Broadcasting students at Purdue University Calumet are not just learning how to produce television and radio programs by reading books and listening to lectures; they are learning through the hands-on experience of producing their own television and radio programming.

“We are producing radio shows, television shows, conducting interviews and more,” Drake Sikich of Munster, senior radio broadcasting major and enrollee this fall of Purdue Calumet’s Advanced Radio Production course, said. “These assignments give you real life experience.”

The opportunity to apply learning in real world, work-related settings is at the heart of Purdue Calumet’s new experiential learning initiative. Beginning next fall, experiential learning will become a graduation requirement for all Purdue Calumet undergraduate students.

Meantime, Purdue Calumet’s Department of Communication and Creative Arts is using student broadcast majors enrolled in Practicum in Television Production to produce the 30-minute, weekly television program, “Calumet Perspectives,” formerly known as “Purdue Cal and You.” Production Coordinator and Supervisor of Purdue Calumet’s radio and television broadcasting studios Craig Blohm directs the students.

“Calumet Perspectives” focuses on northwest Indiana topics of interest through interviews with community and campus guests. It airs Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Northwest Indiana Lake Shore Public Television WYIN-TV/Channel 56.

While producing “Calumet Perspectives,” each practicum student spends the semester experiencing and learning the jobs of technical director, assistant director, floor director, camera operator, audio operator, video operator and character generator operator.

Additionally, students enrolled this fall in the Advanced Radio Production class gained hands-on experience producing programming for Purdue Calumet’s internet radio station, WPUC.

Enrollees were responsible for producing a weekly, hour-long program in the format of their choice. They also wrote and produced a Public Service Announcement for a local non-profit organization and created an audio documentary. Blohm said most students chose to do disc jockey-type broadcasts, selecting their own music and commentary. The music ranged from experimental rock to hip-hop.

During the recently completed fall semester, WPUC streamed three days a week for four hours a day. Other broadcast information can be obtained by logging on to www.pucradio.org/

With more than 80 broadcast majors enrolled at Purdue Calumet, Blohm believes there is potential to increase radio and television production and programming opportunities.

“I hope the courses attract more students, so there’s more air time and more diversified programs,” he said.