New name, same high level of excellence for UC Blue Ash media communications

The name of the department may have changed, but the consistent award-winning results have not.

For the 15th consecutive year, students from the Applied Media Communications program at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College have been recognized for their exceptional work by the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).

Applied Media Communications was known as Electronic Media Technology until the college changed the program name last year to better reflect the curriculum and its focus on the use of digital technology to disseminate mediated communication.

Six UC Blue Ash students received a total of 16 nominations for the coveted Student Production Award, tying Xavier University for the most nominations for any college or university included in the four-state region (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia) that makes up the Ohio Valley Chapter.

The 2022 Ohio Valley Chapter NATAS Awards ceremony was held on Sept. 18, and four UC Blue Ash students received Student Production Awards in five different categories, representing the most awards among any of the colleges and universities in the competition. This is even more impressive when you consider that Applied Media Communications is a two-year Associate of Applied Science degree program; the 11 other colleges and universities represented in the competition all have four-year programs.

“These awards were distributed primarily across a wide range of craft categories, which continues to demonstrate the solid technical and practical strengths of our program,” says H. Michael Sanders, UC Blue Ash professor and department chair of Media Communications & Technology. “We are extremely proud of the impressive accomplishments of our students competing head-to-head with students in four-year degree programs across the region.”

It should also be noted that another of the award winners from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory College of Music, Chauncey Luce, is an alumnus of the UC Blue Ash program.

The Academy recognizes student work in specific categories for the Student Production Awards, just as they recognize professional work with Emmy Awards. The 2022 College Student Production Award competition received entries from colleges and universities across the chapter’s four-state region. Industry professionals judged and critiqued the entries which showcased a wide range of talent from these future broadcasters and media producers. The Ohio Valley Chapter honored twelve academic programs receiving Official Nominations.