Tim Reid among Communications Week headliners

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Actor and producer Tim Reid, Akron Beacon Journal managing editor Mizell Stewart III and investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell will headline Communications Week, March 27-29, at Bowling Green State University.

Hosted by the School of Communications Studies, this year's speakers and panelists will address the subject of “Communication, Race and Power: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age.”

All events are free and open to all students, faculty, staff and the public.

On Monday, March 27, Tim Reid, the Emmy-nominated actor, director and producer, will address students, faculty and the community during “An Evening with Tim Reid,” from 7:30-9 p.m. in 202 Bowen-Thompson Student Union.   

Best known for his starring role in the popular CBS Television series, “WKRP in Cincinnati,” Reid has also had starring roles on “The Richard Pryor Show,” “Simon & Simon,” “Frank's Place,” “Snoops,” “Save Our Streets,” and the hit WB series, “Sister, Sister.” He received two Emmy nominations for his work on “Frank's Place” and received the NAACP Image Award and Viewers for Quality Television Award.

Reid has launched his own production company, Tim Reid Productions and produced several television movies and four independent films. He is in the process of building his own film studio.

On Tuesday, March 28, the School of Communication Studies will host an academic conference exploring issues of race and digital media. “African Americans in Film & Television: Twentieth Century Lessons for a New Millennium” will explore both the historical struggles of African Americans and their depictions in and by the media. The conference will address those lessons carried forward into new digital media and what challenges and opportunities lay ahead. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in 308 Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

Stewart, the managing editor of the Akron Beacon Journal, will speak on the subject of news consumers during a BG News Reunion at 5 p.m. March 28 in the same location. His lecture, “People Like Me,” will explore the changing demographics of news consumers and the intense competition media organizations face to better reflect the lives of their readers and viewers.

Investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell of The Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi will speak from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, in 121 West Hall. Mitchell's lecture, “Searching for Justice: A Journalist's Tale,” will focus on his investigative reporting that put four Klansmen behind bars, including Byron De La Beckwith for the 1963 assassination of NAACP leader Medgar Evers. Mitchell's work has been an inspiration to others. Since 1989, authorities in Mississippi and six other states have reexamined 29 killings from the civil rights era and made 27 arrests, leading to 22 convictions.

For his work, Mitchell has won 16 national awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Public Service. Mitchell received his master's degree in journalism from Ohio State University.

Reid's lecture is sponsored by the School of Communication Studies, the Ethnic Cultural Arts Program, the College of Business Administration , the College of Technology , the Department of Popular Culture , the Department of Theatre and Film , Pepsi-Cola , and the University Activities Organization. Stewart's lecture is sponsored by the BG News . Mitchell's lecture is sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences and the Department of Journalism.

With 1,000 majors and 75 master's degree and doctoral students, the BGSU School of Communication Studies is a global center for teaching and research in communication and media. The departments of Interpersonal Communication, Journalism, and Telecommunications teach students pursuing degrees at the doctoral, master and bachelor degree levels as well as run collaborative programs with other disciplines, including American culture studies, and the Department of Theatre and Film.

For more information about the week of activities, contact Dr. Tori Ekstrand at 419-372-9544 or vekstra@bgsu.edu

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(Posted March 16, 2006 )