8pm Cut-in
Our 8 pm show is a 15 minute check in where we announced unopposed races in our 7 Middle Tennessee counties in Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Dekalb, Rutherford, Warren, and Wilson. We also have live coverage for Student Newspaper, Sidelines and what they were doing to prepare for election coverage.
9pm Cut-in
Our 9 pm show is a 15 minute check in where there were more races announced that were declared at the federal, state, and local levels. There was also a live check-in with the Student Watch Party at MTSU and a check-in with data analyst that had live graphics being updated to keep up with the Electoral College, Senate and House Member’s by Party.
10pm Full Show
Our 10pm show is a 40 minute special where we announced the results for races and had 4 live reporters from various locations and watch parties around Rutherford County. This show covered federal, state, and local elections from our 7 Middle Tennessee counties. We also had 2 guests join us on set to talk about Tennessee’s political Re-Districting and the importance of swing states in the Presidential Election.
Vote 2024 Project Description
Dr. Christine Eschenfelder
About 85 of our College of Media and Entertainment students created impressive live coverage of local and national elections. Students and faculty from Journalism and Media Arts came together to produce three live 2024 election specials, showcasing their impressive skills in professional-level news and production. This collaboration brought classroom learning into real-world practice, allowing students to experience the fast-paced demands of election night coverage firsthand.
I was so proud of, and in awe of, my amazing students for their dedication and hard work in preparing and executing this unforgettable night. It was so rewarding as a journalism professor to see my students in action, demonstrating all the skills they have learned. They were incredible and brought important information to our local community. They are going to have great careers in journalism!
Behind the Scenes Photos by TQM Photography
Vote 2024 Show Open
Voice Over by Jax Winters
MTSU Vote 2024 From Our Perspective
Reflections from Our Producers
Roni Portzen and Mickey Sandlin
This past week, I had the honor of serving as the Student Executive Producer for MTSU's Vote 2024 Special. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented crew and team. The production consisted of three live shows, including two cut-ins at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., each lasting about 15 minutes, which I co-wrote and helped produce.
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Additionally, we delivered a 40-minute special that I wrote and produced, featuring four reporters stationed at different locations throughout Murfreesboro. I am deeply appreciative of the MTSU School of Journalism and Strategic Media for making this opportunity possible. This project was one of the most significant I’ve had the chance to produce during my time at MTSU. Being able to step into the role of Student Executive Producer was a responsibility I valued immensely. As my final project before graduation, it held special meaning for me, and I cherished the chance to collaborate with so many different classes and departments to bring this vision to life.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned through this experience was how to improve communication between people. Coordinating efforts across four classes and seven organizations required careful planning and teamwork. Seeing my classmates and friends come together to produce an election show of such a professional caliber was both inspiring and rewarding.
This production stands out as the largest and most complex project I’ve been a part of in my career so far. Watching all the moving pieces come together—from the anchors and reporters to the producers—was incredibly fulfilling. The teamwork, dedication, and shared effort of everyone involved made Vote 2024 a success, and I am proud to have been part of it.
This was truly my first large project with Middle Tennessee News. I had the honor of working on another piece, The Shadow of the Killer, but with this one, I was given the opportunity to be a producer for it. This came at a time when I had just started producing and was able to fully throw myself in head first with it. I was able to experience the detailed planning, the meticulous double-checking of every aspect, everything to make sure our shows were as flawless as possible. I got to work closely with Roni as my mentor, guiding our talent through the entire process and ensuring their preparedness. It truly was such an amazing experience to be a part of this team and get to build the project from start to finish.
Nothing about this project seemed to be easy. There were many late nights, early mornings, and pop-up meetings that occurred throughout the entire process of developing the show. Despite all of that, the hard work paid off. I was able to write, coordinate, and successfully produce our 8 pm and 9 pm cut-ins. Working with the talent became a breeze the longer I was able to communicate with them and answer questions. Production went smoothly due to endless meetings where we sat and ironed out every detail. Vote 2024 Special Election Coverage truly was only possible thanks to the hard work and dedication that each and every single person put into it. It was such an honor to be able to be a part of this project and to have the level of trust of my peers.
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8pm Main Anchor
Reflection by Brett Walker
Working with Middle Tennessee News for Vote 2024 was one of the biggest projects that I’ve ever been a part of. As an anchor for the 8 p.m. show, I had the privilege of working with a sprawling cast of producers, co-anchors, reporters, production crew members, professors and show guests. Seeing my classmates and friends come together and produce an election show at a professional level was a joy and I hope that the final product reflected the weeks of work put in by everyone involved after the 8 p.m. show wrapped, my co-anchor Dawson Riggins and I went over to the MTSU Student Union where I served as field producer for his live hits during the 9 and 10 p.m. shows. Being a part of such a
large-scale production in just my third semester at MT is something that I couldn’t have fathomed less than a year and a half ago. Vote 2024 was a valuable career experience for me, and I’m proud that it was a success. At the end of the day, I was just a small piece of the large project, but it was a blessing to be a part of it.
