.

But for now the Pioneer High School senior settled for working the camera and sound board at PEGASYS Wednesday during the annual Northwest Oklahoma High School Media Day.

Clifton said he was inspired Wednes-day by veteran television broadcaster Kelly Ogle, who delivered a keynote address to students.

“He was pretty interesting,” Clifton said.

Clifton and nearly 90 other area high school students learned the ins and outs of mass communication, including television production, radio, newspaper and marketing and public relations.

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

Ogle, anchor of KWTV Channel 9 in Oklahoma City, told students now is a perfect opportunity to pursue a career in broadcast journalism.

“I highly recommend you begin in radio,” Ogle said, adding broadcasters often get good voice training in radio.

Ogle also talked about how to break into the business, and he said a college degree is mandatory at KWTV.

He told students the hardest stories to cover are those involving the injury of children. He said he also once covered an execution. His favorite news stories, however, include interviewing David Letter-man in New York City and the 50th an-niversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

“What I love about it as a reporter, it’s a field trip every day,” Ogle said.

Students from Enid, Timberlake, Covington-Douglas, Chisholm, Oklaho-ma Bible Academy, Woodward, Pond Creek-Hunter, Deer Creek-Lamont, Aline-Cleo and Pioneer, as well as two homeschool students 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 graphic design, Web design, newspaper, marketing and public relations and radio.