Communication students win six national news, production awards

Several communication students at Mississippi State University are winners of six national awards from the Broadcast Education Association for “exceptional media work,” and will be honored for their achievements at the October BEA On-Location conference at Colorado State University.

Bringing theater to all: Theatre MSU holding special performance for foster kids, families

Many say theater has a way of reaching kids and changing their lives. This is true for Tabitha Hewitt-Rafferty, a freshman at Mississippi State University and former foster child who found solace in the performing arts.

Dr. Holli Seitz & co-authors publish article in Health Communication

Dr. Holli Seitz, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, and colleagues were recently published in the journal Health Communication. Their article, "Development and Pretesting of Prescription Opioid Misuse Prevention Messages: Results and Implications for Practice," presents results from two studies conducted to inform the development of messages for a statewide campaign for the PROMISE Initiative (Preventing Opioid Misuse in the Southeast). Their work has valuable implications for those planning health communication campaigns.

Communication Kudos: September 2022

Dr. Holli Seitz & co-authors publish article in Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Together with her colleagues, Mmesoma Okafor, Dr. Laura Downey, and Dr. David Buys, Dr. Holli Seitz recently published their article, "Formative research to inform COVID-19 vaccine education in Mississippi," in Journal of Public Health in the Deep South. This article presents work from the Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching & Engagement (EXCITE) project, which aims to address health disparities among rural and other under-served communities through vaccine education.

Award-winning Theatre MSU announces 2022 season, opens with children’s fantasy play

Mississippi State’s award-winning Theatre MSU debuts its new season this month with performances of from fantasy and fairytale, and nostalgia and murder.

CO Connection: Cameron Mayer, Communication Student (Theatre)

Mississippi State University's Department of Communication Head Dr. Terry Likes interviews Cameron Mayer, a senior with a theatre concentration, talks about all things theatre for the 2022-2023 season. The discussion includes the children’s production The Light Princess, It’s a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play, the spring production of MacBeth and more. Cameron is also reprising his role in “Anne and Emmett,” which TheatreMSU will take on the road and perform in Birmingham in November.

Dr. Holli Seitz & co-authors publish article in Health Education & Behavior

Associate Professor Dr. Holli Seitz is part of a team that recently had their article, "Increasing Uptake of Prescription Drug Take-Back Boxes: Eliciting Preferences and Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Use," accepted for publication in the journal Health Education & Behavior. The article, led by Dr. Mary Nelson Robertson, an assistant professor in the School of Human Sciences, represents research conducted to inform the PROMISE Initiative (Preventing Opioid Misuse in the Southeast).

CO Department Head serves as external reviewer to four universities

Dr. Terry Likes, communication department head, has been asked by four different universities to serve as an external reviewer for faculty going up for promotion.

Broadcast capstone students get behind-the-scenes of WCBI's midday production

The Broadcast Capstone class gathered at WCBI Headquarters in Columbus, Miss., to get a behind-the-scenes look at the midday broadcast. The WCBI news crew gave the students advice about résumé building, preparing demos, and other tips to break into the industry.

CO Connection: Neil Price

The MSU football and basketball radio play-by-play announcer joins host, Dr. Terry Likes, for a discussion of Neil’s announcing career, a preview of the 2022 football season and what advice he has for students who aspire for careers as sports announcers.

Dr. Pete Smith named chair of AJHA Blanchard Prize Committee

Dr. Pete Smith was named chair of the Margaret A. Blanchard Prize committee, the top graduate student award given by the American Journalism Historians' Association. The award recognizes the top dissertation in the area of mass communication history. Pete won the award in 2005 for his dissertation, "'It's Your America': Gertrude Berg and American Broadcasting, 1929-1956."

Dr. Pete Smith invited to submit book manuscript on life & career of performer Philip Loeb

Dr. Pete Smith has been invited by the editorial board of the University Press of Mississippi to submit a book manuscript on the life and career of performer Philip Loeb. The title of the manuscript is "No Way Out: The Controversial Life and Death of Philip Loeb, Papa Goldberg on 'The Goldbergs', Television's First Situation Comedy," and the proposed manuscript is a comprehensive biography of union leader, teacher, and blacklisted actor Philip Loeb (1891-1955); specifically, the manuscript will explore his contributions to the political, creative, and cultural aspects of the broadcasting industry and the theatre and the costs of those contributions to his professional livelihood and relationships.

Dr. Pete Smith publishes book manuscript "Birddogs and Tough Old Broads: Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s"

Dr. Pete Smith, an associate professor in communication, published his book manuscript "Birddogs and Tough Old Broads: Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s" with Lexington Books in August. This book manuscript examines the work of a dozen women journalists over the course of the late nineteenth and most of the 20th centuries. The women profiled in the book either walked the Mississippi State capitol beat or covered political and/or social issues of great importance to the people of Mississippi.