Campbellsville University’s Mass Communication Center offers hands-on opportunities for students to learn, with a state-of-the-art facility, which houses television and radio station studios.

Initially, the mass communication department consisted of one classroom, one small studio and only a handful of journalism classes were offered. However, in 2020, the department moved into a renovated mass communication center, which officially opened in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. The unique thing about this facility is that it’s not just classrooms and labs, it also houses a fully functioning television station and FM radio station, which are on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Also, in October of this year, the mass communication department launched a new website for The Campus Times, the student news site for Campbellsville University.

According to Jeannie Clark, department chair and associate professor of broadcast and digital media, the CU Mass Communication Center was designed to “serve students first and everyone else second.”

The center is located slightly off the main campus on Hodgenville Road.

“We need to hold events here, so I encourage people to visit us and really understand what it is, what we can do and what we will do,” said Clark. “The mass communication department really creates a unique opportunity for CU. There is no other institution in our region that can offer the same things that we do here. Our end goal is to help a student be as employable as possible once they graduate.”

Savannah Gray, a senior from Georgetown, Kentucky, started studying mass communication with an emphasis in digital media during her sophomore year after changing majors.

“I think we have an excellent mass communication program for the size of the school,” said Gray. “But, I would love to see an increase in more campus jobs and internship opportunities.”

Broadcast, film, digital media, journalism, public relations and photojournalism are some of the programs currently offered. Gray said she would love to see the mass communication department develop a master’s degree, as well.

“If I can earn a master’s degree, a long-term goal would be working at ESPN or something similar,” she said.

Matt Payton, the general broadcast manager for WLCU-TV/FM, said the television and radio stations allow students to get hands-on experience in a real-world environment. Payton and his crew, which includes CU students, broadcast many events on and off campus, including the university’s weekly chapel sessions. They also handle the athletics coverage on YouTube and on the radio. The audio-visual department handles a lot of the needs for chapel, the CU band and different areas of the music department.

“We’re thrilled to be able to tell a little bit of the story of Campbellsville University,” said Payton. “We want to give our students a unique opportunity to get real world experience, to learn in a lab and actually learn to produce for an actual TV and radio station. Hopefully, we’re kind of the window or the mouthpiece for individuals who care about CU and can use us as an avenue to keep up.”