Above: Pictured at the Old Capitol Inn in Jackson after winning in several categories at the Mississippi Excellence in Broadcasting Awards are Hinds Community College HBC-Utica Campus Radio and Television Production and Broadcast Technology students Devin Varnado (from left), Tewana Johnson, Tracy Gray, Harmony Porter, Ezekiel Harris, Instructor Timothy Crisler and Jacobus Roby.
The Hinds Community College Utica Campus Radio and Television Production and Broadcast Technology Department and their television broadcast station WHUC News 7 won many awards again this year at the Mississippi Excellence in Broadcasting Award Winners-Collegiate Division 2023.
The program is based at Hinds’ Utica Campus, designated as an HBCU (Historically Black College and University.)
Winning first place for the Television Videographer award was Devin Anderson of Byram, for “Introduction to the Hinds Bulldogs Basketball Team 2022-2023.” Also taking first place for Television General Excellence was WHUC News 7, which included broadcasting students Harmony Porter of Ridgeland, Devin Varnado of Brandon, Devin Anderson, Ezekiel Harris of Canton, Jacobus Roby of Raymond, Roman Alexander of Hazlehurst, Tracy Gray of Byram, Tiara Jackson of Terry, Tewana Johnson of Jackson, Tamora Haymon of Richland, Maya McFadden of Jackson, and Zhavian Green of Summit, for their piece, “WHUC Christmas Special 2022.”
Placing second in Television Continuing Coverage was WHUC News 7, for “2022 Election Coverage.” Also placing second for the Television Reporter award was Harmony Porter for “Fighting the Stigma of Mental Health in Sports.”
The department’s WHUC News 7 placed third in Television Continuing Coverage for “Hinds Community College Homecoming 2022 Show,” and for the Television Feature Story award, WHUC 7 News won third place for “Real Talk with Chef Nick Wallace.” News 7 also won third place for Television Sports Story with “Pre Game Show for College Game Day,” and another third place for Television Sportscast or Sports Program with “Hinds Football Against Northwest.”
Broadcasting student Jacobus Roby was featured in a WHUC News 7 report, “Hinds Community College 2022 Fall Graduation,” speaking about his experience in the Broadcasting Program at the Utica Campus, and about his instructor.
“It’s an outstanding achievement to graduate with honors,” he said in an interview standing outside of the Clyde Muse Center in Pearl. “It just goes to show that if you are doing work you love, your hard work pays off. That’s a lesson I learned from my instructor, Mr. Timothy Crisler. And one thing I am going to mention about his program is how hard he pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone and go for ‘the impossible.’”