By Falcon Media promotions intern Kelsi Case
Meet graduating senior Ryan Dick. Ryan is from Grand Rapids, Ohio, majoring in journalism with a specialty in broadcast journalism. He has held multiple positions at Falcon Media ranging from being a news producer to executive producer for BG24. I sat down with Ryan to ask him some questions about his experience working for Falcon Media and his time with BG24.
Kelsi: So give me a run-down of how you started at Falcon Media.
Ryan: I got involved with Falcon Media before I started at Bowling Green. I went on a tour of the Kuhlin center. I got in contact with someone who worked at BGRSO (which is now Falcon Media Sports Network) and sat in one of their meetings and was interested in sports at the time. I originally got started with radio, but I realized it was not something I was passionate about.
K: when did things start taking a turn for you?
R: things started changing for me when I was in my sophomore journalism class. One of the students in my class showed me a Facebook post and it was when a groundskeeper was making racially motivated comments online and no action was being taken. I contacted someone from Falcon Media, and they were able to help me create and develop this story and it ended up sparking local news. This experience was my first time being in the news and reporting on issues and showed me the impact of journalism and what it can do for the community.
K: Was this when you realized you wanted to do news?
R: It was. That was my first experience with news, and it started from there. I joined BG24 and knew that I enjoyed doing more than just writing articles for print. I started reporting then the producer of the newscast at the time was ready to leave then I threw my hat in the ring. I knew I was interested and was willing to learn how to do it.
K: What do you currently do at BG24 and outside of Falcon Media?
R: I am currently the executive producer at BG24 and I work at 13ABC up in Toledo. I have had to opportunity to train students to become a producer and that is something a lot of news stations are needing right now. I enjoy watching them see things click and fall into place. I have trained people that currently work at 13ABC and gave them the skills that I learned from my personal experiences working there, and I can say that I have created a bridge between our networks.
K: All platforms of Falcon Media are going through somewhat of a rebrand right now, so what has been the most difficult part of your rebranding process at BG24?
R: Some organizations are getting more of a rebrand then others with them getting new logos and new names, but we are rebranding how we organize ourselves. We decided to re do the way we operate. We work separately with most of the other parts of BG24, and we want to be able to work as a collective whole. It is hard to make sure that everyone is on the same page with everything and that alone has been our biggest internal struggle. We are a multimedia platform at BG24 and things would operate smoothly if we are able to figure out how to merge the two platforms together. Collaboration can make it easier on our team since we have a very small crew, so it would give people the chance to split their workload in half.
K: As a director what is your goal to have your students learn by the time they walk across the stage?
R: I would like to prepare them as best I can at BG24, because if you do not join Falcon Media and you take the path of journalism or broadcasting it is going to be hard to get a job when you don’t learn any of the things necessary in this career path in the classroom. I hope to give them exposure during school rather than be overwhelmed by the time they get to a professional station. Our executive staff is amazing and if someone comes in with the passion for journalism but doesn’t know much about it, we can teach them the skills.
K: what do you want the alumni to know about the new BG24 and how the rebrand has been for you?
R: We need their help. We need professors and people that have experience in the journalism field and that know the things that the journalism industry requires to be successful. Most journalism majors have no clue what the field is like until they hit their capstone class or unless they make the decision to join Falcon Media.
K: Do a lot of alumni come back and show their support?
R: Of course, a lot of alumni reach out to us and we appreciate when they do so because it helps us get more exposure on what to expect after college. We have had alumni show up to meetings in the past, and it is something I would like to have more often if timing works out.
You can support all facets of Falcon Media by being a part of the BGSU One Day online fundraiser March 29 & 30. Here’s the link to make your gift … and you don’t have to wait. Early donations help to build momentum for the cause.