Fanshawe Students Win National Broadcast Journalism Scholarships

At the Radio Television News Directors Award (RTNDA) presentation in Toronto on June 26 and 27, 2009, three Fanshawe College Broadcast - Journalism students took home four of six national scholarships. Competing against 40 other student entries from colleges and universities across Canada, Stefanie Masotti, Russ Courtney and Josh Cooper won a combined total of $8,500. This is the biggest win ever for Fanshawe College students.

Left to right: Russ Courtney; Josh Cooper; Bob Collins, Co-ordinator, Broadcast Radio, Journalism and Media Theory and Production programs; Stefanie Masotti

Stefanie Masotti's eight-minute entry, Merging Media, explored the various options consumers now use to obtain news and information and the potential effect on conventional media such as radio, television and print. The judges commended her feature calling it "polished, well-written, well-produced". She won the $2,000 Marketwire scholarship for the top first-year student, and the $2,500 RTNDA George Clark Scholarship for the overall winning entry. Stefanie is a student in the Broadcast - Journalism program at Fanshawe College.

Left to right: Bernadette Lee, Marketwire; Stefanie Masotti, Broadcast Journalism student

Russ Courtney won the BNN/Jim O'Connell Scholarship. This $2,000 scholarship is presented to a student interested in pursuing a career in business journalism. His submission focused on the recession, the cause of it and the effect it has had on us all. Russ interviewed business students, business and municipal leaders, and non-profit organizations for this project. The judges were very impressed with Russ's strong writing, good delivery and use of sound. Russ is a Broadcast - Journalism graduate in collaboration with the Media Theory and Production program.

Left to right: Mike Omelus, Business News Network (BNN); Russ Courtney, graduate, Broadcast Journalism and Media Theory and Production

Josh Cooper, a student in Fanshawe's Broadcast - Journalism program, was the recipient of the $2,000 RTNDF Scholarship for second and third-year and graduate students, with his entry on the Holocaust. By interviewing 87-year-old Wolf Schweitzer of London, he gave a human face to a time in history which some deny ever happened. Mr. Schweitzer lived in six concentration camps, including Auschwitz, during the Second World War. According to the judges, Josh's submission was extremely well-written with appropriate music and provided a good topic for public discussion.

Left to right: Ken Kingston, President, RTNDF;
Josh Cooper, Broadcast Journalism graduate

Jim VanHorne, Coordinator, Television News post-graduate program said, "Our students continue to excel nationally and I'm very pleased to see Stefanie, Russ and Josh recognized for their hard work. The RTNDA connects students with employers in the broadcast industry and they are always very impressed with Fanshawe's students."

According to Bob Collins, Coordinator, Radio Broadcasting and Broadcast Journalism programs and the Media, Theory and Production program, "The student success in the Broadcast - Journalism program has grown over 40 years to a level where Fanshawe students now lead the country in academic and practical learning."

In 1978 the RTNDA established six annual scholarships to provide financial assistance to students in Canadian colleges and universities. Fanshawe College students have won 36 of these scholarships. To date, the RTNDA has awarded more than $230,000 to students across Canada.