New student teams of anchors, beat reporters, producers and directors for the spring 2024 semester have been named for “WVU News” and “Mountaineer Playbook.”
Students in both courses spend the first few weeks learning the foundations of television news production before auditioning for their roles, which they maintain for the rest of the semester.
Claudia Di Lima and Kathryn Bruch were named main anchors for “WVU News,” and Jonathan Hamilton and Rachel Libert are the main anchors for “Mountaineer Playbook.”
“This is my second year being a main anchor for WVU News, and I’m very excited to strengthen my knowledge and skills and use this experience for future jobs,” said Bruch, a Journalism senior from Warrentown, Virginia. “My main goal this spring semester is to build more relationships with professional journalists currently working in the field, and WVU News provides that opportunity.”
Libert is a senior Sports and Adventure Media major from Niles, Ohio, who is also minoring in Women and Gender Studies. After graduation in May, she plans to pursue a master's degree in broadcast journalism with an emphasis in sports.
“Being chosen as main anchor was extremely rewarding, as this was a goal I have been working toward since taking my first sports media classes my sophomore year,” Libert said. “I was extremely happy for my classmates who I know have also been working toward their roles in Playbook, and I know that as a team, we are going to make this semester a success.”
More about “WVU News”
Spring 2024 "WVU News" cast and crew; photo by David Smith
“WVU News” reporters cover events on the University campus and in the Morgantown community. Students report, write, shoot and edit television news stories for the program. They also serve as on-air anchors, producers, directors and technical crew during newscast tapings at WVU’s professional television studio.
“WVU News” is part of the Advanced Television Reporting and Producing course co-taught by Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Teaching Professor Gina Dahlia and Teaching Assistant Professor Ashton Marra. The newscast streams on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV's website (a top 25 TV market) streams on the HD Media website and airs statewide on West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) and the City of Morgantown’s Public Access Channel.
“WVU News” has been awarded more than 100 regional, national, and international juried awards in the past decade, including a National Emmy (2015), Regional Emmy Awards (2022, 2023), Best College Newscast in the Region by the Society of Professional Journalists (2023), and being named in the top four best college newscasts in the country by the Broadcast Education Association every year since 2018.
More about “Mountaineer Playbook”
Spring 2024 "Mountaineer Playbook" cast and crew; photo by David Smith
“Mountaineer Playbook” is the capstone course for the College’s Sports and Adventure Media major and is also taught by Marra along with Shott Teaching Assistant Professor Chuck Scatterday.
The student-produced show was added to the College’s curriculum in 2021 and focuses on sports video reporting and production and includes in-the-field reporting, in-the-studio camera operations, live directing and producing to cover all 18 Division I WVU athletic teams.
Both "WVU News" and "Mountaineer Playbook" stream on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV's website, on the HD Media website and they air statewide on West Virginia Public Broadcasting on Sunday nights at 6:30 p.m. and on the City of Morgantown’s Public Access Channel 14 on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., Fridays at 5 p.m. and Saturdays at 6 p.m..
Past episodes of “WVU News” and “Mountaineer Playbook” can be viewed at mediacollegenewscast.wvu.edu and mediacollegenewscast.wvu.edu/mountaineer-playbook.
"WVU News" Cast and Crew:
- Noah Boylen (Parkersburg, WV) - Nonprofit Reporter
- Kathryn Bruch (Warrentown, VA) - Main News Anchor and Education/ Consumer Reporter
- Claudia Di Lima (Shepherdstown, WV) - Main News Anchor and Westover/ Star City Communities Reporter
- Tannor Enyart (Columbus, OH) - WVU Sports Anchor
- Sterling Gibson (Morgantown, WV) - Lifestyle Anchor
- Hannah Heiskell (Morgantown, WV) - Police/ Fire/ Courts/ Crime Reporter
- Hayley Kish (Atlanta, GA) - Producer
- Ty McClung (Madison, WV) - Legislative/ Government Anchor
- Jhanvee Patel (Germantown, MD) - Health/ Medical Reporter
- Drew Solt (Lancaster, OH) - WVU Campus Reporter
- Terrell Thompson (Cincinnati, OH) - WVU Sports Reporter
- Sydney Wentz (Akron, OH) - Producer
"Mountaineer Playbook" Cast and Crew:
- Devin Anderson (New Fairfield, CT) - Associate Producer and Social Media Anchor and Producer
- Dominic Ayers (Nitro, WV) - Adventure Reporter
- Adam Cooley (Morgantown, WV) - Adventure Reporter
- Austin Greenfield (Martinsburg, WV) - Videographer and Audio
- Alanna Guertin (Apex, NC) - Producer
- Jonathan Hamilton (Old Lyme, CT) - Main Anchor/ Golf and Tennis
- Tiree Holmes (Baltimore, MD) - Camera Operator/ Football
- Ryan Hunker (Columbus, OH) - Videographer and Digital Playback
- Christopher Jones (Carmichaels, PA) - Director/ Baseball
- Alex Lebo (Nesquehoning, PA) - Adventure Anchor
- Adriana Lenhart (Weirton, WV) - Technical Director/ Gymnastics/ Swim and Dive
- Rachel Libert (Niles, OH) - Main Anchor/ Rifle
- Sean Lowdermilk (Kingwood, WV) - Graduate Assistant
- Riley McIlmoyle (Rochester, NY) - Teaching Assistant
- Ethan Moore (Columbus, OH) - Coach’s Corner Anchor
- Max Murphy (Charleston, WV) - Teleprompter/ Volleyball
- Patrick Reneau (Bridgeport, WV) - Audio/ Men’s Basketball
- Ivey Sheets (Tornado, WV) - Social Media Anchor and Producer/ Women’s Basketball
- Brian Vollman (Cleveland, OH) - Graphics/ Wrestling
- Mark Wratchford (Moorefield, WV) - Floor Director/ Men’s and Women’s Soccer