MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — “Out of the Blue,” Middle Tennessee State University’s monthly television magazine program, takes viewers behind the scenes of the university’s newly redesigned production space in the May episode, highlighting the work of the Center for Educational Media and the team behind its updated studio.

The segment focuses on Studio A inside the Center for Educational Media, or CEM, located within the McWherter Learning Resource Center. The center supports educators across Tennessee through video production and professional development, creating content designed for teachers, school leaders and future educators.

CEM Director Laura Clark said the center plays an important role in supporting the College of Education’s mission through both storytelling and training.

“The work that we produce here in the Center for Educational Media is viewed by a number of different populations,” Clark said. “The primary population is working educators in Tennessee.”

Clark added that the center’s work also benefits MTSU students preparing to enter education careers by giving them opportunities to hear directly from professionals already working in classrooms.

As the center’s work has expanded, so has the need for a more flexible production space. Studio A recently underwent a complete redesign, with much of the project designed and built by MTSU faculty, staff and alumni.

Jeffery Nokes, who helped oversee the engineering side of the project, said the team built the set entirely on-site while also making the space adaptable for future productions.

“One of the issues we had was the amount of real estate,” Nokes said. “So we made it a foldable set … you can fold the walls in if you need access.”

The updated studio also includes new LED lighting and production upgrades that allow crews to customize the space for a variety of university projects, according to production manager Mitch Pryor.

“Our goal for a new set was to give something that we have options with,” Pryor said. “Not only for ‘Out of the Blue,’ but many university folks will be able to use.”

The studio’s design was led by MTSU alumna Duncan Ragsdale, who created a neutral, flexible look inspired by the university’s branding while allowing the space to adapt to different productions.

From concept to construction, the redesigned studio reflects a collaborative effort rooted in MTSU talent and built to support the university community for years to come.

“We are so thrilled,” Clark said. “And we can’t wait for ‘Out of the Blue’ to be here and producing right from this beautiful space.”

You can watch the segment below:

To watch, listen

• “Out of the Blue” is available anytime on the university’s YouTube channel, the True Blue TV channel, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

• It also airs on Murfreesboro cable Channel 9 daily at 6 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; NewsChannel5+ at 6:30 p.m. Sundays; WKRN+ at 7 p.m. Thursdays and noon Sundays; and streamed on the MTSU Jazz Network through WMOT.orgat 7 a.m. on the first Sunday of each month; and on other cable outlets in Middle Tennessee, so check local listings.

• It is also available as a podcast on iTunes and Google Play and as individual interview segments on Spotify athttps://spoti.fi/453hxg3.

Watch previous episodes of “Out of the Blue” athttps://mtsunews.com/out-of-the-blue.

— Karli Sutton (Karli.Sutton@mtsu.edu)