Harvey Media Center hosts open house Thursday, Sept. 19

Panel discussion about the future of media follows. Speakers include alums Brian Hamman of The New York Times and Laura Meckler of The Wall Street Journal

Studio 350, an audio and video recording studio, is part of the newly renovated Harvey Media Center. (Images provided by V3 Studios).

There’s Skype. And then there’s Polycom HD video conferencing.

“It’s an amazing resource if you want to do web conferencing or long-distance interviews,” said Leslie Heusted, director of the Danforth University Center. “Faculty and staff who have used it have also been really positive. But what we’ve heard most of all is, ‘We didn’t know this existed.’”

Video conferencing is one of the many services now available at the recently completed Angel and Paul Harvey Media Center, located on the third floor of the DUC. Students, staff and faculty can learn more about the new array of audio and video resources and equipment at the Harvey Media Center Open House, from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19. Representatives from KWUR, WUTV, Student Life and other publications also will be on hand to lead tours, and technicians will offer live demonstrations.

Harvey Media Center includes a Media Plaza, Print Media Workspace, a television studio, a new home for campus radio station KWUR and Studio 350, an audio and video recording studio.

“Once you see the space, you realize that there is so much potential here,” Heusted said. “We’re expecting to see a lot of great collaborations and partnerships.”

The Harvey Media Center includes a new home for campus radio station KWUR.

Trained studio technicians as well as experts from the Washington University Public Affairs Office are available to help users. Reservations can be made through the DUC’s Reserve-A-Space website.

“We meet people where they are,” Heusted said. “Having the space is one thing, but having someone here who knows how to use that technology is what makes it work.”

Following the open house, a panel of leading journalists and communication experts will discuss the future of media as traditional outlets such as newspapers and radio stations make the transition to “content providers.” Participants include award-winning Wall Street Journal reporter Laura Meckler and Brian Hamman, deputy editor of interactive news at The New York Times. Both Meckler and Hamman served as editor-in-chief at Student Life and currently serve on the board of Washington University Student Media Inc., which publishes Student Life. They will be joined by Philip Sewell, PhD, assistant professor of film and media studies in Arts & Sciences, MLB.com beat writer Jenifer Langosch and Beverly Hacker, executive dirctor of community radio station KDHX 88.1.

Harvey Media Center Campuswide Open House

When: 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19

Where: Harvey Media Center, DUC third floor

More info: RSVPs are encouraged at duc@wustl.edu

The Future of Media: A Discussion with Professional Content Creators

When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19

Where: Women’s Building Formal Lounge; reception to follow at Goldberg Formal Lounge in the DUC