The Cronkite News Service newsroom was officially renamed the Chyron Media Center on Wednesday at a ceremony held on the second floor of the Walter Cronkite School.
The Cronkite School partnered with Chyron Corp., a developer of digital broadcast graphics technology, to bring better graphics-management systems to its newsrooms.
The Melville, N.Y.-based company allows broadcasters to use custom graphics in newscasts by providing access to image libraries and third-party sources.
The Cronkite News Service newsroom was renamed in recognition of Chyron’s generosity, said Vice Provost and Cronkite School Dean Christopher Callahan.
“Chyron makes the state-of-the-art, most sophisticated graphics products out there,” Callahan said. “It was a fantastic gift, and we’re just honored they picked us to partner with. We’re eager to have them feel that they’re a part of the Cronkite family.”
The ceremony drew an audience of about forty people. Featured speakers included Callahan, Cronkite NewsWatch producer and director Carie Gladding, and Chyron president Michael Wellesley-Wesley.
“Seeing this kind of technology and as a producer being able to build our own graphics gives us a leg up on creativity,” said Gladding, a graduate student at the Cronkite School. “These programs have made such a huge difference in our lives and in the quality of the show.”
Journalism students will not be the only ones to benefit from this partnership. By allowing the Cronkite School use of its technology, Chyron will be able to test innovations before marketing them to professional newsrooms.
“We have been looking after broadcasters’ needs and trying to anticipate those needs for 45 years,” Wellesley-Wesley said. “This new technology contains some very disruptive ideas. For goodness’ sake, tell us how we can improve our product!”
The partnership with Chyron is expected to improve the school’s standing among other journalism schools, said Marianne Barrett, associate dean of the Cronkite School.
“It’s just one more illustration of how our school is on the cutting edge of digital journalism,” Barrett said. “It’s one more great tool for our students to use, and a continuation of the reputation we’ve made over the last six years.”
Contact the reporter at chloe.brooks@asu.edu
