MSU Professor debuts new project on KET

Jeffrey Hill, a professor of mass communication at MSU and an award-winning producer, will premiere his latest project, “The Ryan McGillicuddy Small Big Band,” on Kentucky Educational Television in April.

This 30-minute program continues Hill’s earlier program, “The Ryan McGillicuddy Big Band,” which earned an Ohio Valley regional Emmy nomination.

The new program features MSU Associate Professor Ryan McGillicuddy leading an ensemble of eight musicians to perform five original jazz compositions.

McGillicuddy received an MSU Summer Creative Fellowship to write and perform the material, which includes the compositions “Stumps,” “Sound Objections,” “Wicked Away,” “Just Friends of Us,” and “Chunk.”

The ensemble features local talent from across Kentucky. McGillicuddy plays bass, Marlin McKay plays trumpet, Chad O’Brien plays trombone, and others contribute on various instruments, including saxophones, guitar, piano, and drums.

In addition to Hill’s production, the project benefitted from the support of MSU’s Department of Communication, Media Art & Design, with Instructor of Speech Communication Chris Merritt (2004, 2009) doing camera work. Clay Wallace (2023), a convergent media graduate, served as an assistant producer for the program.

“The fact that KET sees the importance of airing the creative work of Kentucky residents is a testament to PBS as a whole,” says Hill.

The program will air on KET Broadcast stations:

• 4/26 at 6:00 pm (KETKY) 
• 4/27 at 9:30 pm (KETKY) 

You can view the show on KET’s website, ket.org.  

“The Ryan McGillicuddy Big Band” 

For more information about the broadcast, contact Professor of Mass Communication Jeffrey Hill at j.hill@moreheadstate.edu.

For more information, contact the Department of Communication, Media, Art & Design at cmad@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2766.