Registration now open for CBU's summer broadcast camp for high schoolers
Riverside, Calif. (June 2, 2026) — This summer, California Baptist University will bring broadcast storytelling to teens across the Inland Empire.
The Department of Communication Arts will host a broadcast camp June 23-25 for high school students entering grades 9-12. The camp is designed to introduce foundational skills in storytelling, filming and editing.
Christopher Contreras, director of student publications and Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist, will lead the camp.
“The inspiration for the camp came from wanting to give back,” he said. “There’s a number of students who’ve shown interest in broadcasting and we have a lot of bright people that work here.”
Most high schools in the Riverside Unified School District offer some form of broadcasting class. We want the CBU camp to complement that interest, Contreras said.
Students will learn how to produce traditional news packages, explore the world of news telecasting and incorporate smartphones and social media into the mix — an approach that’s resonating in the industry right now, Conteras said.
“Broadcasting is not just your standard channel five news anymore,” he said. “It’s everywhere and that’s what we want to show students as well.”
They will also use teleprompters, professional-grade cameras and editing equipment in the CBU TV Studio.
On day one of camp, students will get a crash course in storytelling and filming basics. Day two will encompass editing and packaging footage shot on campus. On the last day students will finalize and present their packages to their fellow campers and families. They will also be allowed to share the work on any platform on their choosing.
Students will gain skills such as understanding different aspect ratios between traditional broadcasts and social media, proper shot composition and beginner editing techniques.
While Contreras will take the lead on most lessons, other instructors include adjunct professors and current students from award-winning CBU productions such as CBU TV, Lancers Sports, Pursuit Magazine and The Banner newspaper.
This camp is very timely, Contreras said. With a record amount of information available online, it’s difficult to know what can be trusted.
“We want to build the right kind of journalists with the right morals and the right ethics in mind, and we want to start that early,” Contreras said. “That’s what this camp is for — to give early exposure to high school students.”
More information about the camp, along with registration details, can be found on CBU’s website. For additional information, reach out to the Communication Arts Department, communicationarts@calbaptist.edu or 951-343-4964.