Bill Ritter, ABC Eyewitness News anchor, was one of the many journalists to speak at the ceremony. // Photo courtesy of Adam Flash.
As journalists return to in-person reporting, Hofstra students are thrilled to hear that the ABC Long Island Bureau will be located in the same studio as the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication’s (LHSC) radio station WRHU.
“This is phenomenal,” said Yaw Bonsu, a sophomore journalism major and associate sports director for WRHU. “I could be working on my radio newscasts right next to them as they’re working on their TV packages.”
ABC unveiled its partnership with Hofstra University on Wednesday, May 4, in Studio A. The idea was proposed in 2018; however, with the pandemic putting a pause on many things, including the normal operation of ABC newsrooms across New York State, the reveal was pushed back until further notice. The media organization will have its own equipment and two production trucks parked outside the Herbert School.
“Our students will learn up close how one of the finest news affiliates in the country operates each day, how it makes critical choices and how it frames and reports the news,” said Hofstra University President Susan Poser. “That’s a great education for the students and we hope, of course, the students will also find mentors and future colleagues among the ABC folks.”
Maria Valdez, a freshman broadcast journalism major and director of news reporting at WRHU, took over the LHSC Instagram account on the day of the unveiling.
“I think this opens the door for people at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication and journalism majors to work with a professional in the field,” Valdez said. “This will really improve the school’s credibility and bring us to a new level of professionalism that we haven’t seen before.”
Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter was the presenter of the event. Ritter shared stories of his experience with the Herbert School after working closely with Dean Mark Lukasiewicz for several years. Lukasiewicz was a producer at ABC for 11 years and hopes that this addition will help students gain exposure to the surrounding area.
“I think it’s a terrific time for all of us,” Lukasiewicz said, “and I think it heralds a great future for journalists coming out of the school. The world needs good journalists right now.”
Bonsu echoed this statement, saying that he was excited to see what he would learn from this partnership.
“It gives us another outlet of experts to teach us what industry-standard journalism really is,” he said.
Ritter introduced many speakers at the unveiling event, including Shirleen Allicot, ABC’s weekend news anchor and Hofstra alumna. Allicot reminisced about what the Herbert School was like when she attended Hofstra. Back then, the School of Communication was called Dempster Hall and was one of the few broadcast journalism schools in New York.
Valdez said that one of the biggest things she noticed at the unveiling ceremony was the sense of community among the alumni that attended.
“It really reinforces the fact that the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication is a community,” she said. “It’s not just a school. It’s not just a college.”
Allicot said that her love for journalism grew after attending Hofstra and that she is excited that ABC will be available for many students.
“I speak for myself and the rest of my WABC team that we look forward to collaborating to identify and to help nurture future generations of journalists,” Allicot said. “We need them now more than ever.”