Ball State University | Indiana Public Television | iPod | SCHOOL''S COLLEGE of Communication, Information, and Media

How television news is being transformed by a class at Ball State University - and by the click of a mouse.  .  Photograph by Ann E. Cutting.


HUDDLED AROUND A 42-INCH MONITOR like kids gawking at the latest iPod, Ball State University students are eager to see what the future of television looks like. The group began gathering at 8:30 that morning to hash out the day's stories for a daily newscast that's aired on Indiana Public Television, and the spirited discussion in their news meeting is the only thing that closely resembles what we might consider traditional television news.

HERE IN THE SCHOOL'S COLLEGE of Communication, Information, and Media, students and professors alike might be tempted to call the linear broadcasts we currently see on ABC, CBS, and NBC a bit, well, archaic.

What's different about this five-minute newscast, aside from its being produced largely by students, is how it lets viewers casually troll for information, much like the Internet does.