A panel of media and business experts will discuss digital and social media’s growing impact on local business and the national news industry during Columbus State University’s Department of Communication’s fall speaker series beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 6 in Legacy Hall at RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

Panelists representing the Columbus business community are Brian Anderson, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, and Peter Bowden, president and CEO of the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau. Media professionals include Michael Castengera, broadcast journalist and senior lecturer at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication; Glen Hale, corporate director for digital content at Raycom Media; and Sherrie Marshall, executive editor of the Macon Telegraph.

Chris McCollough, assistant professor of communication at Columbus State University, will wrap up the series with comments on how CSU’s Department of Communication has incorporated social media challenges and opportunities into the curriculum for CSU’s public relations and integrated media students. Joseph Brannan of PMB Broadcasting will moderate panel discussions.

Following the panel discussions, the audience will have an opportunity to participate through a question-and-answer session and a live Twitter feed.

“We are excited to bring this impressive group of professionals together for the speaker series,” said Danna Gibson, chair of CSU’s Department of Communication. “This is our third program in the series, and it promises to be as informative as the first two. We are looking forward to a thought-provoking discussion on the impact of digital media and how the news industry and businesses use it to engage their respective audiences.”

The speaker series began in September 2014 with an appearance by Monica Kaufman, former anchor at WSB-TV in Atlanta. The second program held in March featured CNN anchor and correspondent Martin Savidge. The series brings leading media professionals to Columbus to share their knowledge and experiences with communication students and the community. Individual and corporate sponsorships enable CSU’s Department of Communication to offer the series free of charge.