The 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate at Belmont garnered the university massive media exposure with thousands of hits on radio and television along with print publicity worth millions of dollars. Though it would be impossible to list all of Belmont’s media hits from the past two weeks, here are a few samples of interesting coverage brought about by the debate and debate-related programming:
• Belmont Vision Editor Melanie Bengtson did a number of interviews about the debate and the Vision‘s coverage, including her participation in a nationally broadcast NPR roundtable the day after the debate. Other panelists sharing opinions about the debate were Maria Teresa Peterson, executive director of Voto Latino (a voter education and outreach group), Dwight Lewis, editorial page editor for The Tennessean, and NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin. Click here to listen to the discussion.
• In addition, make sure to check out coverage from The Vision, Belmont’s student media Web site, which includes hundreds of photos as well as blogs and video segments about the debate and all the activities surrounding it.
• Last night’s special election edition of “Saturday Night Live” included an opening segment with several mentions of Belmont University and an image of the Curb Event Center. Click here to watch the eight-minute segment.
• Dr. Andi Stepnick’s “Introduction to Sociology” class was featured in a NewsChannel 5 report. Stepnick and her students were interviewed about the agents of socialization, the development of political identity, and the factors that shape political views.
• The Tennessean covered numerous local angles on the debate, including embedding reporter Colby Sledge on campus for most of the past month. Click here to see the paper’s complete coverage.
• Archived video of additional local coverage can be found on NewsChannel 5, WSMV 4, WKRN 2 and FOX-17.
• Click here to view video of students’ perspectives on Debate08 and campus preparations for the event.
