In the past year, Temple University students, faculty and staff have worked hard to produce notable broadcasts, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Temple University Television (TUTV) has received 16 nominations for the 2020 College/University Production Awards, sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). Last year, the station received 13 nominations. TUTV broadcasts aired between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020, were eligible for this year’s nominations and include the station’s staple weekly news broadcast Temple Update, its talk and narrative productions such as We Need To Talk and its sports content on OwlSports Update. Four TUTV student journalists are also in the running for outstanding on-air talent. Read on for a few of the nominees’ thoughts on the awards.
Paul Gluck, general manager of TUTV
Despite the challenges of balancing schoolwork, professional work and social life, student journalists at TUTV make sure to put their all into their productions. Paul Gluck is always appreciative of their contributions. “I’m always happy to see that the incredible efforts of the students who work on our newscast Temple Update and our sports program OwlSports [Update] were recognized by the Academy,” he says. “They invest a lot of their energy and their talent on these shows and it’s fulfilling to see that the Academy recognizes that talent. I’m also really excited when I see narrative programming or some of our talk programming recognized. To see a show that hasn’t been on the air very long like We Need To Talk receive a nomination is very encouraging.”
Peter Jaroff, executive producer and faculty advisor of Temple Update
Peter Jaroff is continually impressed by the output of Temple Update’s student journalists. In 2019, they achieved an incredible feat by airing a live broadcast from Paris. Student journalists staying in London traveled to the French capital and worked with CNN to cover the devastating fire that damaged the historic Notre-Dame cathedral. That broadcast is nominated as a part of the outstanding newscast category and in the outstanding news: general assignment category at this year’s awards. Several other Temple Update broadcasts and segments are also included in the nominations. Jaroff says the recognition is well-deserved. “It is a tribute to the kind of student that Klein College and Temple University attracts. They work hard, they want to learn, they want to get better with every production, with every show, with every story they do. And this is the payoff for them.”
Matt Fine, executive producer of OwlSports Update
Over the course of a given academic year, students who participate in TUTV advance in their journalism abilities. Matt Fine is always amazed at the improvements that students involved in OwlSports Update make with each broadcast. The show and its on-air talent have racked up considerable nominations this year, proving the never-ending development of its students. “[Growth is] not just year to year: a lot of times it can even be week to week. And that's for me [one of] the greatest things about overseeing OwlSports Update and watching the students and mentoring these students. That growth is just so apparent.”
Addison Hunsicker, FOX ‘20, statistical science and data analytics
Addison Hunsicker started his undergraduate career as an undeclared major at Klein College of Media and Communication. When the math-inclined student made a switch to Fox School of Business, he stayed connected to media production by continuing to work with TUTV and OwlSports Update. He is nominated in the outstanding newscast category for his work as a senior producer for the OwlSports Update show Inside The Nest. “It's really impressive...what TUTV in general is able to do on a semester-by-semester basis and it's a testament...to the work ethic of TUTV students who are really putting themselves out there and willing to get involved in having the dedication, time management, the preparation to be consistent,” he says. “Because it's tough during the middle of the semester: you’ve got midterms, homework, projects, stuff going on in your personal life. It's tough to do it week in and week out. And I think the awards every year are a testament to the dedication that TUTV students have.”
Kenneth Cooper, CLA/KLN ‘20, political science and journalism
Although he is nominated in the outstanding arts and entertainment/cultural affairs category as technical director of a broadcast of We Need To Talk, Kenneth Cooper is also one of four Temple students nominated for outstanding on-air talent for his contributions to TUTV. He believes that the on-air talent nominations are “evidence [that] it truly takes a village. Even though I submitted to the best talent as an individual category and I believe I had five components of it, every one of those five components had someone else helping me.” But he says his success would not be possible without the collaboration of other student journalists, faculty and staff at Temple. “With Temple, the village is always going to be strongest because this is such a supportive network of professors, students, faculty. Everyone in this area is really helpful in terms of those things.”
Monica Logroño, KLN ‘20, media studies and production
Monica Logroño was the supervising producer of one of Temple Update’s most critical broadcasts to date. When the university announced in March that classes would no longer resume for the rest of the spring 2020 semester, the weekly broadcast was scheduled to air the next day. Logroño had to figure out how to put together a polished broadcast that encapsulated the breaking news, and it wasn’t easy to pull off overnight.“I think I just had this point in the night where I emailed Paul Gluck and I talked to him about the show,” she says. “I told him I realized this is the biggest story Temple University has had and this is the biggest story Temple Update has had and I had to do it justice. I had to. So I felt like it was my job to make it happen, make it good and make sure that it could be a show I could be proud of.” As a result of her collective effort with the rest of her Temple Update team, the broadcast is nominated for outstanding newscast.
Jack Byrne, senior, media studies and production
From trying his hand at on-air work to finding a home in behind-the-scenes production, Jack Byrne has always made a place for himself at TUTV. Now more than ever, he is excited about the work he has produced with his peers through OwlSports Update. Even the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not hindered his excitement for the upcoming awards ceremony, where he hopes to win as a producer/director in the outstanding newcast category, calling the nominated broadcast “the best show I ever directed.” “[I’m] overall just really excited about the nomination. It’s weird with COVID-19 that we’re all going to be having an online ceremony but it is what it is: I’m just honored to have it anyway.”
The awards will be held virtually on September 19. To view the nominated broadcasts, visit TUTV’s website. For a full list of this year’s nominees, visit the NATAS Mid-Atlantic Chapter website.