In a virtual awards ceremony on April 30th, the Manhasset Secondary School’s Broadcast Journalism Club won the prestigious Best Broadcast Package Award at Stony Brook University’s Broadcast Awards for Senior High (BASH).  The Club, the Manhasset Broadcasting Company (MBC), received the first place honor for its production of “Good Morning Manhasset,” a student-run morning news show produced under the guidance of Dr. Matthew Coleman.  Only in its first year, the MBC has had many accomplishments in addition to the BASH award including the production of six morning shows, two episodes of a show called Nonsense with Nikki (where senior Nikki Colaitis and teachers ask questions to other teachers/students about their subject area), and a variety of other content. 

When asked about the Club and its future, Dr. Coleman’s enthusiasm was clear. 

Q: As advisor of the Broadcast Journalism Club, what do you hope that students learn from participating?

A: Broadcast Journalism encompasses so many skills from creative content production to communication. My goal is to introduce students to all of the facets of Broadcast Journalism and see them hone their skills.

Q: The club has become very popular – what do you think attracts students to the club?

A: The diversity of the club is appealing. Think about it. Where else do you have the opportunity to use camcorders, editing software, and microphones? Students also enjoy the opportunity to work with others – grades 7-12 – to create a product. Since “Good Morning Manhasset” encompasses so many components (filming, reporting, editing), students have ample opportunities to do so many different tasks in the club, which is certainly unique. 

Q: How has the pandemic and remote/hybrid learning affected the club?

A: It’s challenging. If we were all in one place, there would allow for more consistent collaboration and planning. We have made it work by developing more routes for communication. 

Q: What is your hope for the club going forward?

A: Grow! I hope we can produce more content, get more students involved, and continue our goal of becoming a more immersive broadcasting company. I want students to have the true experience of becoming broadcasters in a professional setting. Also, most importantly, I want students to have fun and see value in the multifaceted skills they can learn from the club. 

The BASH is an annual celebration of student broadcast journalism and video production. The event includes an awards ceremony and a learning conference for Long Island high school students and teachers involved in high school journalism programs and media production classes.  Although it was virtual this year, the event was jam packed with timely presentations like Broadcasting During a Pandemic and Reporting in the Time of COVID.  

Congratulations to Dr. Coleman and all the students involved with the production of “Good Morning Manhasset!”