Two greatly successful news organizations will be under one roof. The Vidette and WGLT will be located together in The Vidette building, located at 500 W. Locust Street, Normal, IL, 61761. The co-location is planned to be completed by the summer of 2023.
The story about this co-location is simple. In 2020, Dr. Stephen Hunt, professor and director of the School of Communication, was tasked by Illinois State’s Provost Dr. Aondover Tarhule and ISU’s then-President Larry Dietz to assemble a committee to facilitate the transition of The Vidette from a printed newspaper to a digital operation to align it with the curriculum in the school.
In fact, WGLT’s facilities in Old Main have been a topic of discussion for a long time because of much-needed renovation and the need for a different location, so it is more easily accessible for visitors. With the help of this committee, the idea of WGLT co-locating in The Vidette Building was proposed. Indeed, ISU President Terri Goss Kinzy and ISU’s Board of Trustees have been very supportive, passing a resolution on the co-location in August.
The co-location of The Vidette and WGLT will provide multiple different opportunities and benefits to the organizations. The co-location will allow The Vidette editorial advisor Kevin Capie to work with WGLT, have easier access to WGLT, share administrative resources and personnel, and allow students to work alongside professional journalists.
WGLT General Manager R.C. McBride also plans to combine resources to work on joint projects, stating the idea of “forming a joint investigative journalism team.” Joint projects will further allow students to benefit from more-active mentorship from professional journalists, and these professional journalists can assist students in reaching larger audiences through the National Public Radio (NPR) platform.
Although this project has faced obstacles and delays like issues with construction changes and obtaining approval by the Board, the renovation of The Vidette Building is planned to be completed during the 2023–2024 school year, with WGLT moving into the building by summer 2024.
