JOHNSON CITY — The “ET Echo” is the newest brainchild of East Tennessee State University’s student media. Recently launched, this five-minute news report is a collaboration between the East Tennessean and The Edge 89.5 HD4, ETSU’s student newspaper and radio station. 

The “ET Echo” is an abbreviated news report, pre-recorded and streamed on The Edge. The news comes from the East Tennessean’s twice-weekly reporting. The show is written and recorded in The Edge’s studio by East Tennessean staff and edited by The Edge staff. It airs daily at 8:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.  It can also be streamed on Soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/theedge895/.

“This not only provides students with a new outlet to get news around campus, it also provides our regional and international listeners a glimpse into what ETSU provides for its students and alumni,” said Gregory Searles, graduate manager of The Edge 89.5. 

The collaboration comes as the East Tennessean and The Edge eye an eventual move into the renovated D.P. Culp University Center. Plans call for the two student media outlets to be housed in the same suite on the second floor of the Culp, and the show is the first project coordinated between them.

“Opportunities for media students to work together more is only going to benefit them as they prepare for the media profession,” said Don Armstrong, advisor to Student Media. “The student-led initiative of bringing the ET Echo to life is exciting to see.”

The first “ET Echo” show was recorded by Raina Wiseman, East Tennessean executive editor, and edited by Jesse Denney, creative services director for The Edge. The show focused on back-to-school events and updates as students returned to campus. 

Subsequent shows, recorded by other members of the East Tennessean staff in the weeks since the start of the fall semester, have shared news regarding a faculty member’s development of an app to help patients manage diabetes; the addition of naloxone to emergency supplies within campus residence halls to treat opioid overdose; the hospitality provided by ETSU to Coastal Carolina University students who had to evacuate their campus due to Hurricane Dorian; the ETSU Votes voter engagement effort; and various campus events, including the Buccaneer Brawl gaming tournament, the Gabriel Iglesias comedy concert, the Native American Festival, and more.

“We wanted to integrate our campus newspaper and radio station together as we look toward the Culp Center’s completion,” Wiseman said. “Using news that we’ve already covered in the East Tennessean and creating a podcast for The Edge’s listeners is obviously our first step. It benefits both outlets, and we’re already talking about other opportunities to collaborate.”

The East Tennessean is the student-run newspaper of ETSU, with a staff of about 40 students. Printed Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by the Elizabethton Star, the East Tennessean is found in most university buildings on ETSU’s main campus, as well as the Kingsport and Sevierville campuses and ETSU buildings at the Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It is also published online at http://easttennessean.com/.

The Edge 89.5 HD4 is ETSU’s student radio station, employing about 20 students. Playing the best of today’s alternative and mainstream rock hits, The Edge can be streamed on WETS 89.5 HD4 and TuneIn Radio at http://bit.ly/etsu_edge.