Claire Armstrong, USA2
Office: A/C W112
Phone: 424-3131
Email: armstroc@uwosh.edu

Kevin Backstrom, Senior Lecturer
Office: A/C S138
Phone: 424-7049
Email: backstro@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

B.A. in English UW Madison; M.A. in Communication Barry University; Miami Shores, FL.

Area of Specialization: Broadcast News. Kevin produced and wrote features for WSVN-TV Channel 7 Healthcast, Clear Channel Communication and Cumulus Broadcasting, as well as, writing and producing nationally syndicated television programs. He also wrote packages and locals for PBS' Night Business Report, as well as, linear video tape editing at PBS' Nightly Business Report. Kevin has also enjoyed newspaper stringer writing, comedy writing, copyediting, layout, and was a graduate student advisor on college publications. He has enjoyed teaching college students for eleven years at UW Oshkosh.

Classes Taught: Writing for Broadcast Media; Broadcast News; Radio-TV-Film News; Broadcast News Workshop; Radio-TV-Film Communication.

Quote: “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” (Ursula Leguin)

Dana Baumgart, Lecturer
Office: Clow 106D
Phone: 424-7147
Email: baumgard@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Quality, Marian College; Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing, UW Oshkosh.

Dana Baumgart teaches the Radio-TV Advertising course for Radio-TV-Film. She also serves as an adjunct professor for the Department of Journalism at UW Oshkosh, teaching Ad Media, Magazine Editing and Production, and is a co-instructor for the National Students Advertising Competition.

She is also a marketing consultant, serving as a strategic partner for her clients by providing marketing support, copywriting and editing, and design services.

Dana has six years of experience in the industry working as a marketing coordinator, project manager and managing editor. Her expertise includes working with broadcast, print and electronic media.

Favorite quote: “Strive for integrity–know your values in life and behave in a way that is consistent with these values.”

Advice to students: Soak up everything you can in your time at the University. Get involved and be active on campus. Participate in discussions. Talk to your professors outside of class and use them to help you prepare for the real world. It will be here before you know it!

Randall Davidson, Director of Radio Services
Office: A/C S413A
Phone: 424-7427
Email: davidsor@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

MBA University of Wisconsin-Madison, BA University of Wisconsin-Madison

Randall Davidson is the Director of Radio Services at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Prior to joining UWO he spent eighteen years with Wisconsin Public Radio in Madison, where he was a news producer and the network's afternoon newscaster. He also was the network's chief announcer, training new announcers and filling in on music programs where needed, most often on Simply Folk , the network's weekly folk music program . In addition to his on air work, Randall also served as the unofficial historian of WPR, answering listener questions about the early years and keeping track of historical artifacts and collections relating to the network's history. His book on the topic, "9XM Talking: WHA Radio and the Wisconsin Idea" was published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 2006 and honored by the Wisconsin Historical Society with its "Book Award of Merit" as the best book on local history published that year.

UW-Oshkosh's station WRST-FM was where he began his radio career, and he later worked as a disk jockey and sportcaster at commercial station WHBY-AM in Appleton.

While in graduate school, he reported for United Press International in Madison. He has been a teaching assistant in radio production at UW-Madison and taught a course in radio programming theory at UW-Oshkosh. He is a native of Neenah, Wisconsin.

Douglas Heil, Professor
Office: A/C W113
Phone: 424-3134
Email: heil@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

M.F.A. in Film, Northwestern University; B.A. in Rhetoric (English), University of Illinois.

Douglas Heil teaches courses in narrative scriptwriting and film production. He is a recipient of the UW-System Regents Teaching Excellence Award, and at UW Oshkosh, he has been awarded both the Distinguished Teaching Award and the TRISS Endowed Professorship. He also was selected for inclusion in Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 2005. His book Prime-Time Authorship was published through Syracuse University Press. Essays and creative work have appeared in Creative Screenwriting, The Pacific Review, Journal of Film and Video, Film & History, and Literature/Film Quarterly. He was writer/producer/director/cinematographer/editor/composer for the short film Learn to Get Along, which won the Silver Award for Best Community Relations Video at the Quasar Awards in New York City. He also was writer/producer for the short film The Story of the Cat, which won over 10 awards and has aired on HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime. Seven songs from his musical Jason & Medea: What Really Happened have received citations at national songwriting competitions.

Advice to students: Carefully research your general education course options and your minor options. Make choices based on instructor excellence as well as your own interests and passions. (Look for professors who engage and challenge their students.) Astute selection will provide you with expertise in areas that can help fuel any script or production. Students who use convenience of scheduling or prevailing “buzz” that a course or minor is “easy” often end up regretting their choices.

