Broadcast majors can expect new additions to the studio to help them expand their knowledge and experience in the craft.

New carpet in audio booths and the control room, a formal news set and technology, such as microphones, are just the beginning of the new additions.

One recent addition the communications department made is hiring Travis Cronan. Cronan is on a three-year visiting program to help with television.

“I was brought here to recreate the television program,” Cronan said. “It hasn’t been running in roughly 10 years.”

Cronan said one piece of equipment he would like to purchase for the studio is a TriCaster editing machine.

“The machine will have the ability to do virtual sets on green screens, go live on Facebook and go live on YouTube,” Cronan said. “We can’t use 90s equipment in the digital age.”

Cronan said there is so much students could be reporting on in Florence and the community.

“The ultimate goal is to stay here and continue to build the program and have the same studios other universities have,” Cronan said. “What mass communications students do is not just based on broadcast, it’s overall. Combining other departments like science and education, our students can help them out doing video content.”

Cronan is teaching a television production class at UNA. This is the first time this class has ever been offered.

Junior broadcast major Mark Perkins said he wants to be able to pass messages along to the masses.

“I definitely think it’s good because as we’re advancing and growing, it’s going to help us learn better and give us more advances in the real world for our careers, which is why we’re here,” Perkins said.

“In the future, we hope to add items in the control room, cables and control boards,” said Chair of the Communications Department Butler Cain. “We are exploring our options right now.”

Cain said the department is trying to get the audio booths and the television program up and running.

“This is an investment for the entire department, not just for television,” Cain said.

The communications department has teamed up with the athletics department to broadcast athletic events online to ESPN 3’s platform.

“My goal as the department chair is to make sure our students have opportunities to get professional quality experiences on campus and to learn the craft and to produce programming people find helpful, useful and entertaining,” Cain said.

Cain said broadcasting is important because we all use media.

“Mass media is here and it’s important,” Cain said. “People are going to use it for the rest of their lives.”