Friday, Oct 10, 2014
Five Rider students are editing and producing news packages for the new series
by Janeen Rodgers '15
Five Rider communications students can now add Fox 29 Philadelphia to their resumes. Samantha Crawford, Carlos Delcid, Amanda Dodson, Daisy Rivadeneira and Kaitlin Rust have all been given the opportunity to edit, produce and star in their own news packages for Fox 29's new weekend broadcast series #JuniorReporters.
The show was the creation of Fox’s director of human resources, Megan Yamin-Afshar, and news director, Jim Driscoll. They wanted to add fresh, young voices and creative content to their programming, and Yamin-Afshar thought Rider students would be an ideal fit for the weekly segment.
“The show is completely outside of the box,” she says. “It’s a different way of doing news television. There is no anchor desk, it’s extremely interactive and a lot of it is generated by our viewers.”
The show, which began airing Sept. 20, gives students a chance to deliver news that affects nearby communities. For example, Crawford recently aired a piece about William Hardman, a 10-year old boy who was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome six years ago. He recently began muay thai kickboxing, which has helped him to socialize despite his diagnosis. The segment illuminates how children like William grapple with the challenges of autism.
“Being able to research this story, interview the family and see the show air live was amazing,” Crawford says. She also enjoyed working in a professional newsroom for the first time. “It's such a fast-paced environment. Things are constantly changing, and it keeps you on your toes.”
FOX 29 News Philadelphia | WTXF-TV
These five students entered the real world of news largely thanks to Scott Alboum, Rider’s video technologies coordinator. Once Yamin-Afshar reached out to Alboum, he recruited students on his own studio team.
"Scott is great," Rust says, adding that Alboum played a major role in helping her land the job. Thanks to him, "I'm confident that I can produce a professional newsworthy package."
The show airs on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. (ET). The #JuniorReporter segments can be viewed at http://www.myfoxphilly.com/clip/10657842/juniorreporters.