By GREGORY ZELLER //
Let’s go live to WABC-TV’s Long Island Bureau on the campus of Hofstra University, where a full-time reporter and two production trucks are standing by.
That’s the big news out of Uniondale, where Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication is now home to a full-on “Eyewitness News” satellite bureau – a win-win innovation for Greater New York’s famous Channel 7, which puts boots on eastern grounds, and the university, which exposes students to big-league media-making.
The new bureau shares newsroom space with WRHU, Hofstra’s award-winning student-run FM radio station, and represents “the perfect convergence of education and business,” according to WABC President Chad Matthews, among the dignitaries christening the collaboration Wednesday.
“We are pleased to announce this new relationship with Hofstra University,” noted Matthews, also the freshly minted president of ABC Owned Television Stations, an industry group combining ABC affiliates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and several other major American markets.
“[It] paves the way for WABC to serve the community expeditiously on the ground, while exposing Hofstra students to some of the best-in-class journalists and the business of delivering breaking news,” Matthews added.
New York City-based WABC-TV, a network affiliate consistently ranked among the nation’s most-watched local stations, has long supported Hofstra journalism programs, including equipment donations and internship opportunities for university students.
The new collaboration will feature regular exposure to “Eyewitness News” on-air and production staffers, expanded student internship opportunities and guest lectures conducted by industry professionals. Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, called it a “hands-on opportunity” for budding broadcasters and neophyte newshounds.
Susan Poser: Breaking news.
“Our journalism program emphasizes experiential, hands-on learning and encourages our student journalists to engage with Long Island communities to tell impactful stories,” Lukasiewicz said Wednesday. “[This is] a daily chance for students to observe and learn from great local journalists doing the work of New York’s top broadcast news operation.”
Following the 2020 launch of The Long Island Advocate, an online repository of journalism and digital-media content created by Herbert School students, the founding of WABC-TV’s new Long Island Bureau deepens Hofstra’s commitment to community-based journalism, according to Hofstra University President Susan Poser.
“Having an ABC Long Island Bureau at the Herbert School will allow our students to interact with and learn from working professionals on a daily basis while providing our community with strong local news coverage,” Poser added. “This partnership is great for our students.”
