The Grand Collaboration: Radio, Television and the Ivory Tower    [Print This Page] Time: 2:00-3:15 p.m. Date: Thursday, Sept. 11 Place: 278 Gannett Hall As the technology and delivery systems change, how will colleges and universities teach the next generation of radio and television journalists? Industry leaders peer into the future to find direction for faculty and students. Moderator: Max Utsler Associate Professor University of Kansas Max Utsler, MA '73, has spent most of the last 25 years teaching journalism at the University of Kansas. A dual football and baseball athlete in college, Utsler graduated from Knox College in Illinois. At his first job teaching junior high English in Osseo, Minn., he served as a volunteer baseball coach at the University of Minnesota. That led him to apply to the University of Missouri, where he eventually earned two graduate degrees. While pursuing his master's degree in journalism, Utsler was an assistant to the MU baseball team. After completing his master's, Utsler remained on the School's faculty for 11 years. He earned a doctorate degree in education from MU in addition to working summers at KMBC-TV in Kansas City as a producer and reporter. Utsler then left Columbia to become the assistant news director at KSDK-TV in St. Louis, leaving a year later for his position at KU. Utsler also has served as a senior sports producer at KPNX-TV in Phoenix, Ariz., and as a reporter for WEEK-TV in Peoria, Ill. He currently freelances as a writer for MLB.com. and plays baseball in Kansas City's Men's Senior Baseball League. Discussion Leaders: Candy Altman Vice President, News Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. Candy Altman, MA '78, has served as a vice president of news for Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. since 2002. Having served as a group news executive since 2000, Altman has helped oversee the company's industry-leading biennial "Commitment" projects to provide extended news coverage of the political process. Previously, Altman served as news director at Hearst-Argyle's flagship station WCVB-TV in Boston, one of America's most journalistically honored stations. Altman joined WCVB in 1983 as executive producer of NewsCenter5 Tonight, the station's 11 p.m. weeknight newscast. She later became executive producer of NewsCenter5 at Six and, subsequently, the station's executive producer of news and a station vice president. During Altman's term as news director, the WCVB news team received numerous prestigious journalism awards, including three national Edward R. Murrow Awards, two Peabody Awards, several Gabriel Awards and multiple "News Station of the Year" awards by the New England Regional Associated Press. She serves on both the Associated Press Broadcast Advisory Board and the National Advisory Board of the Poynter Institute. Altman is a past president of the ABC News Affiliate Advisory Board. Katherine E. Clements Senior Vice President, Television Operations Belo Corporation Katherine Clements is the senior vice president for television operations for the Belo Corporation. She previously served as the president and general manager for WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth. She joined WFAA in 1984 as an account executive and was promoted to national sales manager in 1986. In 1990, Clements was named WFAA's director of sales and marketing. She was promoted to station manager of KXTV in Sacramento in 1995, and one year later she assumed the role of vice president and general manager. She returned to WFAA in 1997 as vice president and general manager. Rick Gevers President Rick Gevers & Associates Rick Gevers, BJ '75, has been president of Rick Gevers & Associates, a talent agency for TV news anchors, reporters, meteorologists and sportscasters, since 1995. He began the Zionsville, Ind., company after 12 years as a TV news director in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio, where his newsrooms were honored with several regional Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press best news operations awards. He also worked at TV stations in Miami, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Fla., and Columbia, Mo. Gevers is a past board member of the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) and the Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters. He is a frequent guest lecturer at universities around the country and has participated on panels at many industry conventions. Mackie Morris Owner Mackie Morris Communications A journalism and communications seminar leader, teacher, coach and practitioner with more than 30 years of experience, Mackie Morris, MA '77, founded Mackie Morris Communications in 2001 as a way to respond to his growing clientele among Fortune 500 companies and to serve media outlets throughout the world. His corporate clients include key executives with ABC-Disney, NBC, Belo, Cox, LIN and Bonneville, and he also trains a wide array of non-media individuals, including politicians, professional musicians, professional athletes and law enforcement officials. A specialist in writing, storytelling, production and performance, Morris has conducted on-site writing and storytelling seminars for more than 150 TV stations in the United States and abroad and before such groups as the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society for Professional Journalists, the Children's Miracle Network and Investigative Reporters & Editors. Prior to starting his own company, Morris served Frank N. Magid Associates of Iowa as a vice president and lead consultant. Previously, he served as chair of the broadcast news department at the Missouri School of Journalism. David L. Smith Chief Executive Officer SmithGeiger David L. Smith, BJ '73, MA '75, directs the development of strategic consulting partnerships, oversees all consulting relationships and is responsible for fostering client relationships at SmithGeiger, a leading market research and consulting firm. His consulting clients include ABC, CNN, Warner Bros., Disney, Lifetime, Hearst, NBCUNI, Paramount, Scripps, Sony and many others. Prior to forming SmithGeiger, Smith launched the entertainment practice for Frank N. Magid Associates. As president of entertainment, he presided over the largest growth in the firm's long history and served as a senior consultant to virtually all of the major studios and production companies in the industry. Smith consulted on all facets of his client's business, including brand identity, format development, talent evaluation and performance, distribution, marketing and promotion. Christine Xie Foreign Correspondent Washington Bureau, Phoenix TV Christine Xie, MA '01, is a foreign correspondent in the Washington Bureau of Phoenix Satellite TV, based in Hong Kong. In this position, she covers the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Defense Department and Chinese issues. She previously served as an anchor and reporter for the company in Los Angeles. Phoenix TV broadcasts internationally, but its largest audience is in mainland China, where it reaches more than 42 million households. Since graduating, Xie has covered important and pertinent issues such as the Sago (W.V.) Mine explosion, the Virginia Tech school shooting, the Sino-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue and the Grammy Awards. She has conducted interviews with political and celebrity icons such as Wuyi, vice premier of China; Yao Ming, NBA basketball star; and former President Bill Clinton. In 2004, Xie served as a judge in Florida's Excellence in Journalism Awards, and in 2005, she judged the New York Festivals International Television Programming and Promotion Awards. About the Futures Forum Top journalists, advertisers and thought leaders will lead numerous interactive sessions during the Sept. 11 Futures Forum, a day of cutting-edge discussions about the next century of journalism. Ethics, convergence and politics are just a few of the many hot topics that will be explored in this diverse program dedicated to challenging industry thinking and visualizing possibilities for the future. Sessions will be 75 minutes long and held concurrently with others on the schedule. Full schedules will be available during on-site check in during the Sept. 10-12 celebration. Close Window