UTA News Covers Downtown Arlington

UTA News Program

Located adjacent to downtown Arlington, UTA is the place where dreams come true for many students. I have the pleasure of attending this wonderful University as a broadcast and journalism student. My plans are to graduate in May of 2016 and hopefully become hired at a news station as a reporter.

UTA has not only given me the opportunity to learn from professors who have taught me great skills, but as a broadcast student I get to participate in the creation of weekly newscasts through UTA NEWS for the UTA and Arlington communities. Every Monday at 4 p.m. we air live, bringing stories from not only all across the UTA campus but from downtown Arlington as well.

Andrew Clark, associate professor of Communication and coordinator of UTA NEWS, said the main way that UTA NEWS influences downtown Arlington is through the creation of UTA Spotlight, which is a direct partnership between the city and the TV Reporting class. 

“We created that program to highlight some of the things that are happening at UTA, and the packages are put on the city’s website and the cable channel as well,” Clark said.

Another way is just by the fact of our students going out and covering stories in downtown Arlington.

“I like to think that our students are playing a role in creating awareness of what is happening,” Clark said. “We hope that our stories will educate a wider audience of what is happening in downtown Arlington.”

The technical skills learned

Every week brings something new, as students we learn how to run cameras, work an audio board, direct, produce and even anchor a news segment. This semester I had the chance of anchoring our third newscast of Fall 2015. The excitement I feel of being in front of a camera is indescribable. With UTA NEWS, I have found that my real passion does not lie behind the scenes working in the production room but in front of the camera, reporting news to the audience.

Through this program and UTA Spotlight we receive experience that will help us as professionals in the future when working in the broadcast media field.  I have really enjoyed being a part of UTA NEWS this semester and I look forward to greater things next semester.

For those of you who have seen our newscasts through our website or on cable, I would love to hear your feedback on our stories.

What are some of your favorite stories we have covered in downtown Arlington?

Mariela Alvarez is a senior at the University of Texas at Arlington, working towards a double major in Journalism and Broadcast.