DWS News & Interviews

DWS News & Interviews

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DWS News & Interviews episodes

  • Alexa, check my vitals

    Scott visits with Kesh Kesavades, the director of the Health Care Engineering Systems Center at the University of Illinois, on how devices like an Echo are playing a role in health care.

    9 min
  • 2018 Silver Domes: Yingying Zhang kidnapping (R-5)

    This entry is a montage of coverage of the kidnapping and death of University of Illinois visiting scholar Yingying Zhang (pictured). This story was without a doubt the top news event in Champaign-Urbana in 2017. The court case remains pending, and Zhang's body has not been found.


    :00 to :25 is a snippet of a report by Tim Ditman on officials offering a reward for tips on the case. It aired on June 20th.
    :25 to :48 is a snippet of a report by Ditman featuring comments from Zhang's family. It aired on June 22nd. The interview was an exclusive.
    :48 to 1:24 is a snippet of a report by Carol Vorel on a community walk in Zhang's name. It aired on June 30th.
    1:24 to 2:00 is a snippet of a live on-air report on the arrest of a suspect in the case, Brendt Christensen. It aired on the night of June 30th.
    2:00 to 2:12 is a snippet of a report from Michael Kiser on Christensen's first court appearance. It aired on July 3rd.
    2:12 to 2:48 is a snippet of a report by Kiser on Christensen's second court appearance. It aired on July 5th.
    2:48 to 3:04 is a snippet of a report by Ditman on officials offering a new reward for tips on the case. It aired on July 14th.
    3:04 to 3:34 is a snippet of a report by Ditman on a Zhang family news conference. It aired on August 22nd.
    3:34 to 3:53 is a snippet of a report by Kiser on another Christensen court appearance. It aired on August 28th.
    3:53 to 4:07 is a snippet of a report by Kiser on Christensen's attorneys withdrawing from the case. It aired on September 5th.
    4:07 to 4:23 is a snippet of a report by Kiser with comments from Christensen's new attorney. It aired on September 8th.
    4:23 to 4:57 is a snippet of a report by Ditman with comments from a former defense attorney who handled a death penalty case similar to the Christensen case. It aired on September 11th.

    5 min
  • 2018 Silver Domes: hurricanes impact East Central Illinois (R-5)

    This entry is a montage of WDWS coverage of local impacts of the fall 2017 hurricane outbreak.


    :00 to :58 is a report by Tim Ditman about talks of moving a University of Illinois football game from Florida due to Hurricane Irma. It aired on September 9th. Ditman broke this news.
    :58 to 1:53 is a snippet of a report by Ditman with comments from a Champaign man, Mark Ballard, who was caught in the middle of Irma. It aired on September 11th. Ditman spoke to Ballard by phone from the Virgin Islands. The report uses natural sound of the Hurricane provided by Ballard.
    1:53 to 2:47 is a snippet of a report by Michael Kiser with comments from a University of Illinois professor who was traveling to Houston to assess mental health needs of residents after Hurricane Harvey. It aired on September 12th.
    2:47 to 4:26 is a report from Kiser with comments from an East Central Illinois woman, Sarah Plants, who was caught in the middle of two hurricanes and a tropical storm. It aired on September 25th.

    5 min
  • 2018 Silver Domes: PTI saved again (R-5)

    This entry is a montage of Tim Ditman's coverage of efforts to keep the University of Illinois Police Training Institute open.


    :00 to 1:30 is a report on talks of keeping PTI open. It aired on February 13th.
    1:30 to 2:12 is a report on the first word of an agreement to keep PTI open. It aired on October 2nd. Ditman broke the news of the agreement.
    2:12 to 3:32 is a report on the official announcement of an agreement to keep PTI open. It aired on November 16th. Ditman broke the news of the official announcement.
    3:32 to 5:00 is a report on the contract that keeps PTI open. It aired on December 4th. Ditman got the contract via FOIA.

    5 min
  • 2018 Silver Domes: Garth Brooks rocks Champaign (R-5)

    This entry is a montage of WDWS coverage of country superstar Garth Brooks' visit to Champaign in April 2017, the largest concert production to come to town in years.


