Assistant Professor of Communication Studies nominated for Emmy

Morgantown, WV, October 16, 2006:  Dr. Keith Weber, assistant professor of Communication Studies in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, has been nominated for an Emmy Award for his public service announcement ( PSA), “Redemption,” produced by West Virginia University/Banyan Communications.

The Public and Community Service Emmy Awards will take place this Thursday, October 19 in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Redemption” is nominated as a Local Public Service Announcement.

Dr. Weber’s PSA, which aired from December 2005 to April 2006, was funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administrations. It was designed to generate interest and promote organ donation.

The script for the commercial came from his Communication Advanced Research Methods class who studied organ donation PSAs in comparison to “Redemption.” The study showed that the class-written PSA was more effective in promoting organ donation than those PSAs produced by large advertising firms.

Dr. Weber explained that “Redemption” is more educational and informative, contrasting with the seriousness of typical organ donation PSAs. He noted that many people’s misconceptions about organ donation, ranging from religious restrictions to health concerns, causes fewer people to register as organ donors.

The influential PSA has already received national acclaim in the 27th annual Telly Awards, which honor outstanding local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs. Dr. Weber’s “Redemption” earned a bronze medal in the Commercial category amongst 13,379 entries from all 50 states and around the world. The Telly and the Emmy Awards are both affiliated with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

“Redemption” was also awarded the Golden Eagle in the Public Service Award category of the Cine Awards, an internationally acclaimed film and video competition held annually in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Keith Weber earned his M.A. and Ed.D. from West Virginia University and joined the faculty of the Department of Communication Studies in 1998. He has authored or co-authored more than 20 publications on communication issues ranging from the effects of past dating on current relationships to destructive communication in stepfamilies.

For more information, please contact Dr. Keith Weber at Keith.Weber@mail.wvu.edu.

W-V-U