In an effort to converge university media groups, Terry Heifetz will converge his two jobs.
Heifetz, managing editor of Ball State's digital news project, Newslink Indiana, was named news director of Indiana Public Radio.
"Combining the efforts of the digital news project with IPR will help coordinate stories better from beginning to end," Heifetz said. "It makes perfect sense to combine the efforts of television, radio and Internet."
News coverage and story planning will benefit from combined efforts of the digital media project and IPR, Heifetz said.
He said because IPR has a small staff, it will benefit from the number of students coming through the digital media project.
"The staff at IPR have the experience to share with the students," Heifetz said. "This will add quantity to quality."
Heifetz will replace Bob Papper, who has served as news director of IPR since 1994. Papper, also a Ball State telecommunications professor, will direct research for Newslink Indiana.
"Bob Papper is a tough act to follow," Heifetz said. "He is a main part of the success IPR has experienced."
Indiana Public Radio has won numerous honors, including awards from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists.
"My goal is to maintain consistency and high quality but add quantity to that quality," he said. "It is only logical as we move forward for one person to oversee both operations."
Indiana Public Radio, a broadcast service of Ball State, is a Public Radio International affiliate and a National Public Radio member station.
Before joining Ball State in 2002, Heifetz was a producer for CNBC's "The Wall Street Journal Report." He also worked in the news industry at television stations in Indiana, Iowa, Florida and Missouri.
"The idea of what is going on here is so new and different that I wanted to be a part of it," Heifetz said. "I wanted a change of pace from commercial TV, and the idea of working with students to give them real experience appealed to me."
Newslink Indiana combines the efforts of the university's student media to create a well-rounded newscast for East Central Indiana. It is part of the $20 million iCommunication initiative, funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
"I am very excited about this opportunity," Heifetz said. "IPR is the most highly regarded radio operation in the state."
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