NBC News team visits UTA to train communication students
A team of NBC News executives, on-air reporters and behind-the-scenes producers came to The University of Texas at Arlington to demonstrate the latest TV news technology and answer questions from UTA broadcasting students.
Students learned about drone technology, the latest in satellite linkups and toured an NBC satellite truck as part of the Next Level Summit, a nationwide virtual conference organized by the NBCU Academy, a journalism training and development program launched by NBCUniversal News Group in 2021.
Ron Everett, Gerardo Perez and Jeanette Pardo were among the UTA students who posed questions to NBC reporters and executives, which included Rashida Jones, president of MSNBC; Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News; and Shepard Smith, news anchor for NBC and CNBC. Houston-based NBC News correspondent Priscilla Thompson was on site to interview UTA students, along with Marc Weinstock, vice president of news field operations and engineering, who demonstrated satellite truck and Starlink technology.
Perez, a junior broadcasting major from Grand Prairie, asked about the use of virtual reality and computer-generated imagery in gaming, while Everett, a senior broadcasting major from Fort Worth, asked about the future of documentary programming on MSNBC.
Everett said his biggest takeaway was “the connections and getting to talk to people I watch every day on the national news,” a position he hopes to be in some day.
“With UTA being in DFW, which is a top-five market, and having really great faculty and students who have performed at high levels, it’s prepared us well to go into local and even national news,” he said.
Vinicio Sinta, assistant professor of broadcast communication, and Julian Rodriguez, director of UTA’s Hispanic Media Initiative (HMI) in the Department of Communication, led the effort to bring NBC to campus. Rodriguez said UTA trains future broadcast journalists on state-of-the art technology, including a newly developed drone certification course and automated production controls.
The HMI, founded in 2010, has created new opportunities for bilingual students for more than a decade, with students enjoying 100% graduation and job placement rates since its inception.
“We have a unique Hispanic media program that is not only recognized but coveted by the industry,” Rodriguez said. “Companies are competing to aggressively recruit our students to work for them.”
The NBCU Academy and Telemundo Local Academy provide UTA students with scholarships, education, on-campus training, online programming and access to world-class journalists from Telemundo, NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC. The multiyear partnership includes a grant for direct student funding in the form of scholarships and new multimedia equipment.
Through the NBCU Academy and Telemundo Local Academy, UTA students will also have the opportunity to apply for fellowships and other job opportunities. The resources are aimed at providing more equitable access for diverse and marginalized communities who have been historically underrepresented in the news industry.