The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is launching a rare program to train students in broadcast engineering.
The emphasis will be through the university’s Radio/TV/Film (RTF) Department and includes courses from that school plus Engineering Technology, Information Systems (College of Business), Computer Science, and Music. The emphasis followed years of planning and consultation within the RTF department and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.
The university is also creating a partnership with Madison College on an Applied Associate of Science in broadcast engineering that would provide options for students to enter the broadcast engineering workforce directly after two years, or transfer to UW-Oshkosh to complete the bachelor’s degree.
Radio/TV/Film department chair Beth Hubbard said, ““This emphasis offers the only professionally run broadcast-style curriculum in Wisconsin for authentic industry training, developed hand-in-hand with broadcast engineers. With insight from the WBA and industry leaders, we’re preparing tomorrow’s media professionals to thrive in an evolving media landscape.”
Wisconsin Broadcasters Association President/CEO Michelle Vetterkind commented, “The need for the next generation of broadcast engineers has never been greater, so when UW-Oshkosh saw the need and started working on this emphasis, broadcasters were excited and supportive. Thank you to the leadership at UW-Oshkosh for seeing the need and to broadcasters for supporting this important project.”
INSTANT INSIGHT: The need for developing new broadcast engineers is one of the smaller crisis that the industry will be facing in the next few years. Wisconsin-Oshkosh joins the likes of Hofstra University just outside New York City in developing programs for such students. There, an informal “Tech Thursday” run by professor and station engineer Andy Gladding guides students in learning about engineering on top of their other media studies courses. Northeast Radio Watch’s Scott Fybush spoke to Gladding at NAB last month for his “Top of the Tower Podcast” on how to get more students involved in broadcast engineering.
Brandon Charles 
As someone who had an antiquated college program that was still teaching reel to reel in 2009, yeah I’m serious, of course I applaud any college for moving forward a curriculum that actually trains people for what is needed presently. Though I think the first sentence of your instant insight, pretty much addresses the issue I was going to comment about. What could go wrong? Well, more people could adopt the iHeart media model.