Topic: College of Communication Information and Media
September 5, 2007
<b>Senior telecommunications major Brian Collins records some of the first Ball State students to use the new David Letterman Communication and Media Building. Unlike most of the people expected to turn out for Friday~~~s public dedication ceremony on the chance of glimpsing the famous late night TV host, Collins already has met the university~~~s distinguished honoree and most prominent alumnus.</b>
His internship at WANE-TV in Fort Wayne may keep Ball State senior Brian Collins from attending Friday's on-campus dedication of the David Letterman Communication and Media Building, an event sure to be a highlight of the academic year for many of his classmates. He's not especially concerned, though, since he's already had the pleasure of meeting Letterman.
Unlike the thousands expected to turn out at the public dedication ceremony for a chance to see the university's most prominent alumnus in person - albeit from a respectful distance - Collins has stood within two feet of the man, at a taping of the "Late Show" in New York during his freshman year.
Like Letterman, a student in the College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM), Collins was invited on the program by its producers shortly after his famous "Boom goes the dynamite!!" sports report on the student-produced NewsWatch at 9, an occasion that already has reached near legendary status in the university's long history of student broadcasting. Four years of study and hard work later, the aspiring investigative news reporter would just as soon leave his connection to the celebrated clip behind, but he admits it can be something of a mixed blessing.
After all, he got a free trip to New York (along with his dad and his roommate at the time) and a couple of minutes of network airtime in the company of an entertainment giant.
"It was a pretty memorable experience," Collins recalls about meeting his illustrious predecessor at Ball State, "and one that most students don't get to take away from their college careers. So, that was a very positive thing to come out of the whole episode. I try to keep it in perspective."
Seeded in the audience of the historic Ed Sullivan Theater for a planned yet spontaneous meeting and exchange with the "Late Show" host, Collins spent only a few moments conversing with Letterman. Still, he came away with some distinct impressions of the notoriously reticent celebrity.
"I think he's pretty good at reading people," observes Collins, who did not meet with Letterman prior to the in-the-audience segment. "That's kind of how his comedy works, actually, knowing something about people and being able to use it so creatively in his interactions with them. He's very, very talented at that."
The telecommunications major from Milan, Ohio, also credits Letterman with a very genuine and natural style.
"He just comes up to you with the 'Hey, how ya doin'?' and then it's almost like you're talking to the neighbor - almost," says Collins, conscious that his brief get-acquainted with Letterman was watched by millions of television viewers nationwide.
"In general, I think he tries to keep away from people," he adds of the TV icon, whose widely publicized interview with Oprah Winfrey just days after the Letterman building dedication represents one of his rare appearances on another talk show and one of the rarer still public interviews he's granted in the past five years.
"Sometimes, things can happen when you're famous, so you understand his wanting to be careful," Collins says. "At the same time, though, he's very friendly."
This past summer, Collins gained an additional immersive learning experience working as an intern at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. It's another thing he has in common with Letterman, who got his professional start as an anchor and weatherman with the large NBC affiliate in the Hoosier capital following his graduation in Ball State's Class of 1969.
While making no pretense about following in Letterman's footsteps all the way to national recognition and acclaim, Collins agrees with Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora's assessment that the dedication of the Letterman building should serve as an inspiration to every Ball State student.
"He's certainly earned it," says Collins. "How many times on college campuses do you see a building named after someone that you don't really know who they are? Dave has definitely helped bring a name to Ball State, and I'm glad the university can add his name to the Letterman building. He's a great guy."