WUFT-FM creates a student-produced Spanish-language newscast
The College’s public radio station, WUFT-FM, will broadcast a student-produced Spanish-language radio newscast starting Feb. 18. The 30-minute “Noticias WUFT” (“WUFT News”), which will air every Thursday night at 11, will cover local, state, national and international news, including public affairs, sports and weather.
“In terms of serving our community, it’s a critical need,” said assistant professor Amy Jo Coffey, the program’s faculty adviser.
Although the program will serve all listeners in Spanish, it will target people who rely solely on Spanish-language news and information, Coffey noted.
Telecommunication students Paola Alonzo and Felipe Awad came up with the idea for “Noticias WUFT” when they produced a Spanish-language podcast for UF’s WRUF-AM last spring, and presented it to College of Journalism and Communications Dean John Wright.
“Original programs such as ‘Noticias WUFT’ give our students a chance to learn, grow and make a difference in the community,” Wright said.
At Wright’s suggestion, Alonzo and Awad teamed up with Coffey, who researches non-English language programming, to guide the project. They met regularly with Paul Gordon, interim executive director of the Division of Multimedia Properties (DMP), Thomas Krynski, DMP radio news director, and Larry Dankner, DMP division director for programming, to launch the program. They’ve gained the support of UF’s Hispanic Student Association, Hispanic Communicators Association and National Broadcasting Society chapter.
“All persons reporting, anchoring, producing, interviewing, and editing are students,” Coffey said. “Copy editing will be overseen by two bilingual PhD students, Vanessa Bravo and Maria DeMoya.”
Many of the college’s students are interning or have landed jobs at Spanish-language media outlets such as Univision or Telemundo, Coffey noted.
Plans include turning the weekly show into a daily broadcast. Eight students are working on it, and others have expressed interest in getting involved. The program will reach 17 counties.
“This is a severely underserved market in North Central Florida,” Coffey said. “This is a public service we think we need to provide.”
WUFT-FM 89.1 – which broadcasts news and public affairs programs on its primary channel, classical/art programming on HD2 and old-time radio on HD3 – is part of the college’s DMP. It simulcasts its programs on it sister station, WJUF-FM 90.1.
The college is a national leader in the professional education of future journalists and other communication practitioners. It offers undergraduate programs in advertising, print and broadcast journalism, public relations, and telecommunication; and graduate programs in science/health communication, media law, political communication and international communication.
En Español: WUFT-FM crea noticiero en español producido por estudiantes
Posted: February 9, 2010
Category: College News
Tagged as: Noticias WUFT
