UTA broadcast students win prestigious award
Arlington Sentinel News en Español (ASNE), produced by broadcast students in The University of Texas at Arlington’s Department of Communication, won the Lone Star Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Award for college Spanish-language newscast.
The win marks the first for Arlington Sentinel News en Español, which is part of UTA’s Hispanic Media Initiative. UTA students previously won the same award in 2017, 2019 and 2023 for their work on Proyecto U with Univision.
“ASNE’s achievement recognizes the tenacity of our bilingual broadcast students,” said Julian Rodriguez, ASNE advisor and broadcast specialist. “They are focusing on teamwork by taking advantage of their professional skills in a state-of-the-art production environment. As an advisor, I aim to identify and ignite the students’ potential, and this award validates their newly found career passion.”
Valeria Olvera, a sophomore broadcast major who served as reporter and camera operator for the broadcast, said ASNE has offered her an essential experiential learning opportunity.
“Working for ASNE has been one of the most valuable experiences and has taught me how journalism works in the real world. I gained hard and soft skills that have made me more passionate about this field,” she said. “I’ve developed a sense of responsibility for my community, and I love having the opportunity to collaborate with people who share a similar passion.”
Isaac Molina, a sophomore broadcast major who served as a reporter, noted that the recognition is special because it represents the hard work of everyone who participated and offered validation that he is heading in the right direction with his career.
The Arlington Sentinel was established in spring 2022 by the Department of Communication under the leadership of Geoffrey Campbell, journalism instructor; Vinicio Sinta, assistant professor; and Rodriguez. Its goal was to serve news desert communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and to provide the department’s journalism students with experiential learning opportunities in community journalism.
The initiative now focuses its coverage on Arlington, and in fall 2023 the effort was expanded to include work by television broadcast students. The cross-platform news operation includes students producing the weekly Spanish- and English-language broadcasts for ASNE and Arlington Sentinel News.
Students stressed that the award speaks to the collective effort of the entire broadcast team and that working on ASNE has challenged them in all the best ways.
As a journalism major, Londy Ramirez’s prior experience focused primarily on writing; she never expected to be reporting and working the behind the scenes for a broadcast.
“I never imagined I’d have an opportunity like this, and it showed me what’s possible when I step outside my comfort zone. The hands-on learning experience opened doors and new skills I never expected to develop,” she said.
Ramirez will graduate this fall and plans to pursue graduate school.
Students honored for their work are Melissa Garza, producer; Valeria Olvera, reporter/camera operator; Karla Flores, writer/floor manager; Zachary Bell, assistant automated production control operator; Jesus Adrian Trevizo, anchor/reporter; Michelle Navarro, APC operator; Maria Cruz, reporter/camera operator; Ana Casablanca, anchor; Isaac Molina, reporter; Angel Castro, reporter; Alejandro Contreras, reporter; Leslie Solis, reporter; Mia Medellin, reporter; and Londy Ramirez, reporter/camera operator.
Watch the winning broadcast here, https://arlingtonsentinel.org/1380/news/arlington-sentinel-news-en-espanol-15/.
- Written by Geoffrey Campbell, lecturer in the Department of Communication