NEW ORLEANS – Fletcher and Travers Mackel, anchors and reporters at WDSU in New Orleans, will be the keynote speakers March 21 at Media Day, an annual event at Loyola University that offers students from around the state the chance to learn about various careers in mass communication and design.
The twin brothers, who graduated from Loyola in 1997, will talk about their rise through the ranks of local journalism at 11 a.m. in Nunemaker Auditorium in the Monroe Science Complex. Fletcher is a sports anchor and reporter at WDSU, and Travers is a news anchor and reporter at the station, an NBC affiliate.
“I’m excited about the chance to talk to future journalists about all the new opportunities they will have in this always-changing field,” Fletcher Mackel said. “There’s always something new, and it’s always lively.”
The larger Media Day event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will feature speakers and workshops focused on topics including journalism, photography, videography, design, filmmaking, advertising, public relations, social media and podcasting.
More than 200 students from at least 15 high schools have registered to attend the event, said Laura Jayne, director of student services in the College of Music and Media at Loyola.
The students will have breakfast and then attend 40-minute workshops, followed by the keynote address from the Mackel brothers. They took almost identical paths to WDSU, growing up in Gentilly, attending De La Salle and coming to Loyola to play baseball. They took jobs at different TV stations after college, but both ended up at WDSU by the early 2000s.
Following lunch, the students will get the chance to participate in a roundtable discussion at 1 p.m. in Nunemaker Auditorium with the Mackel brothers, faculty members and other industry professionals, Jayne said.
The Louisiana Chapter of the Journalism Education Association hosts Media Day, which began as the Tom Bell Silver Scribe Awards, a contest for high school journalism students, said Albert Dupont, state director for JEA Louisiana.
The event, initially conceived by the New Orleans Press Club, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The JEA is the largest high school journalism organization in the country.
About the College of Music and Media
The College of Music and Media is comprised of two schools — the School of Music and Theatre Professions and the School of Communication and Design. Students who choose to study in the college prepare for careers in music, theatre, music industry, design, fine art, filmmaking, strategy, mass media and more.
