Gators in the CMIR

I would not be ready to work in the broadcast industry as a multimedia journalist if it was not for my experience working at the Center for Media Innovation + Research (CMIR) and 21st Century News Laboratory, which is called the Innovation News Center (INC), at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The INC is home to the College’s Division of Multimedia Properties, which is comprised of seven broadcast stations, including WUFT News, and more than 300 UF students work in news, sports, production, management, web design, promotions and advertising. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to work in a real newsroom that compares to a top 50-market news station. I feel confident that if I started a job today at a local television station, I would be able to go out in the field on my own and pack a story before my deadline. I have talked to producers at several local television and radio news stations in Florida about the candidates straight of college who are applying for jobs. I have been told that Telecommunication and Journalism students who graduated from other Florida universities do not have nearly as much experience as UF students do after working in the CMIR and the INC. And I feel like the experience I have working at WUFT-FM 89.1 (NPR), WUFT-TV 5 (PBS), WRUF-TV 6 and ESPN 850 WRUF is just like the experience I would have working after I graduate. Just like a real, paying job, I must work holidays and work very long days. In addition to learning how to be a producer, anchor and reporter for television and radio, I have also learned how to manage my brand, use social media effectively and share my work through websites and blogs.

My first time working in the INC was with WUFT-FM. My first semester working as a radio reporter opened my eyes to working in the broadcast field. I learned more about Gainesville and the entire North Central Florida community, as well as the importance of creating relationships with my sources. I have never been an aggressive person, and but I had to learn to be more persistent and diligent when it comes to chasing stories as a reporter. I was also able to learn the importance of story elements, like nat sound. And I carried all of those lessons with me when I started writing and filming stories for WUFT-TV.

I have especially enjoyed being able to work at our local ESPN station, WRUF-AM. My dream job is covering the Florida Gator football team and I have the opportunity to do that right now at the CMIR and the INC. Since the station is located at UF in Gainesville, we are always one of the first to know the breaking news about Gator Sports. Covering Gator sports has also introduced me to sports information. During the 2014 season, I have covered the hiring of Florida football head coach Will Muschamp and also many athletes, including freshman quarterback Treon Harris. But that’s not all. I was also able to cover college football news and all things SEC. And I have worked with Sports Information Directors at UF to arrange and schedule interviews with Florida players and coaches. Not only did I learn how to communicate with the SIDs as a reporter, I was also able to learn about the role and responsibilities of a SID job. I feel prepared to enter the job market with skills that would make me an applicable candidate in many different communications fields, not just news.

Overall, my time working is CMIR has taught me strong principles I will use as a journalist now and in the future, whether it is news or sports. Working at the CMIR has taught me the importance of fact checking. As a journalist, I am responsible for providing truthful and honest information to the public, listeners and viewers. With social media, many journalists in this day and age are faced with this decision: Get it first, or get it right? My priority is to always make sure any news I report is true and accurate. My teachers and news directors have always emphasized the importance of this during work and class. As I get ready to graduate at the end of December, I am so glad I chose to study Telecommunication-News. And as I look back at my time at UF, I am so thankful I was able to work in the CMIR and the INC. Hey, not to mention it’s pretty cool when you’re friends and family tell you they saw you on TV or heard you on the radio! The CMIR is just another reason why it truly is great to be a Florida Gator! It has shaped me not only into a multimedia journalist and Gator, but also into Colette DuChanois.

Go Gators!

