journalism

The next generation in the newsroom

Hannah Stewart — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 23:07:13 +0000

The next generation in the newsroom Hannah Stewart Tue, 03/25/2025 - 17:07

Networking with industry professionals has been one of the highlights of Roch's time in CMCI, whether it's through student organizations or college events. Photo by Jack Moody (StratComm'24)

By Hannah Stewart (Comm’19)

From his office, Chuck Plunkett can sometimes hear conversations from the conference room next door.

Often, it was a voice he came to recognize—his student, Lincoln Roch.

“I was impressed at his skill at working the phones,” said Plunkett, an associate teaching professor of journalism. “Every now and then, I would wander over and just chat with him about his technique.”

Plunkett has worked in newsrooms nationwide, so knows what he’s talking about when it comes to telephone techniques. But that’s not the only reason he expects Roch to succeed as a journalist.

“I noticed right away that he had a lot of skill as a reporter, and a lot of drive. And you need both of those to be a successful journalist,” he said.

Roch has already found success after transferring into CMCI’s journalism program just last fall. He previously attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, but after two years in their program, craved a change.

Roch estimates he spent at least 10 hours on the ground following McMillan and her opponent, Woog, as they spoke to undecided voters. Photo by Lincoln Roch; originally appeared in The Colorado Sun.

“CU was really the only place I considered transferring to—I grew up in Louisville and wanted to be close to home and friends,” Roch said. “I really love it here. I didn’t realize how many opportunities this school provides that I couldn’t get before.”

He quickly got to work integrating himself into the campus community—joining student media outlets like Sko Buffs Sports and the CU Independent, as well as the club freeskiing team. He also picked up a sports media minor and began internships at multiple publications, including the Daily Camera and Estes Valley Voice.

Roch’s passion for journalism goes back to his days contributing to Monarch High School’s student newspaper. In addition to covering general school news, he also wrote stories about the 2018 government shutdown and journalism’s role in preserving democracy, sparking a passion for political reporting.

His big break into the field came last fall, when he heard about PTA president-turned state representative candidate Jillare McMillan’s campaign for the District 19 seat. This was one of the most closely watched—and tightest—races in the 2024 state elections, and she ultimately lost to the Republican candidate, Dan Woog. But it was an unforgettable experience for Roch, who was looking for a dynamite story for his class with Plunkett.

“I thought, ‘This is just like Kamala Harris and what happened with her.’ But this woman has no campaign infrastructure. This woman is starting with no political experience, no staff, no money, and less time to pull this off,” he said. “So I pursued it, and it just kept getting more interesting.”

Soon, he learned that the new candidate, McMillan, was a Mormon endorsed by Planned Parenthood, and her campaign manager was a 91��ý junior. Her opponent was a Republican interested in renewable energy, who had previously held the District 19 seat but lost it in 2022.

Roch said covering the District 19 race was the hardest he ever worked on a story. Photo by Lincoln Roch; originally appeared in The Colorado Sun.

“It was so fun to write and especially being on the ground, I probably spent 10 hours literally following them while they knocked on doors,” Roch said. “That’s the hardest I’d ever worked on the story because I wanted to tell just how unique of a story it was.”

With a little help from Plunkett, who is also the director of CU News Corps, Roch contacted politics editor Jesse Paul from The Colorado Sun—who worked with Plunkett at The Denver Post—to publish the story. Seeing his story on the front page of what he considered to be the “gold standard of journalism in this state” was an exciting moment for Roch, and one that reinforced that this was the profession he wanted to do for “the rest of my life.”

After receiving an email from student media director Vicky Sama about submissions to the Hearst Feature Writing Competition, Roch submitted his story for consideration and ultimately received an honorable mention for his reporting.

“I see him working with other students and mentoring them, helping them navigate the world of journalism in these really tough times,” said Sama, an associate teaching professor of journalism. “So there’s something to be said about his passion and commitment to the profession. I think that’s admirable.”

This recognition helped, in part, to motivate him to further his involvement with CU journalism. Together with some other students, Roch pushed to reestablish the 91��ý chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

“We all wanted an opportunity to, outside of classes, network with professional journalists and learn from them,” Roch said. “Each week, we’re going to try and bring in someone and have them share their insights, put on some workshops, talk about ethics and teach people how to improve their skills.”

As part of the effort, he connected with the SPJ Colorado president and helped organize the first three meetings.

“Lincoln has meant a lot to the program—he’s very much a significant contributor,” Plunkett said. “It kind of felt like a full-circle thing to now be teaching the next generation of Jesse Pauls and to see Lincoln, a definite contender for a future job in a newsroom like the Sun, making a connection with Jesse.”

Junior journalism student Lincoln Roch is making a splash on and off campus. He’s joined multiple student media organizations, held a handful of reporting internships and recently, received recognition in the Hearst Feature Writing Competition.

