Reported by, Nsor Paul Mensah
The School of Communication Studies, Wisconsin International University College, Ghana has re-launch its flagship newspaper, Wisconsin News which has gone into hibernation when Covid-19 wreaked havoc culminating in the loss of lives and collapse of businesses including Wisconsin News.
The newspaper which is housed in the School of Communication Studies according to Ms. Jessica Ahedor, the Editor of Wisconsin News, would provide hands-on training while schooling for students of School Communication Studies.
The Wisconsin News and its sister platform, the Wisconsin Radio, she said, are expected to shape the dreams of students into reality.
Speaking at the re-launch of the newspaper held at the officers of the university in Accra, Ms. Baaba Cofie, the Acting Dean of Communication Studies, at Wisconsin International College, Ghana said in 2018, history was initiated at the School of Communication Studies when the first time in the history of this country, a private university produced a campus newspaper, Wisconsin News.
This feat according to her was attained under the impeccable leadership of Prof. Kwame Karikari, a former Dean of the school and Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere, Edmund Kofi Yeboah, current Ghana Journalists Association Secretary who also doubles as a lecturer at the university.
She said, “the wheels of this novelty had to be halted courtesy of Owura COVID in 2020. When the face of our world needed to be covered up, the sheets of our newspapers had to be folded and tacked away as we grappled with virtual modes of teaching and learning.
Thank God for time and the beautiful stories that she tells. Two years down the line, here we are, re-launching a rejuvenated, refreshed, and re-branded campus newspaper, Wisconsin News.
Ms. Baaba Cofie said currently the university has a state-of-the-art broadcasting studio and a music studio, adding that her outfit also runs an online radio station for student practical purposes and professional radio broadcasting as well.
She said the uniqueness of the University’s Department of Music is the combination of standard music courses with courses such as Business, Film Music, Information Technology, and Sound Engineering, among others.
The Acting Dean of the School of Communication Studies said “We are expanding and practicalizing our music offering to allow for short practical training in instruments and voice.
Our Kumasi campus is currently running at the same standard as Accra and we are working seriously on finishing up the studio there as well.
Our focus has always been one – to provide excellent training to ensure our students are market-ready at the end of their Programme.
Our students are working hard to fulfill this purpose as we support them with tuition and counsel.
We are currently working on a number of certificate programmes such as Broadcast techniques in a local language, Photography, MCing, DJing, among others – both in Accra and Kumasi.”
She said as the university re-launched the campus newspaper, it is her prayer that it becomes the launch pad to ignite and propel all other plans.
Professor Obeng Mireku, the President of Wisconsin University College, Ghana his delivery said, Wisconsin News seeks to provide the real and perfect platform for School of Communication students to apply the theory that they have learned in the classroom as if they are in the real world of work.
He adds that the experience gained writing for the newspaper would also make the students have a competitive advantage and prepare them when they get to the job market.
Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, a Communication Analyst, who re-launched the newspaper said despite the challenges faced by the newspaper industry, newspapers are still relevant sources of news and information in a number of African countries.
In many African countries including Ghana, she said, radio and television show still rely on newspapers for the newspaper review segment of their shows. Newspapers according to her are the first draft of history.
The Communication Analyst par excellence said, “the world and humanity still look up to newspapers to record history by gathering, selecting, and presenting news to us so we can make sense of happening around us and be informed about the most important issues relevant to us.”