“The Tipping Point” Book Review

We are taking another break from talking University of Florida Gator football this week. I needed to distract myself from the Gators’ 23-20 loss at home in The Swamp to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, November 15, 2014 and Will Muschamp stepping down as head coach of the Gators. So I read the book, “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell says the Tipping Point as everything from the emergence of fashion trends, to the flow of crime waves, to the transformation of unknown books into bestsellers and even word of mouth. Gladwell’s belief is ideas, products, messages and behaviors spread the same way viruses do. More specifically, Gladwell defines the Tipping Point as, “The name given to that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once” (Pg. 9). Gladwell writes there are three rules of the Tipping Point: The Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. These three agents help us understand what tips epidemics and how a message can spread throughout the world. When I started reading, I kept seeing the word “epidemic.” When this word came to my mind, I only thought of the word in terms of the spread of a disease. But this book opened by mind to the root of all trends in society and culture around the world. But the lessons and three rules I learned from reading this book taught me how I can spread a message and even more ambitiously, change history, as a multimedia journalist.

The first rule of the Tipping Point is the Law of the Few. This law basically means a small percentage of people do the majority of work. Physical and social epidemics are driven by the efforts of a just a handful of exceptional people. Factors like being social, energetic, knowledgeable or influential can make these few people exceptional. The exceptional people use these factors to spread trends. The message is important, but so is the messenger. Gladwell uses the example of Paul Revere, who spread the message that the British were coming to the American colonists. Gladwell also uses the example of Hush Puppies. He explains that just a few kids in the cutting-edge precincts of the East Village started the fashion trend. The book helped me understand if you want to be influential, you need to be an extraordinary person who people look up to.

The second rule of the Tipping Point is the Stickiness Factor. Gladwell writes, “The Stickiness Factor says that there are specific ways of making a contagious message memorable; there are relatively simple changes in the presentation and structuring of information that can make a big difference in how much of an impact it makes” (Pg. 24-25). Gladwell used the success of popular children’s shows Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues to explain how ideas must be memorable in order to move people to action. I learned fro the Stickiness Factor that if you want to send a meaningful message that people will not forget and the message will not go through one ear and out the other, you have to get the message to be different in order to have an ever lasting affect.

And the third rule of the Tipping Point is the Power of Context. According to Gladwell, “The Power of Context says that human beings are a lot more sensitive to their environment than they may seem” (Pg. 29). Gladwell uses the success of the book, “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” to explain this third factor and how groups play a critical role in the Tipping Point for social epidemics. Obviously people are influenced by family, friends, peers, coworkers, neighbors and everyone around them, but Gladwell helped me really grasp how influential groups are on what we do. And the paradox of epidemics is, “That in order to create one contagious movement, you often have to create many small movements first” (Pg. 191).

To be honest, I was not very interested when I first opened “The Tipping Point.” But after just a few pages, Gladwell’s informative writing intrigued me and I was sucked into the book. Before reading this book, I did not know the three factors of the Tipping Point were the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. But as I dove deeper into the text, Gladwell’s writing just really clicked and made sense to me. I really was able to grasp why societal and cultural trends begin, how they spread and why they spread. I hope I can put the lessons I learned from “The Tipping Point” to tip the scales and become an influential multimedia journalist.

More Gator Student Bios

Gainesville, Florida is home to the University of Florida and all of the Gator students. Besides Gainesville being home to the Florida Gator football team, I wanted to go to UF because I was drawn to Gainesville’s small town feel. I wanted to go to school in a college town and I think Gainesville is the perfect college town that offers so many places and restaurants for both students and visitors to explore! And my fellow Gator classmates can tell you about the best hot spots to hit when you’re in town.

I have known Megan Gannon for several years now and I consider her a great friend in addition to being my Tri Delta sister. Even though Megan and I are in the same sorority, we became even better friends through our Telecommunication-News classes and working at WUFT News. Megan is a very genuine and sweet person. And since she’s a senior, she’s had time to navigate around Gainesville to find the area’s hidden gems. Her blog will tell you about Gainesville’s best-kept secrets, including Payne’s Prairie!

