Southeastern Channel news reporter receives LAB scholarship

Thursday, May 1, 2014 Paul Rivera
by: Tonya Lowentritt

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT - Paul Rivera, a Southeastern Louisiana University junior from Slidell, was one of only two recipients of a 2014 Louisiana Association of Broadcasters scholarship. Rivera was awarded his scholarship at the association's annual Prestige Awards luncheon in Baton Rouge attended by the top television and radio broadcasters in the state.


HAMMOND – A student news anchor/reporter at the Southeastern Louisiana University's educational television station has been named one of only two recipients of a 2014 Louisiana Association of Broadcasters scholarship.

Paul Rivera, a Southeastern junior from Slidell and a member of the reporting team at the Southeastern Channel, was presented the award in Baton Rouge recently at the association's annual Prestige Awards luncheon attended by the top television and radio broadcasters in the state.

For winning the $2,000 scholarship, Rivera will receive $1,000 per semester during his junior year at Southeastern.

A communication major with a focus in electronic media, Rivera is a news anchor, reporter and producer for "Northshore News," named one of the top four college newscasts in the nation by College Broadcasters, Inc. and first-place winner as the "Best in the South" by the Southeast Journalism Conference, which included universities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina.

He credits the real-world experience he receives at the Southeastern Channel with preparing him for the job market.

"I have to find my own news stories, conduct my own interviews, shoot my own video and edit it all," he said. "There aren't many schools that give you that kind of hands-on experience. I feel like I will have more experience when I graduate over other people my age because I have worked at the Southeastern Channel."

The Louisiana Association of Broadcasters (LAB) established the scholarship program to support promising future broadcasters and aid them in seeking the best quality education in the field of broadcasting. By sponsoring the award, LAB hopes to encourage students of the highest caliber to enter broadcasting as a career and guarantee the future quality of broadcasting in Louisiana.

"Getting recognized by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters is huge," Rivera said.  "After going to the awards ceremony and seeing how many noteworthy people were in attendance, I realized this award could give me the opportunity to reach new heights in my career. The scholarship being awarded by the LAB should hold weight with potential future employers."

"Paul is very deserving," said Rick Settoon, Southeastern Channel general manager. "He's extremely talented with a great work ethic and a promising future as a broadcast news journalist. He's serious and single-minded about a career in the television news industry. Paul is the perfect example of what the LAB scholarship is all about, and we're both happy for him and proud of him."

In his scholarship application, Rivera had to answer questions related to his choice of broadcasting as a career, along with questions on topics ranging from his career goals to broadcast advertising and the role of the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC.

Once he graduates, Rivera hopes to land a job as a news reporter at a small market television station and eventually progress through higher market stations.

"I am just trying to get my foot in the door," Rivera said. "Once I achieve that, the possibilities are endless, and I plan on climbing the news media ladder as high as I can."

 

 


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