November 18, 2022
CSUN Broadcast Journalism students will participate Saturday, Nov. 19, in the second of four Telemundo Local Academy journalism training workshops scheduled during the 2022-2023 school year.
CSUN is the fourth, and newest, university to partner with Telemundo Station Group, part of NBC Universal Local, which launched the academy to provide students an opportunity to learn from Spanish-language journalism professionals.
The local division includes KVEA Telemundo 52 in Los Angeles, one of 43 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
The academy is conducted in-person, both at KVEA’s headquarters in Universal City and on-campus at CSUN, by experienced journalists and newsroom professionals currently working at Telemundo/NBC-owned stations throughout the country. The program provides four study tracks including digital media, multimedia journalism, writing/producing and on-air presentation/career development.
Students who successfully complete the program can apply and be considered for full-time and/or part-time positions at any NBC/Telemundo station.
Reaction by students to the initial all-day workshop, on Sept. 24, was overwhelmingly positive. They were given role-playing opportunities to practice being a reporter covering breaking news and pitching stories during a morning editorial meeting.
“The structure of the workshop was well-prepared,” said Lupita Baltazar, a CSUN Broadcast Journalism major and Spanish-Language Journalism minor, who is one of a dozen students selected to participate in the academy. “As a former intern for Telemundo 52 News, it felt good to be back and spend time with my two former supervisors.”
Missael Soto, a Broadcast Journalism major who transferred to CSUN in Fall 2021 from Santa Monica College, was impressed by the first workshop and looks forward to participating again on Saturday, he said.
“Having these people with years and years of experience, talking to us as professionals and showing us how they do things, was amazing. The students all have different skill levels and they were able to adapt to us. It didn’t feel like a classroom. It was more like them guiding us, as individuals,” said Soto, who is planning for a career as an on-air TV sports reporter and digital journalist.
Plans for the program, which complements CSUN’s curriculum for journalism students pursuing careers in Spanish-language TV and digital media, had been in the works for a few years but the launch was delayed due to the pandemic. Earlier this year, professors José Luis Benavides, Linda Bowen and Benjamin Davis, in addition to TV Lab Tech Lincoln Harrison, met online with Telemundo and NBCU executives to revive the plans.
A luncheon to finalize the details was held in June at CSUN with NBCU/Telemundo representatives James Arroyave, talent acquisition manager; Ruben Keoseyan, KVEA Telemundo 52 vice president; Ozzie Martinez, senior vice president of news, digital and standards; and Cecilia Muñiz, program manager for Telemundo Local Academy.
Two additional workshops for CSUN students will take place during the Spring 2023 semester.