Favorite Quotes: “Television can teach. It can illuminate. Yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is merely wires and lights in a box.” (Edward R. Murrow) “What you do for others will live on. What you do for yourself will go to the graveyard with you.” (Joe Clark, N.J. Principal, 1994 speech to UW-Oshkosh students)

 

Bill Kerkhof, Director of Engineering
Office: A/C W001
Phone: 424-7068
Email: kerkhof@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

B.S. in Broadcast Engineering and Management, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Bill oversees and manages all equipment and facility-related activities within Radio-TV-Film. As chief engineer of 90.3 WRST, Bill works with Randall Davidson, Director of Radio Services, to ensure proper operation of the WRST transmitter, adhering to FCC regulations and maintaining our network affiliation with Wisconsin Public Radio. As Director of Engineering for Titan TV, Bill works with Justine Stokes, Director of Television Services, to improve Titan TV. Affiliations with Free Speech TV and the Classic Arts Showcase along with Master Control upgrades — such as an automation system allowing Titan TV to be programmed 24/7 — give Titan TV a steady presence on the television dial. Bill also works with faculty in creating one of the finest facilities for single camera location production in the state.

Advice to students: Get involved and explore your options now! When you finish school you may be doing something totally unexpected!

Favorite Quote: “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.”(Abraham Lincoln)

Keith M. Kintner, Engineer
Office: A/C W1
Phone: 424-7357
Email: kintner@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

B.S., California State University at Northridge

Keith Kintner has extensive experience in broadcast engineering, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE). He is a Senior Member of the SBE, certified as a Professional Broadcast Engineer, and has been an active member and officer in three local chapters. He previously worked at WILL AM-FM and TV in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois . Prior to WILL, he was on the staff at KLCS-TV 58 in Los Angeles, California (a PBS affiliate, owned and operated by the LA Unified School District). While in California, he also taught part-time in the Telecommunications Department at Pasadena City College. Keith Kintner previously worked as a Broadcast Maintenance Engineer at Los Angeles City College, where he also taught part-time. He worked with ABC Network during the 1984 Olympics. Keith also has experience in cable television.

Advice to students: Take advantage of the opportunities available here at UW Oshkosh, especially the hands-on experience. Always be willing to assist with productions and learn as much as you can. After you graduate, continue to take advantage of lifelong learning activities to keep up with the changing and evolving technologies used in media and communications. Get involved in professional organizations, including SMPTE, AES, RTNDA and SBE. Many of these offer low-cost student memberships.”

Favorite Quote: “Life is like a bed of roses; be careful with the thorns.” (Kintner)

Ken Ksobieck, Visiting Professor
Office: A/C W216
Phone: 424-7308
Email: ksobieck@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

Ph.D. Indiana University. MA in Radio-TV-Film Indiana University. BA Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Ken has 41 years teaching experience and has served in various administrative roles including the following: Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism, Marquette University; Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism and Department of Broadcast & Electronic Communication, Marquette University; Director of MA Program, College of Speech, Marquette University; Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Department of Telecommunications, Indiana University.

Ken has co-authored several publications among which are the following: "Local television news: Toward a 'diminished capacity' democracy; The Sandwich Programming Strategy: A Case of Audience Flow; Counter-programming Primetime Network Television; The Lead-In Strategy for Prime-Time TV: Does It Increase the Audience?; Timeliness Cues and Perceived Immediacy in Radio News; Visualization Mode, Perceived Immediacy and Audience Evaluation of TV News; The Importance of Perceived Task and Type of Presentation in Student Response to Instructional Television."

Caryn Murphy
Office: A/C W208
Phone: 424-3132
Email: murphyc@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

Ph.D. in Media and Cultural Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison; M.A. in Radio, Television and Film, University of North Texas

Caryn Murphy teaches courses in the history and criticism of radio, television, and film. Her research interests include media representations of gender, generational politics, and contemporary feminism.

Advice to Students: Start working on major projects early, even if that just means generating some ideas for a paper that will be due in a few weeks. If you take some time to develop your thoughts and discuss them with classmates, friends, or roommates, your final product will be better for it.

