Life as a University of Florida Telecommunications Student

As my time at the University of Florida is coming to a close, I think a look at my life as a CJC student is appropriate.

….And there’s also the fact that I have to write a 500 word blog post about my experience for my Advanced Interactive Media course.

It is Wednesday, so in proper social media fashion let’s take it way back #WBW to my UF New Student Convocation.

I remember sitting with my college amongst a sea of peers, each of us with different interests, goals and aspirations. I was so excited for what my next four years at UF would bring. And boy did those years bring a lot.

I got to cheer for my school, and represent UF at NCA College Nationals….

Go Gators!

I furthered my broadcast journalism experience far beyond what I could have imagined. When I was in high school, I served as the LIVE Sideline Reporter. Here’s a picture from one of the football games….

My sports broadcasting experience in high school paid off. Soon I would start working for Gator Zone, covering the University of Florida Track and Field program’s season. I also started working for Gator Vision and covered different UAA events, including coverage of the 2014 National Championship Women’s Softball team.

And I can’t forget… somewhere in between TV life I also spent a lot of time in radio, working for WUFT-FM. Here are a couple of shots of me out in the field working on radio stories.

(During an interview for a piece called An Economically Depressed Steinhatchee.)

(Gathering nat sound at the site of a new commuter lot in Gainesville.)

As I progressed on the Telecommunications News track as a Reporter, eventually it came time to audition for an anchor spot on WUFT-TV. Anchoring is one experience at UF I will truly never forget. I will always remember waiting in the freezing studio (waiting “on deck” like a baseball batter in the tape that our studio crew drew out for us), I’ll remember the lights, the mic checks, read throughs, all of it… it is so exhilarating to me. I love going LIVE. And to commemorate the experience, here is my second to last news block from the show.

In the above block, I tell you why Bono, Ellie Goulding and One Direction teamed up. Also, why one 1D member was noticeably missing at the boys’ performance in Orlando, the top grossing movies at the box office and an update on the Cosby sexual assault allegations.

As I am sure it is evident from the many pictures and memories I’ve shared, my time at UF’s College of Journalism and Communications has been time well spent. If I can think of one reason for this invaluable experience it is likely the many facilities and resources UF provides for CJC students. The Center for Media Innovation and Research is one great resource available to CJC students. This is a tool that allows UF students to harness what they know and are learning about multimedia and apply it. The CMIR is a place for UF CJC students and faculty to share ideas. It has been an inspiration.

Additionally, the Innovation News Center has served as a wonderful tool for me at UF. This real life newsroom setting is where I have grown as a Reporter, Multimedia Journalist, Anchor, and most importantly, as a Storyteller.

GO GATORS!!!

Book Review: The Tipping Point

Here is what I got out of Malcom Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference:

A note about viral content and epidemics…

Malcom Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference is an interesting read. As a media professional, I often hear the word “viral” come into play. Anybody who is in the communications industry has an ulterior motive to go viral with their posts. Every station has an account on every social media network, so does every television show and movie. Everybody is trying to get EVERYBODY to read, watch or listen to their content… sometimes they’re just trying to get you to view it, share it, like it… and they’re hoping for it to explode. As Gladwell would say, they’re hoping to reach the “tipping point.”

Think about Jenna Marbles for a second. Marbles started gaining recognition through her YouTube videos which eventually went viral, like “How to trick people into thinking you’re good looking” which has over 59 million views. She has become so popular that she recently took home the trophy for Viral Superstar at the 2014 Young Hollywood Awards. I think Marbles is pretty hilarious, but what is it about her, particularly, that allowed her to go viral over millions of other YouTube channels? How did her channel reach the tipping point?