Reflection by Dawson Riggins
8pm Co-Anchor
As a sports media major, most of my experience prior to the 2024 Election show was focused on sports. As such, taking part in a political coverage event was definitely entering new territory for me. However, in preparation for my role in the show, I was given the opportunity to anchor several newscasts in the weeks leading up to the show.
One of the best parts about being in the 2024 Election show was seeing all of the moving pieces come together in the final product. From the anchors to the reporters to the producers, so many people contributed to what would be the live show. I had the opportunity to not only anchor for the opening 8:00
show but also to be a live reporter for the 9:00 and 10:00 shows.
Overall, it was a great experience taking part in the 2024 Election show. Being a part of all three shows allowed me to add reporting as a new area of experience on top of strengthening my skills as an anchor. I also got to work with a great crew of producers and talent that had great chemistry and worked well together. Being a part of an event that only happens once every four years also made the 2024 Election show a unique experience for me.
9pm Main Anchor
Reflection by Ethan Williams
I loved working on Vote 2024. It was great to be involved in a large-scale production like that, and to interact with the people in the other departments that helped with the broadcast. I really appreciate the feedback and coaching I got during the practice runs for the show and when it was time for me to anchor I feel like it all helped me put on my best performance. After the 9 o’clock show ended I went to the newsroom and experienced the high stress environment as they were trying to keep minute by minute coverage of all the elections happening in our coverage area. It was a high energy environment and a very exciting night overall I don't think it could have gone better.
Reflection by Bailey Guy
9pm Co-Anchor
Being a part of the Vote 2024 election coverage was truly the greatest honor of my journalistic career thus far. The professionalism shown by Roni and Mickey, the crew, anchors, and everyone involved was inspiring to say the least. There were many times when I saw Roni and Mickey working tirelessly in the newsroom into late hours of the night to make sure every I was dotted and every T was crossed. The crew was incredibly helpful in making sure the anchors felt comfortable and ready to present such important information on camera. They cared about the details… even small ones like writing my initials on a water bottle that was brought to me during a break. Ethan was
my fantastic co-anchor, and I’m so thankful for the time we got to spend practicing, rehearsing scripts, and building rapport. We also had advisors on set giving us critiques on how to improve, which I greatly appreciated. The success of this project wouldn’t have been possible without the large team of people caring so deeply about it, a team I have come to know, love, and form lasting friendships with. As I graduate next month with my degree in journalism, this is a memory I will carry with me and look back on fondly for years to come
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10pm Main Anchor
Reflection by Taylor Pennington
If I can describe the Special Vote 2024 Election coverage in one word it would be exceptional. From the incredible set up of the stages and desks, to the riveting introduction and graphics to the show. The entire production left me enamored and filled me with such pride. This production has been the biggest project I’ve gotten to be a part of so far in my career. I can say with a full heart that the team I got to work with made the entire thing such an amazing experience. It brought me so much closer to each of them, creating some friendships I don’t think I would have gotten otherwise. The producers of the show, Mickey and Roni did an
incredible job putting together such an in-depth and intricate production while keeping the talent and crew informed and ready for the moment, we all went live. I was able to talk with them and feel completely comfortable about my scripts and everything that could potentially happen during the live show. I practiced with my co-anchor Dylan for hours before the show, and I can say with confidence that without his help rehearsing scripts and potential interview possibilities I would not have felt as confident as I did. I also got to know my interviewees, Jenene Grover and Ross List, before the show. Getting to know them made the live interview process so much more comfortable, like I was talking to a friend.
Getting to spend time with my team and the crew during the dress rehearsal and the show was filled with fun and excitement, and for me personally, some nervous jitters. It was truly a bonding experience that I am so grateful to have been a part of. Election night will go down in my memory as one of the most incredible nights of my college career and one of the most meaningful nights of my life.
Reflection by Dylan Simmons
10pm Co-Anchor
Vote 2024 was an incredible project to be a part of. I have been a part of the MTSU College of Media and Entertainment since August 2021, and I have never seen a collaborative effort quite like this. To have Middle Tennessee News, Sidelines, Media Arts, and more organizations from across campus be a part of this was incredible, and a display of what can be done when the best of the best come together. The actual broadcast itself was a unique and awesome experience. Calling out election results and discussing voting patterns is a lot different than calling a basketball game or hosting a sports talk show. Even though I have been involved in newscasts before, I still
feel as though this was a great way to step out of my comfort zone with something new to me. Taylor was a great partner to work with, and I believe that being able to work on the intricacies of the broadcast with her benefited both of us tremendously. She was great to bounce ideas off of and to talk with about our plan for certain spots! Our Producer Roni was also a great help to us all throughout the preparation process and on the night of Vote 2024! I’ve worked with Roni for nearly 3 years now, and I can safely say that having that experience with her helped to make everything even better on the night of the show. It was great to have that rapport with her combined with professional-level work on the night of the show, and I think it made our show come off tremendously well.
I am happy to have been involved in Vote 2024, and I hope that future productions can take what was accomplished from this and use that to make even bigger and better broadcasts in the future. All I can say is thank you to everyone involved for a night that I will never forget!
