Inspiring future broadcast leaders at Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University’s School of Communication has a long tradition of hands-on student journalism and live production. At NAU, students don’t just learn theory; they produce live news, weather, and multi-platform content under real broadcast conditions.

But fulfilling that mandate of giving students experience with technology that would translate into the real world was starting to become an issue.  

NAU’s existing broadcast control room was built around a single, all-in-one switcher. But the aging system was limiting what students could learn and create. It no longer matched the demands of an evolving newsroom and broadcast curriculum. Weather graphics were constructed manually in presentation tools, workflows were slow, and the system lacked flexibility and reliability.

They needed a platform that would support routing, playout, newsroom integration, graphics, and teaching fundamental concepts like signal flow and control, while still being robust enough for live student productions.

Key Code Media collaborated with NAU to design and install a modular broadcast infrastructure centered on Ross Video systems. This new environment gives students access to industry-standard tools and workflows while maintaining transparency into how each component functions. Plus, it ensured they had the flexibility to add, adjust or remove tools in the future as production needs and technology evolved.

The updated control room integrates routing, switchers, newsroom systems, graphics, and weather tools, enabling students to learn and operate at a professional level. Training was conducted in parallel with rollout, allowing students and faculty to grow with the new technology as it came online.

Students develop a working understanding of how live broadcast systems are designed, connected, and operated, learning both what to do and why it matters when productions are live.

The new control room supports reliable student-led broadcasts while introducing professional newsroom integrations and automated media workflows that mirror real-world environments.

By working directly with industry-standard tools, students build confidence through ownership, making decisions, solving problems, and operating under conditions that closely resemble professional broadcast facilities.