Assistant Professor Holly Edgell Named Region 7 Director of the Society of Professional Journalists

Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 19, 2008) -- Holly Edgell, an assistant professor at the Missouri School of Journalism and an Emmy Award-winning executive producer at KOMU-TV, has been named to the national board of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Holly Edgell

Edgell will serve as Region 7 director, representing the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. SPJ is a grassroots organization that helps journalists with issues concerning Freedom of Information and First Amendment rights. It was founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi fraternity and is now headquartered in Indianapolis. The Missouri School of Journalism founded its chapter of Sigma Delta Chi in 1913, and the group continues to exist as a local SPJ chapter today.

Edgell brings experience in television news and academia to the SPJ board. She worked as a newscast producer in Youngstown, Ohio, at WFMJ-TV and in Pittsburgh at WTAE-TV. Edgell's career later took her to Cleveland, where she worked as the medical news producer at duopoly WOIO-TV and WUAB-TV, and later to Detroit's WDIV-TV, where she worked as the consumer news producer. Before joining the Missouri School of Journalism, Edgell spent more than four years as an assistant professor in Florida A&M University's journalism school.

Edgell is the adviser for the School's student chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. She is also a member of the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Edgell holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University and a master's degree in journalism with a concentration in media management from Kent State University in Ohio.

KOMU, the NBC affiliate in mid-Missouri, is the only university-owned commercial television station in the United States that uses its newsroom as a working lab for students.

Related

June 18, 2008: KOMU Faculty and Students Win 17 Heart of America Awards The Missouri School of Journalism's radio-television journalism faculty, staff and students took home multiple awards from two prestigious competitions this spring: the Kansas City Press Club Heart of America Awards and the Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards. KOMU won 17 Heart of America Awards in the annual Kansas City Press Club competition and was named "Television Station of the Year," beating out two Kansas City stations, WDAF and KMBC, for the title. [More]

March 6, 2008: Missouri School of Journalism Senior Makes Worldwide Impact with 14-part Autism Series on KOMU Missouri School of Journalism radio-television journalism senior Ashley Reynolds will enter the job market after graduating this December with an impressive resume credential under her belt - a 14-part series on autism that not only reached an estimated 150,000 viewers in the mid-Missouri area, but also received worldwide attention for the depth of the reporting. [More]

Nov. 15, 2007: KOMU Earns Three Emmy Awards; Missouri Journalism Student-Producer Among Journalists Honored KOMU, mid-Missouri's NBC station and the only University-owned commercial network affiliate in the United States, claimed three Emmy Awards from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Oct. 20 in St. Louis. Among those honored was Thad Kemlage, a Missouri Journalism senior and student producer at KOMU. [More]

June 15, 2007: KOMU Faculty and Students Win 13 Heart of America Awards from the Kansas City Press Club Missouri School of Journalism radio-television journalism faculty and students recently took home 13 Heart of America Awards - including top honors for Best Newscast and second place for Best Web Site - for work produced and aired on KOMU. [More]

June 15, 2007: Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards KOMU, KBIA Top Honors The Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) recently gave KOMU top honors for its newscast, weathercast and feature reporting. MBA encourages the highest standards in broadcasting by recognizing samples of excellence and achievement. Hundreds of entries from across the state are received each year and considered for the awards. [More]

April 19, 2007: KOMU Earns Regional Edward R. Murrow Award The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) recently awarded KOMU-TV a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Series, the station's fourth Murrow in five years. KOMU, an NBC affiliate, is the only university-owned commercial television station in the United States that uses its newsroom as a working lab for students. [More]

March 22, 2007: Missouri Journalism Students Share Experience, Advice at St. Louis High School Journalism Conference Ten Missouri Journalism students and one professor recently set off for St. Louis, Mo., as ambassadors of the world's first school of journalism. The students, taught by Holly Edgell, accepted an invitation to participate in the 2007 Sponsors of School Publications of Greater St. Louis Conference at Webster University. [More]

Nov. 10, 2006: Collaborative Merge of KBIA, KOMU and the Missourian Newsrooms Creates a New Convergence Experience for Students Missouri Journalism students and faculty from all areas of study recently participated in a groundbreaking convergence project called "Smart Decision," a multimedia Web site that provided in-depth coverage of the 2006 state and local mid-term elections. Three of the School's professional media outlets, whose newsrooms also double as learning laboratories for students, were involved in the project. [More]

Feb. 1, 2006: School Welcomes Two New Faculty Members The Missouri School of Journalism welcomed two new professors to its Radio-Television Journalism faculty this semester. Holly Edgell is an assistant professor and executive producer at KOMU. Sarah Ashworth is an assistant professor and the news director at KBIA radio, one of the most successful National Public Radio stations in the nation. [More]