If we think about Marbles in terms of the book, Gladwell says we can think about these instances much like we’d consider epidemics like HIV or the syphilis epidemic in Baltimore in the mid-1990s. Much like a contagious virus, content creators are hoping for their information to infect and spread like wildfire. An important aspect to point out about epidemics, however, is that they do not occur at a steady pace. Marbles did not gain one or two fans each day until suddenly she had over 14 million subscribers on her YouTube channel (Gladwell uses a lot of examples and talks about how, if you looked on a graph you wouldn’t see a steady increase or decline i.e., in NY’s crime rates dropping in the 90s, rather you’d see a sudden rise or drop). What’s more plausible is that a handful of people saw one of her videos that they thought was pretty funny, probably the tricking people into thinking you’re good looking one, or another popular one called “How To Avoid Talking To People You Don’t Want To Talk To,” which has over 34 million views.  From that point, her content blew up… it went viral… Marbles hit the tipping point and much like a contagious virus her videos spread from one person, who spread it to ten others, who each spread it to ten others. This, too, is an important distinction Gladwell makes. Using an example about a devious man named Darnell “Boss Man” McGee, Gladwell makes a distinction between the types of people who start epidemics. The Boss Man example is particular to the HIV epidemic. In the mid-1990s Boss Man slept with at least 100 women and infected at least 30 of them with HIV. Gladwell uses examples like this one to distinguish Boss Man from everyday people. In a similar example of a study on gonorrhea in Colorado Springs, the researcher considered people to be non-transmitters if they did not give the disease to anyone or only gave it to one person and considered the people infecting two to five with the disease to be the ones causing its growth. Gladwell goes on to make the point that social epidemics work the same and that there is usually a handful of exceptional people responsible for them. The point here is that Marbles and any other content creator who has experienced the viral effect, likely has a handful of people who were able to influence handfuls and handfuls of others until the craze caught on.

 

Other Blogs to Check Out

Here are some other blogs that may interest you.

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Codi Snead  and I go way back to our Radio Two days at UF. She has a blog called “Codi Campus Lifestyle,” which I think is cool for becuase she’s capturing the little things that many UF students sort of take for granted. It’s interesting how she describes The Hub as UF’s melting point in one of her posts.

Next, meet Richard Johnson. He, too, was in my Radio Two class, which is funny because you’d think it was a big class but there were actually only five of us in it. You can expect him to keep you up to date on the latest sports news at UF, like the discussion surrounding whether or not they will fire Muschamp.

Jonathan Perez will keep you entertained on anything from sports news to superhero movies. He recently reviewed Batman Begins and discussed themes throughout this film.

 

Meet My Classmates at UF

Hello everyone! as part of my Advanced Interactive Media course at the University of Florida, I’d like to share some sites with you from fellow bloggers.

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First up, Carla Bayron has a funny blog called “Casual Rants” and she talks about anything from The Strain to Fall candles. I really like that she has a great mix of content on her blog. It’s informative, yet fun!

Next, meet Bianca Bahamondes. Her blog is awesome, it’s called “Spiritual Healing” and she has a lot of information on there that is new and interesting. For example, one post is about a Chinese exercise called Qi Gong that helps you control your breathing. 

Adriana Yurizza has a great format for her posts. She provides an article link, then talks about it. For example, a recent post was about the Ebola epidemic. I think it’s great that she stays current. 

Magician Helps At Risk Kids

Last week, I was able to tell a very inspiring story about a Gainesville Magician who uses his talent to help at risk children.

Harold Batie is a retired Gainesville firefighter. He has always been passionate about magic and it seemed like a natural transition after retirement.

Batie’s ability to inspire seems equally therapeutic, because he’s had to endure a lot of pain in his own life.

Below is my story for WUFT News.

Jessica Alpern Bio

Hello all,

Below is a bio I’ve been asked to write for my Advanced Interactive Media course at the University of Florida. Enjoy!

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Jessica Alpern is an Emmy Winning Broadcast Journalist. When she is not in Gainesville finishing up her Bachelors of Science degree in Telecommunication News, she works in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale market as a News Correspondent.

Jessica Alpern Lifestyle News

Every week Jessica writes and reports on entertainment news stories for the station. She also has a weekly lifestyle news series that she created called, “Jessica’s Picks.” Her work appears weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.  as part of a two-hour long, syndicated morning news show called Eye Opener.

Jessica began reporting on WSFL just a month into a news internship with the station. She began turning several Man on the Street style PKGs and entertainment news stories and updates.

While working at WSFL Jessica has also hosted several events, including a red carpet event. In addition she has hosted Eye Opener on the station three times, as well as the nightly news breaks.

