montanajournalism Alumni Spotlight, J-School

Alumni Spotlight: KREM 2 News’ Leilah Langley

Graduates of the University of Montana School of Journalism go on to do great things, in journalism and beyond. They direct newsrooms, report on international issues, photograph history, inform the public on air, start their own businesses, influence public policy, publish books and become leaders in their communities. Here, we spotlight some of our alumni who showcase just how powerful, and versatile, a journalism degree from UM can be. (If you are a graduate who would like to share your experience or know of someone we should spotlight, email Courtney Cowgill.)

This installment spotlights Leilah Langley, 2002, the assistant news director for KREM 2 News in Spokane, Wash.

(This Q&A has been edited slightly.)

Question: Was this the type of work you thought you’d be doing when you went to school?

Answer: I joined the program thinking I would be a reporter and/or anchor. I went through most of the program thinking that. However I started to notice I was a better fit for producing when I took a producing class taught by Denise Dowling my last semester. Then I took a producing internship at KREM. I’m very detail oriented. I like to be in control and quite frankly, I’m shy. So a career in producing and then management was much better fit than being on the air.

Can you describe an average day on the job?

I manage the day-to-day operations in the newsroom. I help assign the content for daily shows and digital platforms. I help the staff brainstorm new and innovative storytelling techniques to help make the audience experience at KREM memorable. I approve and critique scripts and articles. I react quickly with staffing and content decisions in breaking news and severe weather situations. I plan big stories and even coverage.

What experiences at the J-School were notable in preparing you for your work?

I had all the basics and a working knowledge of how to get newscasts on the air, which helped me transition easily into an intense producing training internship. I also had a realistic expectation of what to expect. I knew the workload would be big, I knew the hours would be bad, and I knew the pay wouldn’t be high. That all sounds rather negative, but as a news manager now I’m shocked at how many people come out of college not getting any advice about what the “real world” will be like.

What are the skills you learned in J-School that you use on a daily basis? In your work? In your life?

Broadcast writing skills. I learned a lot of good grammar basics my sophomore and junior years.

What do you think makes the J-School special? 

My fondest memories are of the old 730 Eddy house. Sure, I’m a little jealous of the new building, but there was something about that cute little basement newsroom. We left the Journalism School with character, and that comes in handy in the scrappy news business.

 

What advice would you give a student just starting out in journalism school? Or, what advice would you give to someone considering journalism school?

You have to have a passion for learning and you have to be naturally curious. If those things don’t come naturally to you it may not be a good fit. It’s also a difficult political climate to be a journalist. Don’t let that scare you. I believe in keeping my head held high and working for the people of my community. Don’t engage the haters, just do your job.

Where do you see yourself career-wise in the future?

I see myself helping to transform local news into a more fun to watch and engaging product for the audience. I’m proud to be part of a generation that gets to rewrite the way we do things. No one wants to watch a newscast straight out of 1995. We are changing and it’s fun to be part of it.

 

montanajournalism Meet the Profs

Meet the Professors: Lee Banville

We are constantly hearing from students that one of the J-School’s biggest strengths is the dedicated, talented, fearless, experienced, fun, doors-are-always-open faculty.

The Social Media and Engagement class set out to tell that story via Instagram. Over the coming weeks, we will highlight these stories, which illustrate the personalities, philosophies and experience of our top-notch faculty. This week, we give you Associate Professor Lee Banville.

Lee joined the University of Montana faculty in 2009 after 13 years at PBS NewsHour, where he was editor-in-chief of the Online NewsHour.

With a background in web and digital reporting and social media, Lee teaches courses that include digital and web reporting, audience engagement.

Because he teaches the introductory media history and literacy course (J100), he’s often the first professor students have when they enter the J-School. We’re all lucky for that because Lee makes learning just about anything fun and interesting.

And yes, that includes Media Law, which he also teaches, focusing on access and open meeting laws. Lee also co-teaches election reporting every two years.

montanajournalism Awards, Student

Broadcast Education Association Recognizes UM J-School Students, Professor Jule Banville Wins “Best of Competition”

Associate Professor Jule Banville won the “Best of Competition” in the Broadcast Education Association’s annual awards with an audio story about a woman who owns the town of Pray in Montana’s Paradise Valley and can’t find someone to buy it. Contributed photo: Barbara Walker.

The Broadcast Education Association has recognized the excellent work of University of Montana School of Journalism students in its annual awards competition and given Associate Professor Jule Banville the “Best of Competition” award for an audio documentary that aired on her podcast, Last Best Stories.

Banville’s award comes from the faculty division of the competition, which also recognizes student work. More than 1,530 entries were considered. Banville’s work will be featured at the annual BEA Festival of Media Arts in April in Las Vegas.

UM Journalism School students and projects placing in the student division include: 

The Meth Effect, a multimedia reporting project that came out of a class co-taught by JuleBanville and Associate Professor of Journalism Lee Banville, won 2nd place in the Interactive Media and Emerging Technologies Competition, large team division.

Journalism Senior Rosie Costain won 2nd Place with “Accordion Man” in the Student News/Radio Feature competition.

Nora Saks, a student in the Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism graduate program, won the “award of excellence” in radio hard news reporting for her story on two sisters tackling drug use on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The story aired on Montana Public Radio and NPR’s Weekend Edition last spring.  

UM News, the weekly news segment produced by senior broadcast journalism students, was awarded 2nd place in the Television Newscast category.

Banville’s winning entry is an audio story about a woman who owns the town of Pray in Montana’s Paradise Valley and can’t find someone to buy it. It can be heard as Episode 11 of Last Best Stories, “Owning Pray.” 

 

Banville’s podcast, which launched in 2015, has been featured in the Missoula Independent, the Missoulian, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Distinctly Montana magazine, and newsletters that include the Flyover Podcast and the Audit. Via the podcast, she was also a guest on NPR’s “It’s Been a Minute With Sam Sanders.”