I met Jonathan Munoz this semester in Investigative Reporting but we also both work at WUFT News. Jonathan’s blog is simply fascinating to me. We all known Gainesville is home to UF’s campus, but Jonathan dives deeper into the university’s historic buildings. And in addition to intriguing facts and information, his blog has great photos of some of the most recognizable and unrecognizable buildings on campus.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite navigating through alligators at Payne’s Prairie and strolling through the University of Florida campus, visit Kara Hudgins‘ blog to evaluate your options for a tasty meal. Kara is a fourth year Telecommunications student and so like Megan, she has had several years to try out Gainesville’s finest restaurants. She reviews both casual and more upscale eatery’s. Zoes and Satchels are two of he restaurant recommendations and I can confirm, they both serve delicious food!

Whether you’re a student at UF, applying to UF or just coming in town to cheer on the Florida Gator football teams, these blogs can tell you about the best place to visit while you’re in Gainesville!

Gator Student Bios

While I am usually talking about Gator football players there are also plenty of other Gators at the University of Florida who deserve to be mentioned, including some of my classmates.

I have loved having to opportunity to work at ESPN 850 WRUF. And through working at the station, I’ve been able to meet and learn from many Gator students who love Gator sports as much as I do!

Courtney McKenna is very involved in the College of Journalism and Communications. We are both Telecommunication-News majors and I have enjoyed becoming friends with her in our classes we’ve had together. Courtney has always helped me whenever I’ve had any questions in class, and her blog will help you too! Her blog gives tips on becoming a motivated and successful student just like her. Courtney and I both work at ESPN 850 WRUF and we’re both interested in sports broadcasting. Courtney is a sports anchor for WUFT-TV First at Five and she anchors and produces sports updates for WRUF-TV. She’s even interned with NBC for their production of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London and the Gold Channel!

I had the pleasure of getting to know Paige Pitisci when we were in the same Sports Reporting class together last spring. We both began working at ESPN 850 WRUF at the same time and we even had a shift together. We also worked together to produce a piece for radio and the web that previewed the Florida Gator baseball team. Paige loves sports and baseball, but her blog also highlights her culinary expertise. If you’re tummy is rumbling as you’re reading this, check out Paige’s blog for great Gainesville restaurant reviews.

I have never met Richard Johnson, but he is one of my favorite local sports reporters in Gainesville. He has served as a host for Cheap Seats, a radio show that airs on ESPN 850 WRUF. I follow him on Twitter and I can always count on him to tweet the latest Gator football news. In addition to his tweets, Richard also covers Gator football for The Independent Florida Alligator and the Florida Times-Union. Check out his blog has even more insight into Gator football.

Check out these Gators student’s blogs to learn about everything from Gator sports to what to do if you’re just visiting for a home game in the Swamp!

Colette DuChanois: Gator

I am Colette DuChanois. I am a Gator. And the cheer is true… It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

I am studying to be a multimedia sports journalist at the University of Florida. I’ve always been interested in Florida Gator football but I first became interested in the broadcast field after taking television production for three years in high school. In addition to currently working at ESPN 850 WRUF, I also work as a producer, anchor and reporter at PBS affiliate, WUFT-TV 5, and NPR affiliate, WUFT-FM 89.1. I take great pride in being a part of the Gator Nation. But I’m proud to be a daughter and a sister too.

I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida (home of the annual Florida-Georgia game). My dad and mom raised me to cheer on the Gators. I have one younger brother who is a sophomore at UF. My brother would always come down and visit me in Gainesville when he was still in high school and I love being able to go to school with him again. In my free time, I enjoy walking my 14-year-old yellow Labrador named Scout, running and working out with my mom and cooking healthy meals for my entire family to enjoy.

In addition to being my brother’s older sister, I am also a sister of Delta Delta Delta. Tri Delta helped make UF more like home and helped me meet my life long friends. I have enjoyed attending Gator football and basketball games with my sisters in Tri Delta.

Go Gators!

