"The Department of Communication at West Texas A&M University is hosting a ribbon cutting and a launch party at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 24 for its new media wall in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex along with the opening of the Live Lounge.
The unveiling of the video wall is set for 4 p.m., with live performances in the Live Lounge beginning at 4:30 p.m. A reception for media communication students and their parents follows at 5:30 p.m. in the Grand Lobby. The end of semester awards night starts at 6 p.m. in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.
Randy Ray, director of broadcast engineering, Johnny Story, broadcast engineer, and the Vision Planning Committee have been planning updates to enhance the quality of the University’s media communication program. Along with implementing a name change from mass communication to media communication, KWTS will be the new home for the Live Lounge on campus. Live Lounge is designed to host students, faculty and community members in the KWTS studio, where local musicians perform live for the audience.
Ray said the idea was to “create programming that you cannot get anywhere else” while in conversation with Story about upcoming innovations happening on campus. “The live lounge will be based on performances in which students hosting special shows will be able to invite musicians to perform live,” said Ray. The Live Lounge will feature live music every Thursday evening inside the KWTS studio.
The Live Lounge is not the only new addition coming to the media communication program. Ray and Story visualized an idea to upgrade the space used in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex lobby to benefit all departments in the College of Fine Arts and Humanities. Construction has already begun for a new video wall to replace the trophy case that was originally part of the complex. “It will be a place where all departments in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities can advertise what is happening within their departments and organizations, and for students to stay updated with current events,” Ray said. The updated spaces bring information and a new vitality to the 12-year-old building.
On the evening of April 24, the media communication awards ceremony takes place in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts, Recital Hall. Students and family members are encouraged to attend the launch party events prior to the awards ceremony. The Launch Party planning committee includes Dr. Emily Kinsky, Dr. Mary Liz Brooks, Dr. Mike McFarland, Dr. Nancy Garcia, graduate student Dale Glenn, Johnny Story and Randy Ray.
For more information about the upcoming renovations and awards ceremony, contact Randy Ray rray@wtamu.edu."
-West Texas A&M University