Favorite Quote: “Almost everything serious is difficult, and everything is serious.” (Rainer Maria Rilke)

Troy Perkins, Professor
Office: A/C W214
Phone: 424-2316
Email: perkins@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

M.F.A. in Film Production, New York University; B.A. in Radio-TV-Film, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Troy currently teaches film and television production at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Upon receiving his M.F.A. in Film Production from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, Troy worked for several years in New York City and Milwaukee on independent features, music videos, television, commercials, corporate videos, and video and animation design for concert tours (including Tina Turner, Janet Jackson, and the Beastie Boys). While teaching, Troy continues to develop short and feature screenplays and productions. Troy’s film, Tractor For Sale (2006), was showcased at many national and regional festivals, and won numerous awards. His next film, Brothers (2008), is completing the festival circuit and has already won a Gold Remi from Worldfest Houston, a Faculty Juried Screening Finalist Award at the 2008 UFVA National Conference, the Central Wisconsin Film Fest Audience Award and has been an Official Selection at many national and regional festivals including the Charlotte Film Festival, Minneapolis/St Paul Int'l Film Festival and the 2009 Sedona Int’l Film Festival. Troy recently finished production on two new short films, Birthday Girl (2010) and Billfold (2010), and is working on his second Midwestern feature film screenplay.

Advice for students: Get involved and stay involved with the clubs and organizations that the Radio/TV/Film major has to offer. They offer incredible experience, knowledge of the program and the students, and the chance to work on advanced film and television productions. This valuable opportunity will help you to build your reel and skill. Don't be afraid to apply for regional and national internships – this is the best way to network and get your foot in the door.

Favorite Quote: Well, art is art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh... Now you tell me what you know. (Groucho Marx)

Justine Stokes, Director of Television Services
Office: A/C W213
Phone: 424-3133
Email: stokesj@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

MA in Mass Communication Miami University of Ohio; B.A. in Mass Communication and Theatre, Morningside College.

Justine Stokes teaches courses in television production. She worked several years in local affiliate television, in various roles behind the scenes in production and creative services. Working predominantly as a director, Justine has directed a wide variety of television programming: news, sports, commercials, quiz shows, telethons, parades, and debates to name just a few. Her directing experience also extends into theatre and video. Most recently, she produced and directed the short video “Affinity,” which won Honorable Mention at the 2007 Wonder Women Film Competition in New York City.  In 2009, “Affinity” won AfterElton.com’s Inaugural Short Film Competition.

Advice for students: Get involved early and don't be afraid to take the role in a production or organization no one wants; it is often the job that leads to the greatest amount of knowledge and growth for the future. The change in media from consolidation to digital media demands future media practitioners not be a master of one skill, but a jack of all trades, so spend your time at Oshkosh gaining as much experience in radio, television, and film.

Favorite Quote: “It's not HBO, it's TV.” (Liz Lemon, “30 Rock”)

Tang Tang, Assistant Professor
Office: A/C W210
Phone: 424-7039
Email: tangt@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

Ph.D. in Mass Communication, Ohio University; M.A. in TV, Film and New Media, San Diego State University; B.A. in Broadcast Journalism, Communication University of China

Tang Tang teaches courses in broadcast management. She has been awarded Broadcasting Research Grant from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Her current research has been published in Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, the International Journal on Media Management , Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, and Journalism and Mass Communication Educator. Having a Ph.D. in Media Management, as well as degrees in TV/Film Production and Broadcast Journalism, Tang has a broad range of teaching and research interest, including media management and leadership, programming and promotion, audience research, advertising, and research methodology. Before her career in academia, Tang worked as a journalist, news editor, and filmmaker in both the American and Chinese television and film industries. She has also been active with the Broadcast Education Association (BEA), the International Communication Association (ICA), the Association of Internet Researcher (AOIR), and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Advice to Students: It is imperative for you, regardless of your specific interest, to understand the fundamental relationship between “business” and “creative” in the media industries because it is the business of media that determines which media products are produced.

John Zarbano, Lecturer
Office: AC S123
Phone: 424-4427
Email: zarbanoj@uwosh.edu
Office Hours

BA (English) University of Nebraska – Omaha; MA (English) University of Nebraska – Omaha; Juris Doctor – University of Tulsa

John teaches Entertainment Law, which examines the principles of intellectual property law as they apply to radio, television, film, theatre, motion pictures, and sound recording and music publishing.

John is admitted to the state bars of Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Nebraska and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Western District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is also admitted in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and the Seventh Circuit.

Favorite Quotes: “Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;

The proper study of mankind is man.” Alexander Pope

"Ne te quaesiveris extra."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Advice to Students:
To paraphrase Robert Browning, your reach should always exceed your grasp.

Faculty and Staff