Colette DuChanois: Multimedia Sports Journalist

I usually like to write about Florida Gator football but this post is about a different Gator… A Gator named Colette DuChanois, also known as, myself! As you probably know by now, I was raised as Florida Gator. I am a huge fan of the orange and blue. My family forbid me from attending Florida State University… Not that I wanted to go anyways! I could not be more proud to be attending the University of Florida and majoring in Telecommunication-News, which is part of the College of Journalism and Communications. I developed a love for sports at a very young age because I grew up going to Florida football games with my family and watching Gators sports with my dad. I love working at ESPN 850 WRUF now because I am able to gain valuable experience as a sports anchor and reporter while I’m still in school. I even have experiencing producing and anchoring two minute updates on local and national sports news airing every half hour on WRUF-TV 6.

After I graduate in December, I want to work at a news station as a sports reporter. My dream job is working as a sideline reporter for the SEC Network. One of my role models in the sports broadcast industry is Samantha Ponder. Ponder is a contributor on ESPN College GameDay. She is also a reporter on ESPN College Football Primetime.

You can see more of my work with ESPN 850 WRUF, and WUFT News too, on my personal website, www.coletteduchanois.com.

Go Gators!

Postgame: Missouri vs. Florida and Treon Harris

The University of Florida Gator football team was crushed 42-13 by the University of Missouri Tigers in their own homecoming game on Saturday, October 18, 2014. Florida held Mizzou to only 119 yards of total offense, but the Gators turned the ball over six times and practically handed the Tigers the win. Mizzou improves to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida is now 3-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC.

Redshirt junior quarterback Jeff Driskel started the game for the Gators, but it was true freshman quarterback Treon Harris who finished it. Harris was able to help the team put points on the board in the second half and avoid a shutout. According to GatorZone.com, the Gators currently have the longest streak in the nation without being shutout (328 games) that dates back to a 16-0 home loss to Auburn on October 29, 1988. Driskel completed 7 of 19 passes for 50 yards and two interceptions and no touchdowns. Driskel rushed for -29 yards and fumbled twice. However, Harris completed 8 of 12 passes for 98 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He rushed for 26 yards and fumbled once.

The Gators have a bye week and then their next game is against the University of Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, November 1, 2014, in Jacksonville, Florida. On Wednesday, October 22, Florida head coach Will Muschamp announced Harris will start in the annual Florida-Georgia game and he is getting all the reps at practice right now. This will be Harris’ first start of his college career. According to ESPN, this season Harris has completed 12 of 18 passes for 263 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

The Dawgs are coming off a 45-32 win on the road over the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. Georgia is currently first in the SEC East Division. The Dawgs are 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the SEC.

Florida-Georgia kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. I’ll be in Jacksonville for the game, but if you aren’t able (or willing) to make the trip up, the game will be airing on CBS.

In all kinds of weather… Right? Go Gators!

Seahawks Trade Former Gator Percy Harvin to Jets

On Saturday, October 18, 2014, the New York Jets formally announced they acquired wide receiver Percy Harvin from the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports first broke the news the previous day on Friday, October 17. Seattle traded Harvin to the Jets for a conditional draft pick in 2015.

Harvin was a first round draft pick and the 22nd overall pick in 2009 when the Minnesota Vikings selected him. He was traded to the Seahawks in 2009. According to ESPN Statistics and Info, Harvin had two rushes for 45 yards and ran back the second-half kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown in Seattle’s 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. According to the NFL, this season Harvin has 22 receptions for 133 yards and he is averaging 6 yards a game.

Harvin played for the University of Florida Gator football team in 2006-2008. Harvin is an important part of Florida football history. Harvin played with the Gators in 2006-2008, along with Tim Tebow; under former Florida head coach Urban Meyer. According to GatorZone.com, Harvin owns the record for the most career yards rushing by a Florida wide receiver (1,852 yards) and the most rushing yards in a single season by a Florida receiver (858 yards in 2007). He averaged 9.5 yards per carry, the highest career average for any player in Division I since 1996 with at least 100 carries. He is also one of only two wide receivers in Division I-A football since 1996 to have over 1,500 rushing and 1,500 receiving yards. Harvin is the only wide receiver to accomplish those numbers in three seasons since 1996, according to GatorZone.com.

