President McCormick to help kick of SoCJ Election Night Live show

For the first time since 2016, School of Communication and Journalism students will broadcast a U.S. presidential election live, and interim university President Richard L. McCormick, an eminent American political historian, will help them do it.

President McCormick and College of Arts and Sciences Dean David Wrobel, a historian of the American West and American thought and culture, will be the first interview segment of the live show that begins at 7 pm Tuesday, Nov. 5.

"I applaud our journalism students for covering election night 2024, and I appreciate the opportunity to join with them," said President McCormick. "Dean David Wrobel and I look forward to discussing the historical presidential elections that precede this year's momentous contest."

"As a historian, I'm drawn to the big questions such as 'How does democracy endure?'" said Wrobel, who is also a professor of American history. "I look forward to my election night conversation with President McCormick, a fellow historian, on his thoughts as they relate to democracy, and of course, to emphasizing the importance of our newest generation of voters exercising their right to vote and have their voice heard."

On election night, teams of SoCJ students will produce two separate shows: a pre-results showfrom 7 to 8 pm andresults coveragestarting at 9 pm. Both shows will be streamed on the School's YouTube channel.

"We are so excited both President McCormick and Dean Wrobel were willing and able to be part of the show," said Phil Altiere, SoCJ production supervisor who is guiding the student teams. "Their expertise on presidential and American history is going to make for a really strong segment, and it's wonderful to have so many Stony Brook experts featured. Our students are very excited, and ready to put on a great show for our community."

In addition to the segment with McCormick and Wrobel, the pre-results show will include a segment about student voting on campus with Rick Gatteau, vice president for Student Affairs; a piece about the Stony Brook University College Democrats and College Republicans; and a live, on-location piece, among others.

The results show will discuss election results as they come in and should end around the time the results for the state's first congressional district, which includes most of Suffolk County, come in.

Both shows will be overseen by Altiere and Jan "Dini" Diskin-Zimmerman, a former TV producer who runs the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Studio A and provides significant support for the SoCJ's broadcasts.

"These broadcasts provide a genuine taste of what it's like to work in a professional environment," said Anjolique Powell, junior journalism major and show producer. "Dini and Phil put in so much effort to make it feel like we're doing the real thing. They push us to fully master our current skills while teaching us other positions so we can become well-rounded team players. Since I can continue to do these broadcasts until I graduate, I feel like I have the ability to experiment, as well as having a great support system from not only my professors but from the team as well."

In 2021, students eager for more experience in the SoCJ broadcasting studio formed the Stony Brook Media Group under the guidance of Altiere. Because of their commitment to the work, the group has expanded the number of live broadcasts that come out of the SoCJ. Just this fall, the group and Altiere have or will produce three live shows: for Stony Brook Homecoming, election night, and the traditional Holiday Spectacular. The group has also built a partnership with Stony Brook Athletics to produce halftime shows for football and men's and women's basketball games. Every spring, the group broadcasts the Roth Regatta and hundreds of people, including alumni from around the country and overseas, tune in to watch the fun.

"I've always thought about journalism as a role that can help you with a bit of everything, regardless of what you want to do career-wise. It's really a place to learn soft and hard skills," said Viyang Hao, a junior journalism major and associate director of the show, who plans to go to law school after graduation. "It's rewarding to be in the Media Group because you don't have this kind of opportunity elsewhere to choose what you want to do. You're not just reporting or producing; you're building a skill set that extends far beyond broadcasting, equipping you with a diverse toolkit for any path you choose in the future."