Jessica Alpern red carpet

As a Senior at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, Jessica also serves as the Entertainment News Anchor for WUFT-TV’s LIVE 5 o’clock newscast. She writes and produces a 3-4 minute block composed of local, national and international content. In addition, she shoots and edits the local content and edits the b-roll for the national and international stories.

Jessica is a Reporter for both the 5 p.m. show and the “News at Six” on WUFT, and packages different material for each show. She has contributed PKGs, VO/B/Vos and Newsroom LIVE Shots.

Jessica is graduating this December with a Bachelors in Telecommunication News, Minor in Business Administration and an Outside Concentration in Financial and Managerial Accounting.

Kitty Somerhalder

The Vampire Diaries’ Ian Somerhalder and Twilight’s Nikki Reed recently took their relationship to the next level. They’ve only been dating for a few months, but are already adding to the fam. Okay, it’s just a kitten. Nikki announced the news on Instagram, talking about how it was just supposed to be a visit to the shelter. Then, Ian took to social media to express his thoughts on pet adoption. For more on the happy couple and their newest addition, check out the segment below. It aired this past Wednesday on WSFL-TV’s morning show, Eye Opener in Miami/ Fort Lauderdale.

 

 

Ariana Grande at Hollywood Bowl

She’s a tiny, little thing. But Ariana Grande seems to be on top of the world right now. The artist recently opened up the 40th season of SNL, and announced dates for her headlining Honeymoon Tour.

She’s one of the most talked about singers performing at this year’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball and is traveling the world sharing her music. Tomorrow, Grande is singing at the Hollywood Bowl in California. She will perform alongside Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, Paramore, Lady Antebellum and more as part of the CBS Radio We Can Survive Event.

The Y100 Jingle Ball will bring Grande back home to South Florida for the holidays on December 21st, 2014 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise.

Y100 Jingle Ball tickets

The Walking Drunk?

Fitting because it’s Sunday and because people just can’t seem to get enough of the Walking Dead, I thought I’d share this interesting viral video with you, called The Walking Drunk. You have to watch it yourself, but basically it’s a compilation of people who have had way too much to drink. It already has over one million views.

Last week, I delve into the top reasons to watch The Walking Dead and in addition to being a trending topic on Twitter, parodies like this also show how popular the series is.

The Walking Dead… What are you missing?

Maybe it’s that I missed the easy transition from vampire to zombie fascination… or that the idea of eating each other’s brains doesn’t appeal to me, but for some reason or another I’ve yet to jump on the whole Walking Dead bandwagon. I can sit and watch a Twilight saga marathon for hours on end, but the whole zombie storyline seems a bit less romantic.

But I must be missing something, right? I mean the fifth season of the series premiered last night and twitter practically blows up on Sunday nights with TWD posts. Not to mention, the series is featured once again at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. So what’s all the rage about? Well, I did some research and came across some top reasons for this zombie-craze.

What are we missing?

1. Like I said, everybody is talking about it…or should I say tweeting about it. In anticipation of the fourth season (and after binge-watching seasons one through three) fellow blogger of The Naughty Mommy included this in her 10 reasons to watch the show. And she brings up a great point, because it is uber frustrating when you get into a show late in the game and have nobody to share the oh-m-geeee moments with.

2. They’re jumping right back in…sort of.

It’s bad enough when there’s an intense cliffhanger in a season finale, but even worse when they drag it on in the next season. Not here though…sort of. Nicole Lyn Pesce of nydailynews.com interviewed some of the actors who said that season five will pick up right where they left off with the season four cliffhanger, at least somewhat.

3. If you’re into gore, there’s plenty of it. They might be hungry, but you probably want to eat dinner before or after watching.

It’s less Bella/Edward moments (or Bella/Jacob moments if that’s what you’re into) and more gore, that’s for sure.

4. The series is so popular that parodies like The Walking Drunk, as I discuss in another post, are all over YouTube with over one million hits.

Anyway, there is a reason why 17.3 million people tuned in for the show’s return, whether it be news feed peer pressure, suspense or all the guts and gore. Either way, it may be high time I jump on the zombie bandwagon. After all, Warm Bodies wasn’t so bad… minus R eating Dave Franco’s brain and all.