Broadcast news team effort

Staff writer

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KENW Executive Producer Kristen Garcia came into the newsroom Wednesday with a broadcast planned, but things started changing fast.

News of bull rider Irvyng Urquijo’s death was suddenly the top story and Garcia, 22, immediately had to get her news team on the job.

“I have to change our whole rundown of the show as this new story will be the lead story. It is a little crazy changing everything, but I love it. That is why I wanted to do broadcast journalism,” said Garcia, who has been working at KENW for four years.

Eastern New Mexico University students have the unique opportunity to work at an affiliated station, KENW, a PBS station that serves eastern New Mexico and parts of West Texas.

“It is not a broadcast that only shows on campus,” said News Director Jonathan Ash. “They get hands on experience at this station that is unique in this country.”

The 26 students working at KENW are either from a class, at the station for work study or there on a volunteer basis. The students are not specifically assigned to one area of the newsroom.

Cheyenne Cope, 21, has worked as a director, anchor and producer. Cope said she mostly does producing, which she loves. On Wednesday she was writing copy while helping Garcia with the breaking story of the rodeo athlete’s death.

“It is really a team effort and we all help each other with everything,” Cope said.

Cope came to ENMU specifically for this program and has been working at KENW for four years.

Natali Fuller, 21, works mostly as anchor at KENW and that is what she loves the most. Fuller was practicing her lines Wednesday as she wanted to pronounce all the words correctly and make sure she did not stumble on air.

On the other side of the newsroom Angel Gonzales, 25, worked sports and prepared for an interview he had in the afternoon.

“It is a lot of work, but I have gotten a lot of experience in all aspects of the newsroom like editing and working the camera,” Gonzales said.

Next to Gonzales in the editing room, Eliana Dzhikova-Goni, 30, created a slideshow for the broadcast. Dzhikova-Goni, originally from Bulgaria, came to ENMU when her husband began to work at Cannon Air Force Base.

She started her journalism career at a newspaper, but found that broadcast news was her passion.

“I love the stress of it and how our day changes constantly. I love showing people what is going on in our area and how it affects them,” Dzhikova-Goni said.

Ash said the way he teaches it to let the students learn on their own and giving them advice when needed.

“The students make their own stories and I just oversee it. I want them to know how a real newsroom is run and they are getting that here,” Ash said.