FTC Mass Comm team led by Stephen Cooney wins Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Award
By Clarissa Biener
Five Towns College won an Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Award for the second year in a row on February 21st. College students across the country attended the annual award ceremony and conference in New York City, where FTC won Best TV Variety Program. This achievement marks the first national television award for the college’s Mass Communication program after student Daniel Garcia won Best On-Air personality in the radio category last year.
The winning submission, FTC Sound Check: Retro Game Show, came from the Advanced Lab 6 class. FTC Mass Communication student Stephen Cooney came up with the idea to stand out from other submissions. “Videogames have always been such an integral part of my life, and who I am, so it came together pretty naturally,” said Cooney. “The biggest problem was differentiating it from the other videogame related show in that class, which is where we came up with the idea of turning my show into a Retro Game show, focusing on the past of the medium, while the other show focused on the future.”
Working on the project with Cooney were Mass Communication students Fernando Gomez, Adrian Kartalozi, and Grace Bonamico, as well as other classmates who crewed the broadcast. “Stephen’s video game show was one of my favorites that I’ve gotten to anchor,” said Bonamico, “so to be a part of that crew that won the award. It’s insane, and I’m so grateful.”
This award felt extra special to Cooney. “Though many sleepless nights went into producing the show, it was the most fun project I’ve ever had the pleasure to work on,” said Cooney, “so having it win the award for Best Variety Show is the most gratifying outcome I could’ve asked for.”
Advanced Lab 5 and 6 classes further developed students’ production skills to make content that not only wins awards but also prepares them for the future. “These are the labs that build on everything people have learned in the first four labs, enabling them to create work they can show potential employers,” said Mass Communication Chair Holli Haerr.
“These types of projects make really good portfolio pieces, because not many people come out of college with an entire show production under their belt,” Cooney elaborated. “They show off your leadership abilities, since you’re working with a group to create your show, and allow you to show off your creativity. Plus, they’ve all made good conversation pieces at my internship.”
FTC students like Grace Bonamico gained valuable knowledge from attending the event. “I feel like I learned a lot about preparing myself for a career and marketing myself. There was also a lot of panels about journalism, which was great for me as that’s the field I want to go into,” said Bonamico.
In addition to Cooney’s award, Five Towns College Mass Comm students were finalists in three other categories. Daniel Garcia received nods for Best On-Air Radio Personality and Best Specialty Music Show and the FTC Sound Stream Morning Show Good Morning FTC was nominated for Best Radio Morning Show.
Overall, the success of FTC students at the IBS conference and awards reflects their hard work and the skills they have learned in the college’s classrooms. “I think these two wins show that even though we’re a small school, we are able to attract and nurture top students who can compete on a national level,” said Professor Haerr.
