Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
As a student at Madison County High School, Charlene Medders enrolled in the journalism class because she had always loved writing. Her enthusiasm for the subject got the attention of her instructor. "One day, Mrs. Presley, my instructor, told me that a career in journalism could become a reality," remembers Medders.
Now in her third year as a journalism major at the University of Florida (UF), Medders has her eyes on a career in broadcast journalism. In September of 2020, Medders began broadcasting for the school's daily "News in 90" segment. Medders is responsible for one episode a week, which seems pretty easy, but there is a lot involved in making the 90-second broadcast a success. Medders finds stories, downloads video, writes, edits and broadcasts her weekly segment. "It takes about four hours to prepare the segment," said Medders. With all of that preparation, the on-air experience is still full of surprises. "You have to get past the nerves," observed Medders. "You're gonna make mistakes."
Upon graduating, Medders hopes to land a job somewhere in Florida as a morning show host. Medders is also training for radio broadcasting, working a three-hour shift each week. She prepares two 80-second news segments during her shift, gathering sound bytes and information for her broadcast.
"These are great learning experiences," said Medders, who hopes to soon grace the early-morning screen as a broadcaster. Best of luck to you, Charlene!