Journalism

Broadcast students enhance their skills with industry-standard software used at radio stations

February 10, 2023

Students in the newsroom
Rocky Walker (senior) tries out the new Burli Newsroom software, along with Carolina Tello (junior) and Giovanni Galvez (senior), in anticipation of their first radio newscasts on Feb. 13.

 

The KCSN Newsroom is entering a brand new phase with the integration of the Burli Newsroom, an industry-standard software that will better prepare CSUN Journalism students to work at radio stations across the country.

Students taking Journalism 315 (Broadcast Reporting) and Journalism 395 (Broadcast News Practicum) now have the opportunity to learn one of the industry’s most widely used and fully-immersive online news production software.

The Burli Newsroom has tools for every step of the news-gathering process, from story ideas and assignments to editing, broadcast and archiving. It is used in hundreds of newsrooms worldwide including such radio news powerhouses as 1010 WINS in New York. The new software will allow a total of three anchors during live newscasts, in addition to a student reporting live from the field.

The Burli Newsroom is a significant investment in the Journalism Department’s commitment to providing cutting-edge and real-world experiences for its students. Moving up to the Burli system is something that has been in the works since award-winning News Anchor Tammy Trujillo was hired as KCSN’s New Director in October 2019 but was delayed by the pandemic.  

“The systems we were using were working but they did not replicate what our students will encounter in the workplace,” she said. “Burli is something they will find in the workplace.”

Pointing out that newsroom is an actual working newsroom, Trujillo said that “Students who understand the Burli system will be able to easily adapt to most other news production platforms with very little training. And showing Burli as a skill on their resumes is something program directors will certainly see as a big plus.”

The KCSN Newsroom produces four live newscasts per weekday—at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.—on the stations HD3 carrier, LatinASlt.org as well as maintaining audio stories and newscasts on the station’s website.