Student media will welcome five new editors and managers next semester, as well as one returning manager.

Last week, the Journalism and Mass Communication Media Board selected student media leaders for the spring 2006 semester.

Top positions for the four JMC-affiliated media were filled. This semester, two of the six positions went un-contested, said Tim Smith, chair of the board.

“Usually there’s competition for every position,” he said. “It depends on who’s interested and who’s available.”

Ryan Loew, junior newspaper journalism major, will be the editor of the Daily Kent Stater.

“It’s unusual to have a junior,” Smith said, “but not unprecedented.”

Loew is the Stater‘s news editor this semester, and he is looking forward to bringing his experiences as a section editor and former administration reporter to the position.

“You get to know all the important people in the university,” he said. “You get a complete feel for what’s actually important.”

Loew decided to apply for editor so he can expand to other forms of student media his senior year.

“I’ve pretty much done all that I can do on the Stater,” he said.

Tony Hardman, senior broadcast journalism major, will be TV-2’s news director next semester. As a producer this semester, he said he now has the experience for the position.

As a producer, “you have to be able to decide what goes into a newscast,” Hardman said, but as news director, “you basically decide on all the content.”

Hardman will work closely with TV-2’s spring general manager, Brian Handler.

“They kind of play the bridge role between the station and the business office,” said Handler, senior electronic media production major.

It will be his eighth semester working for TV-2. He spent the last two semesters as an operations manager involved with the technical and behind-the-scenes aspects of the station.

“What I really learned was how the station ran,” Handler said.

He said he wants to build on his experience to provide the most professional environment for student employees.

“I’ve watched a bunch of different managers come into the station,” Handler said, adding that he wants to learn from their past successes and failures to put forth the best product possible.

He also hopes to build relationships between the different areas of student media.

“I really want to develop convergence,” he said.

The other student media leaders are: Katie Murtha, senior advertising major, as Stater sales manager; Katie Phillips, senior magazine journalism major, as The Burr editor; and Micah Manus, senior broadcast journalism major, as Black Squirrel Radio general manager.

The two positions that went unopposed were editor of The Burr and sales manager of the Daily Kent Stater. Murtha will be returning to her position for the second straight semester.

Any student enrolled at the university, regardless of major, with a 2.25 GPA is eligible to apply for student media positions.

Applicants then give presentations in front of the JMC Media Board, which consists of seven voting faculty, professional and student members, one non-voting member and two alternates.

After the students are questioned, the board listens to recommendations and makes its decision.

Contact College of Business reporter Seth Roy at [email protected].