Through "Skunkworks," VCU undergrads design the future of media

Transforming TV experience by tying Internet and broadcast news, offering free classified ads to newspaper subscribers, and the list goes on.

Creative ideas for media companies to re-engage consumers are shaping up among a group of VCU honor students. They are giving their feedback to a major media company about its business.

The class, creatively called Skunkworks, brings together a diverse group of students to work with professionals from Media General, the conglomerate that owns The Richmond Times-Dispatch among other media. The students come up with new ways for media companies to connect with consumers. The students have developed a number of suggestions, bringing in next-generation views and experiences.

“We let the students explore the problem and solve it for themselves,” said Scott Sherman, assistant professor of strategic advertising, and added that declining numbers of newspaper readers is a threat to the business. “That’s a real problem that big companies are trying to solve.”

Sherman and Jeff South, associate professor of print journalism, lead the class that Sherman referred to as a creativity session. The idea behind it, Sherman explained, was to look at the problems media companies are facing. Students were then encouraged to brainstorm on suggestions for improving the media business, develop their ideas and offer them to Media General.

The innovative class has students of all class levels and a number of different majors and takes them off campus encouraging them to work in professional settings. And students are pleased with the results they have accomplished.

“One thing that’s been cool about the class is to help encourage new ideas,” said creative-advertising senior David Canavan.

To assist and enhance the process, Sherman and South have brought in guest speakers, among them media professional and analysts.

“The guest speakers have been my favorite part of the class,” Canavan said. “To hear industry professionals’ perspective on the way media are changing has been very beneficial.”

Andy Stefanovich, from the Richmond-based innovative company Play, talked to the class about inspiration and generating creativity.

Joe Antle, vice president for sales and strategic marketing at Media General, told students about what is happening in big media companies and how they operate in today’s world.

David Richards, chief executive officer of the Norfolk-based software company Concursive Corp., and Michael Harvey, the company’s executive vice president, discussed interesting and new ways people use media.

One of the ideas that students pitched to Media General is using a TiVo technology to link television to the Internet with something similar to a hyperlink on the TV monitor. It would allow viewers to watch a TV show and use their remote control to link to a Web site on their TV, thus making it more convenient to go from one medium (TV) to another (Web).

Another idea students are developing is for a newspaper Web site that would engage young readers. Sherman said students are not encouraged to redesign a given site, but to design a totally new Web experience tailored specifically to young consumers.

When developing their ideas, the students communicate with professionals from related fields and take into consideration how the idea links to both consumers and experts.

On a daily basis, students have the flexibility to self-direct their work, which for many is a plus that the class offers. John Zhao, creative-advertising senior, said this flexibility is making the class cool and daunting.

“The best aspect of the class is being able to have all the freedom to make decisions,” Zhao said. “We’re following ourselves.”

“There’s no right or wrong answer,” he said. “That’s what’s making it a real interesting class, but also a tough one.”

In the beginning of the semester, students were skeptical, but that changed, Sherman said.

“They didn’t think they’d have an impact,” he said. “Now they all believe in what they’re doing.”