    :00 to :36 is a snippet of a report by Tim Ditman on the Brooks concerts. It aired on March 1st, a day after WDWS was among the first to report that Brooks was coming to town.
    :36 to 1:00 is a snippet of a report by Carol Vorel with more details on the Brooks concerts. It aired on March 1st.
    1:00 to 2:08 is a snippet of a report by Ditman on concert logistics. It aired on March 1st.
    2:08 to 2:42 is a snippet of a report by Michael Kiser on how other major community events accommodated Brooks. It aired on March 2nd.
    2:42 to 3:15 is a snippet of a report by Ditman on Brooks' contract. It aired on April 17th. Ditman obtained the contract via FOIA.
    3:15 to 4:00 is a snippet of Brooks' news conference on April 28th, which was carried live on WDWS.
    4:00 to 4:15 is a snippet of Ditman's one-on-one interview with Brooks after the news conference (pictured).
    4:15 to 4:52 is a snippet of a report by Ditman recapping the news conference and the first concert. It aired on April 29th.

    5 min
  • 2018 Silver Domes: Tony Clements remembered (R-8)

    This entry is a montage of coverage of the death of beloved Champaign-Urbana community figure Tony Clements (pictured), which aired on June 9th, 2017, and the days following. Clements worked for the United Way, the University of Illinois basketball team, the University of Illinois Department of Campus Recreation, and was a stand-up comedian.

    :00 to :34 is a snippet of a report by Tim Ditman on Clements' career. Ditman used archived clips of Clements.

    :34 to 1:02 is a snippet of a live on-air interview with WDWS staffers Jim Turpin and Mike Haile.
    1:02 to 1:17 is a snippet of a report by Ditman with the United Way's Sue Grey.
    1:17 to 1:34 is a snippet of a live on-air interview with Bruce Swartz, who worked with Tony at the University of Illinois.
    1:34 to 1:54 is a snippet of an interview with Rod Cardinal, who worked with Tony at the University of Illinois.
    1:54 to 2:16 is a snippet of a report by Michael Kiser with former University of Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber.
    2:16 to 2:56 is a snippet of a report by Michael Kiser with former University of Illinois basketball coach Lon Kruger.
    2:56 to 3:32 is a snippet of a live on-air interview with Kiser and fellow WDWS staffer Loren Tate.
    3:32 to 3:56 is a snippet of a live on-air interview with WDWS staffer Brian Barnhart.
    3:56 to 4:13 is a snippet of Clements' funeral service, which was aired on WDWS.
    4:13 to 4:34 is a snippet of a report from Ditman recapping the service.

    Our work was also compiled on a website (click here to view).

    5 min
  • 2018 Silver Domes: Dave Shaul remembered (R-8)

    This entry is a montage of coverage of the death of veteran Champaign newsman Dave Shaul (pictured), which aired the week of May 22nd, 2017. Shaul worked for WCIA-TV and WDWS radio.


    :00 to :25 is a snippet of a report by Tim Ditman on Shaul's career. Ditman used archived clips of Shaul.
    :25 to 1:11 is a snippet of a report by Carol Vorel with reaction to Shaul's passing. It also uses an archived clip of Shaul.
    1:11 to 1:27 is a snippet of an interview with WDWS staffer Brian Barnhart.
    1:27 to 2:00 is a snippet of an interview with WDWS staffer Mike Haile.
    2:00 to 2:32 is a snippet of a live on-air interview with former WCIA staffer Ryan Baker.
    2:32 to 2:54 is a snippet of a live on-air interview with local attorney Steve Beckett, a friend of Shaul.
    2:54 to 3:13 is a snippet of a live on-air interview with WDWS staffer Michael Kiser.
    3:13 to 3:31 is a snippet of a live-on air interview with former WCIA staffer Paul Davis.
    3:31 to 3:53 is a snippet of a report by Ditman on Shaul being honored on the U.S. House floor.
    3:53 to 4:08 is a snippet of a tribute package produced by Kiser that aired live on WDWS. It used archived clips of Shaul.
    4:08 to 4:34 is a snippet of Shaul's funeral service, which was aired on WDWS.
    4:34 to 4:51 is a snippet of a report by Kiser recapping the service.

    Our work was also compiled on a website (click here to view).

    5 min
  • 2018 Silver Domes: students take in solar eclipse (R-4)

    This story produced by Michael Kiser aired on WDWS on August 21st, 2017. It follows students a Champaign's Edison Middle School as they took in the solar eclipse. In addition to going to the school for this report (see photo at left), Kiser also did a pre-eclipse story with a teacher talking about how she used the event as a learning experience for students (That report is not included with this entry).


    The anchor lede is as follows: School has not even been in session for a week yet, and students at Edison Middle School in Champaign got the experience of a lifetime today...seeing a rare solar eclipse. Michael Kiser was at the school and has this report.

    2 min

About DWS News & Interviews

From the publisher's feed

Stories and interviews from around east central Illinois by the DWS news staff.