Students from Wakeland High School’s broadcast journalism program, WINTV, competed in the third annual FISD District Broadcast Competition on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The competition, held at Frisco ISD’s Career and Technical Education Center, CTEC, brought together the top student journalists from each of the district’s 12 high schools, and Wakeland High School students emerged as top performers in audio and visual storytelling.
Senior and first-time competitor Alexis Anderson, stated “the actual competition really tests your skills as a journalist with planning, meeting deadlines, the practical skills it takes to make it in this field.” Students at the on-site event were given news briefings at 9 a.m. and deadlines for all work was strictly 3:30 p.m. More than 100 student journalists filled the CTEC with energy and excitement as judges deliberated and scored hundreds of entries. Day two of the competition included guest speakers and the awards ceremony.
“I personally felt that hearing the guest speakers share their stories gave me some advice that will help when tapping into the industry.” – Alexis Anderson, WINTV reporter, and anchor reads competitor
Judges for all the contest categories included various members of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex’s media market. Experts in general news broadcasting, on-air personalities, and sports commentators met with students, presented career presentations, and gave each entry comments and suggestions for improvement. Several stated how impressed they were with all Frisco ISD students for their skills in communication, noting their work rivaled what they have seen from college-level journalists.
“A lot of people leave college really polished, and it took a while for me,” Sam Gannon, sports reporter with Fox 4 Dallas, reflected as she spoke to her path to the “great sports city” that is Dallas. Gannon was a judge for the general news category and a guest speaker at the competition.
This year’s contest resulted in a few ties across various categories. Anderson competed in Anchor Reads, and finished in a first-place tie with Gavin Christie of Centennial High School’s CEN10 News. The two anchor winners exhibited future-ready journalism skills by writing compelling, relevant stories that grab the audience’s attention on important topics.
Kristin Diaz, anchor of the Afternoon Drive for NewsRadio 1080 KRLD, and David Rancken, on-air personality for KLUV and KRLD in Dallas, judged the “Anchor Reads” category. Diaz said Anderson’s writing was attention-grabbing, and complemented Anderson for having the talent for ad-libbing her delivery of stories, yet maintains reporting “appropriate, not bias.” Rancken was impressed with both Christie and Anderson and their abilities to keep their reporting energized and full of personality.
Wakeland students brought home several awards, including 3rd place in Online Multimedia Story, 2nd place in Online News Publication for Wakeland Access. The Online Multimedia Story submission marked a new milestone for WINTV, with sophomore Neila Hurd and senior Lexi Patterson leading the team to their third place award. The multimedia story stood out to judges, due to the great lengths the reporters went through for the story. Not only did the story stand out for the “incredible B-Roll” but overall, judges thought it was a “fun story;” full of alliteration that packed a punch. Peek in on “Pumpkins Prove Prudent for the Prosperity of Pigs” on another Page.
The five reporters that make up “WINTV Sports” cemented their title as “Best in The Land,” bringing home 1st place in Sports Highlight Reel, and 1st place in General Sports Feature Package for their story titled “The Myer Connection.”
Overall, Wakeland’s Broadcast and Journalism students brought home the 2nd place award for Best in Show. Wakeland’s impressive awards demonstrate the school’s continued excellence in broadcast journalism and multimedia storytelling. The team at WINTV continues to work hard and “it pays off!” said Anderson, still excited by her historic win.
“It felt surreal. A dream come true.”
Vihaan Kalidindi • Jan 28, 2024 at 6:06 pm
Let’s Go Everybody! These people are so talented and the best of the best, literally carry WIN-TV through everything we do!