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Making a play for Denver

Joe Arney — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 21:49:57 +0000

Making a play for Denver Joe Arney Fri, 02/14/2025 - 14:49

Radio 1190’s return to the AM band after the pandemic was a labor of love, as classes of dedicated students committed to bringing the station back to the halls of 91��ý.

In just the last year, the station—formally known as KVCU 1190 AM—captured numerous awards for radio reporting, while growing its news team and listener base.

Now, 1190’s mix of student-curated music and news is getting play in a much bigger market.

On Thursday, the student-run station returned to Denver, where it can be heard at 92.9 FM on translator K225BS.

“If there’s one question we’ve kept answering again and again over the last few years, it’s ‘When are you going to be back on the air in Denver?’ If there’s another, it’s, ‘When are you going to be on the FM?’” said Iris Berkeley (Jour’01), the station’s general manager. “We’re looking forward to making up for lost time.”

The station’s journey since the pandemic forced it into automated programming hasn’t been a straight line. After a year as an online-only station, it returned to AM in February 2023.

Jack Armstrong (StratComm’24), who served as news director before graduating in the winter, said building up the staff involved pitching the station to student volunteers, which he did by visiting classes and asking for opportunities to speak.

More: Tuned to creativity

Now, more than 100 regular student participants contribute to the station, which offers news broadcasts each weekday during the academic year, daily student-curated music programming, and a revamped website featuring news, blogs and podcasts showcasing student-created visuals and music.

Another part of 1190’s success has been philanthropy, especially from the Stewart Family Foundation, which has supported a number of projects at 91��ý and the College of Media, Communication and Information. Unsurprisingly, the foundation—which honors the legacy of Colorado broadcast pioneers Lila and Bill Stewart, who owned and operated Longmont’s KLMO until 1998—has been a key supporter of Radio 1190.

“We wouldn’t be at this point of celebration if it weren’t for the generosity and benevolence of the Stewart Family Foundation … as well as our friends and partners in 91��ý Student Government and the College of Media, Communication and Information,” said Berkeley, who was involved with 1190 as a student. “Thank you for believing in the power of student media.”

The next step for the station’s volunteers, like Juanita Hurtado, a junior majoring in journalism and the current news director, is to ensure students’ contributions help them stand out when they graduate and look for work.

“We want to make sure students develop not only the skills to earn them jobs, but also awards that prove to recruiters the quality of their work,” Hurtado said.

It’s a vision she shares with Armstrong.

“I have a very distinct goal—that when people see Radio 1190 on a resume, it will attract recruiters,” Armstrong said. “We do have some national distinctions already, but I want to get to the point where people get an interview or a callback because Radio 1190 has that recognition.”

The student-run radio station has re-entered the Denver market on the FM band.

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Colorado Hometown Weekly: "Erie adds director of communications and community engagement to its staff"

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 19:09:52 +0000

Colorado Hometown Weekly: "Erie adds director of communications and community engagement to its staff" Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/26/2021 - 12:09

Featuring Gabi Rae (Jour'09;MOrgLead'19)

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Meet the Buff who's the new voice of Denver's airport train

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 17:09:30 +0000

Meet the Buff who's the new voice of Denver's airport train Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/05/2018 - 10:09

The next time you’re traveling through Denver, longtime Colorado news anchor Kim Christiansen will be among the first to welcome you to the Mile High City.

Odds are good you’ve heard “The Voice” reprimanding stragglers squeezing through the closing doors of Denver International Airport’s gate train:

“You are delaying the departure of this train.”

Riding it is unavoidable for most of the airport’s travelers—61 million of them in 2017. Their volume makes Kim Christiansen (Jour’84) nervous.

Last February, Christiansen, lead anchor for Denver’s 9News broadcast station, won the airport’s contest to become the train’s new female voice, replacing her former 9News colleague Adele Arakawa, who moved to Tucson.

“It’s the most flattering, humbling, exciting thing,” said Christiansen, who is paired with Alan Roach, the former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies announcer who has been the train’s male voice since 2007.

Christiansen’s recordings began playing in September.

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Journalism programs earn reaccreditation

Anonymous — Tue, 02 May 2017 00:17:10 +0000

Journalism programs earn reaccreditation Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/01/2017 - 18:17

In a 23-0 decision among voting members on Friday, April 28, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) granted full reaccreditation to 91��ý's undergraduate and graduate journalism programs. The council, which met in Chicago, also voted on the status of 23 other university journalism programs.

“The favorable comments we received from the site team during their visit in January and the unanimous votes on Friday for full reaccreditation attest to the positive changes brought about by restructuring and the journalism programs specifically,” said CMCI Founding Dean Lori Bergen.

Read the full news release at 91��ý Today »

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