News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu Summer  2005 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 12/9/05   Click on image for publication quality photo  SOUTHEASTERN CHANNEL WINS EMMY -- Jason Shane, left, student producer, and Rick Settoon, Southeastern Channel general manager, pose with the Emmy Award won by the Southeastern Channel in the 2005 Suncoast Region Emmy Awards gala at Miami Beach. The channel won in the "Student Program" category for the documentary short "For the Love of the Game" about former Southeastern baseball coach John Stephenson. Southeastern was the only university honored with an Emmy from the Suncoast Region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico. SOUTHEASTERN CHANNEL WINS EMMY        HAMMOND -- The Southeastern Channel, Southeastern Louisiana University’s three-year-old educational cable access channel, has won a coveted Emmy Award.        The channel won for its documentary short “For the Love of the Game,” which told the story of former Southeastern baseball coach John Stephenson and aired as a segment of the Southeastern Channel student sports show, “The Big Game.”        “For the Love of the Game” was produced, videotaped and edited by communications major Jason Shane of Dallas and reported by communication graduate Jon Vitrano of Meraux. It won in the “Student Program” category, which encompasses projects that have been produced for a grade in a university class.  “For the Love of the Game” was produced in the Southeastern Communication Department’s special topics course “Producing and Reporting for the Sports Television Show” taught by channel General Manager Rick Settoon.        “The fact that the Southeastern Channel is already an Emmy Award-winning channel in only its third year shows the outstanding level of training and instruction provided by the channel staff and communication department,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs John Crain. “It’s evidence that we’re successfully training students on a large scale to become top television industry professionals.” Shane and Settoon were among hundreds of professionals and students who attended the Emmy ceremony.         “I never thought I’d be able to win an Emmy as early as age 19,” said Shane.  “It’s really meaningful because you’re up against the Emmy standard, and not every category wins an Emmy every year. You must meet a standard of excellence. To see the quality of the many professionals on hand along with their successful work made it even more impressive.”        The Southeastern Channel was the only university channel honored with an Emmy within the Suncoast Region, which includes Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico. The award marks the first time a Louisiana university has won an Emmy in the Suncoast Region.  Of the winners in 36 categories at this year’s event, the only Louisiana television channels winning were the Southeastern Channel and WWL-TV of New Orleans.        “Our students deserve credit for their dedication and efforts to produce a program now recognized as the very best in college television,” Settoon said.  “In particular, Jason did a fantastic job. He handled almost every aspect of the production process himself and really drove the project to completion. His talent and commitment to a high standard of excellence brought home the Emmy. He has a great career ahead of him in sports television.”         Settoon said the special topics course in sports television will be offered in spring 2006. “The class is for those serious about a career in sports television, whether in front of or behind the camera,” Settoon said. “The fact that we’ve just won an Emmy against programs like the University of Miami, which has produced graduates like ESPN’s Suzy Kolber and Roy Firestone, gives the course great credibility.”        The Southeastern Channel has won over 30 national and international awards in the past year-and-a-half.  The channel can be seen on Charter Cable Channel 18 in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany and Livingston parishes, on Channel 17 in Washington Parish, and online at www.selu.edu/tv.