Students from the broadcasting stream of RRC’s Creative Communications program have earned a pair of prestigious national awards for their efforts on both a student newscast and a record-setting televised fundraiser.

For the second year in a row, RRC’s Broadcast Journalism class, shown above, won the Best Student Newscast (Video News or News Magazine Show) award from the Broadcast Educators Association of Canada (BEAC), beating out competitors from more than 20 post-secondary institutions across Canada, including Ryerson and Carlton Universities, as well as BCIT, SAIT and NAIT.

The award recognized the students’ work on Red River College TV News, a weekly assignment in which students create and produce an evening newscast while working to the same deadlines and conditions as a typical newsroom.

“They start the day at 8:00 a.m., and create a full local newscast with news, weather, entertainment and sports,” says Joanne Kelly, Broadcast Journalism instructor at RRC. “The students do everything on their own. They run the control room, produce, write and report, and do all on the on-air. The [BEAC] judges have said our show could stand up against most professional local newscasts.”

Members of Kelly’s Live TV Production class were also recognized by BEAC, earning the Best Student Special/Live Remote award for this year’s nine-hour telethon benefitting the Winnipeg Humane Society. As with the newscast, RRC students handled all behind-the scenes tasks — including production, camera work, editing and directing — as well as on-camera duties such as reporting and hosting. They also earned a record $72,000 for the Humane Society in the process.

Both entries are also up for the President’s Prize Award (Best of Video and Audio). Students will pick up their awards during the annual BEAC conference and award ceremony, taking place this year in Niagara Falls from May 23-25.

“We are not only so proud of our students for their talent, hard work and teamwork,” says Kelly, “but we are so proud to help raise the awareness of our incredible program across Canada.”

Click here for more information about the Creative Communications program at RRC.