Harvin is expected to play with the Jets in their next game against the Buffalo Bills at home on Sunday, October 26. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET.

Go Gators!

Pregame: Missouri vs. Florida and Treon Harris

It’s another battled against Tigers. And yes, true freshman quarterback Treon Harris is back to help the University of Florida Gator football team take on the University of Missouri Tigers in the homecoming game on Saturday, October 18, in the Swamp. But how much game time Harris will get is yet to be seen.

Florida is 3-2 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida is coming off a 30-27 loss at home to the LSU Tigers. And if Florida wants to stay in the race to Atlanta for the SEC Championship, the Gators will have to sort of their quarterback conundrum before Saturday so they can come out of the Swamp alive with a SEC East win.

Florida head coach Will Muschamp said on Monday at his weekly press conference that both Harris and redshirt junior quarterback Jeff Driskel will play in Saturday’s game.

Harris has only appeared in two games this season. He threw two touchdown passes for touchdowns in Gators’ win over Eastern Michigan. Harris also appeared at the end of the Gator’s away game against the University of Tennessee Volunteers game and led the team on two scoring drives to give the Gators a 10-9 win. Against Tennessee, Harris completed 2 of 4 passes for 17 yards and ran for 24 yards on four carries according to GatorZone.com. Many fans speculated Harris would start for the Gators in the game against LSU. But the week of the LSU game, a sexual-assault claim against Harris was filed. GatorZone.com reports the university suspended Harris and he was unable to participate in any team activities or practices. But then the woman dropped the sexual battery complaint against Harris on Friday, October 10, and so the university allowed Harris to rejoin the team. So far during the 2014 season, Harris has completed 4 of 6 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, according to GatorZone.com. He has no interceptions. Will Harris lead the Gators to another victory?

According to ESPN, Driskel will start in Saturday’s game against Mizzou. Driskel has completed 90 of 164 passes for 878 yards and six touchdowns this season, according to GatorZone.com. He has eight interceptions, including an interception in the fourth quarter of the LSU game that led to the Tigers’ game-winning field goal. So while Driskel will be starting, he may not be playing the entire game.

Mizzou is 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. Last week, the University of Georgia Bulldogs shut out Mizzou 34-0.

UF game day information: Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

Go Gators!

I Believe

This video also gives me goosebumps. This video is a trailer for “SEC Storied: The Believer,” which is an ESPN documentary produced by Kenny Chesney that premiered on the new SEC Network earlier this fall. The documentary also provides a lot of information on Florida Gator football. Not the team particularly, but one person in particular. The person who made Florida football the program it is today and revolutionized the way the game is played across the country: Stephen Orr Spurrier, also known as the “Head Ball Coach.”

I’ve already watched the documentary in its entirety several times and even purchased it on Amazon Video. I highly recommend it to any Gator fan, any Spurrier fan or any sports fan. Steve Spurrier’s Gator team won six SEC Championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000) and the school’s first ever national title in 1996.

Spurrier is now in his tenth season as the football head coach for the Gamecocks at the University of South Carolina. And even though the “Ol’ Ball Coach” is no longer coaching the Gators, I do not think anyone can debate Spurrier being one of the greatest Gators of all time.

I’m currently reading, “Game of My Life: Florida Memorable Stories of Gators Football” by Pat Dooley, who is a UF grad and a sportswriter at The Gainesville Sun. In Chapter 29, Spurrier talks about his most memorable game as the head coach at Florida, when the Gators won their first national title by defeating the Florida State Seminoles 52-20 on January 2, 1997. The book is just as entertaining and informative as the documentary, but there is one thing that really stuck out to me at the end of Chapter 29. The last line of the chapter is a quote from Spurrier, “‘I’m still a Gator,’ he said. ‘I just work for another school.’”

Go Gators!