Apply to Florida Focus
Unlike other courses, students will be selectively admitted to the Florida Focus news team. The process of selection will be based on the competitive outcome between students interested in working for either the production or the news side of the team. A committee of three faculty members will make the selections based on previous performance in telecommunications courses and the student’s perceived desire and drive to excel as a broadcast professional.
Any sequence major in telecommunications that has satisfied the prerequisites to the course (or with consent of instructor) is eligible to compete for a position on the Florida Focus news team. Students majoring on other sequences within mass communications may, with approval of their sequence head, apply for a position on the team. No more than 19 students (10 in production, 2 web producers, 4 news producers, 5 anchor-reporters) will be admitted to the team per semester. However, the committee may choose to reduce that number based on the level of competence among all applicants.
Students may be interviewed individually as part of the “hiring” process and must make themselves available for that interview if needed. At times all or some applicants are also required to take a writing test and a current events test prior to being admitted to the class.
FALL 2009 CANDIDATES: APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON FRIDAY, MARCH 20TH BY 5 PM. PUT IT IN THE SUBMISSION BOX OUTSIDE PROF. HYVARINEN TEMPLE'S OFFICE AT CIS 3085.
IN PERSON AUDITIONS FOR THE FINALISTS ONLY ARE ON FRIDAY, MARCH 27TH AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE FOR THE AUDITION THAT DAY. AUDITIONS ARE FROM 9 AM TO 5 PM.
NOTE: All applicants must submit copies of videotapes, audiotapes, or other material as further evidence of broadcast experience and excellence. Applications are taken in October for the Spring term and in late March for the Fall term. Florida Focus is not available during the Summer semester.
Students should NOT expect to be admitted to Florida Focus and should register for enough courses to ensure they have adequate hours for the upcoming semester. The instructor will then register students accepted should the student accept the position. You will NOT be able to enroll in Florida Focus on your own.
What is Florida Focus?
Florida Focus is a 2 minutes and 30 seconds long newsbreak that airs on WUSF-TV/Ch. 16 reaching a potential audience of one million television viewers as well as online viewers in the Tampa Bay area.
Students can apply for the following positions:
- Production: All production personnel direct and technical direct, serve as audio operators, studio camera operators, tape operators, graphics designers, prompter operators, field photojournalists, and video editors. Each production staff member is also responsible for at least one reporter package during the semester – the package has to meet Market 13 editorial and production requirements.
- News (Line) Producers: Responsible for generating story ideas, running editorial meetings, writing for the newscast, supervising the newscast and anchors, ordering graphics and running prompter. Each producer is also responsible for at least one reporter package during the semester – the package has to meet Market 13 editorial and production requirements. Producers also serve as daily photojournalists who go out at least once a week to get 30-second VOs or 45-second VOSOTs for the newscast. Producers also serve as back-up anchors.
- Anchor/reporters: Responsible for generating story ideas, actively participating in editorial meetings, writing for the newscast, running prompter, delivering the newscast on air and shooting video and editing. Each anchor/reporter is also responsible for at least 3 full "day of air" reporter packages during the semester – the packages have to meet Market 13 editorial and production requirements. In addition, the reporter/anchors serve as daily photojournalists who go out at least once a week to get 30-second VOs or 45-second VOSOTs for the newscast.
All students admitted to Florida Focus are also required to learn web skills including video encoding and FTP placement as well as content management systems. All students have to write at least one web article during the semester. Students interested in the 2 Web Producer positions must pick one other job in addition to web producing and serve in both functions.
Download and print an application form for Florida Focus below.
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