Marketing Minor Students Tour KVOA
Students from Eller’s summer marketing minor program toured KVOA-TV Channel 4, Tucson’s NBC affiliate, to get a first-hand glimpse of advertising in action. Bill Shaw, vice president and general manager, and Jeff Green, general sales manager, hosted 50 students and instructor Ed Ackerley on an informational tour of the station to view the advertising sales, production, and news departments.
“The visit to KVOA tied into the idea of taking the knowledge I have gained so far and applying it to a career,” said Olivia Cain, a senior in film and television production. “There were a variety of positions within the studio that in some way or another related to a concept that has been covered in class. Also, seeing real professionals in their work environment showed how enjoyable a job in that medium can be.”
“It was great to have hands on-experience with the field of television, while also understanding the role of sales positions,” said Aidan Heigl, a junior in studio art with an emphasis in photography. “It was a good way to learn outside of the classroom and they also proposed some internship opportunities, which is great!”
The highlight of the trip was meeting with John Overall, Jeff Beamish, John Patrick and other on-air talent in the KVOA studios, where students had the opportunity to be “on” TV on the news set and in front of the green screen.
The Marketing 307: Creative Advertising class is one of six classes offered this summer to students all over campus who are completing marketing minor degrees.
“My experience in the marketing minor program this summer has been extremely positive,” said Cain, who hopes to work for a major film production company after graduation. “It's a huge time commitment but I personally love how accelerated the program is – it’s a constant reminder that you get out what you put in.”
“The marketing minor has given us all an overwhelming amount of information,” said Danielle Carpenter, a journalism senior. Carpenter is an anchor for UATV and aims to work in marketing or public relations for a major television corporation or hotel chain. “For many of us, the minor program has helped us in deciding what we might want to do after we graduate. This minor has opened our eyes to so many opportunities and is teaching us so much about not only marketing, but the future as well.”
Top image of the Marketing 307: Creative Advertising class on set at Channel 4 courtesy KVOA.