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December 2020

Apply Now for 2021 RTDNAC Scholarship

“The connections I made through RTDNAC have been invaluable during my time as a college student and professional.”

Those are the words of Abbey O’Brien, traffic anchor and MMJ for Live 5 News (WCSC) in Charleston, S.C. As a graduate of the University of South Carolina, she’s one of many past-winners of an RTDNAC scholarship.

“I was honored to be chosen as a scholarship recipient in 2016 and upon graduation have stayed in the Carolinas working as a multimedia journalist for the last five years.”

Now is your time to apply for the 2021 Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas scholarship competition.

RTDNAC annually awards two $1500 scholarships in February to two currently enrolled rising juniors or seniors who are pursuing a major course of study with emphasis in broadcast and/or digital journalism.

One scholarship will be awarded to a qualified student attending a college or university in North Carolina. Another scholarship will be awarded to a qualified student enrolled in a college or university in South Carolina.

The RTDNAC Board of Directors is proud of all of our previous scholarship winners. A number of them, like Abbey, are now working in the professional ranks.

The scholarships are made possible by Capitol Broadcasting Co./WRAL and Hearst Television Inc./WYFF 4 and the RTDNAC Board of Directors.

Any interested student who meets the qualifications should note that no formal application form is required. However, each of these points must be fulfilled for consideration of a student’s application:

  • Name and year in school
  • Home and school addresses and phone numbers
  • College major
  • College honors, offices and activities
  • High school attended and any honors, offices and activities
  • Any other accomplishments, experiences or information the applicant would like to provide
  • A statement (one-page minimum) describing how the scholarship would contribute to the applicant’s future career goals
  • The names, addresses and phone numbers of at least two references. Recommendation letters from each of the references should be sent directly to the scholarship chairman
  • A certified copy of the applicant’s latest transcript

All materials may be emailed. Hard copies sent via USPS are still acceptable. Students should check with the Registrar’s or Records offices to see if transcripts may be emailed, or if the record must be mailed as a hard copy and allow time for delivery.

Applications must be received no later than Feb. 6, 2021.

Applications should be sent to:

Pete Poore, RTDNAC Scholarship Chairman
SCDOT Office of Communications
PooreJP@scdot.org
955 Park St., P.O. Box 191
Columbia SC 29202

Carolina Journalists and Students Honored by RTDNAC

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By Dennis Milligan

Dianne Gallagher
Dianne Gallagher

Life in 2020, especially as it relates to COVID-19, forced many changes in how we go about our lives and our business of broadcast and digital journalism. The same was true for the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas’ annual award presentation. Normally held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, this year’s awards were presented during a digital conference on Nov. 14.

RTDNAC President Laurabree Monday welcomed participants saying, “We know this is a strange year. We still hope you enjoy this (digital) event. We very much hope to be back at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2021.”

The awards presentation started with keynote thoughts from CNN National Correspondent, Dianne Gallagher, who is now based in Charlotte. She welcomed participants, noting, “This has been one hell of a year and every single one of you deserves to celebrate your accomplishments.”

Laurabree Monday
Laurabree Monday

Gallagher talked about her journey from CN2 News in Rock Hill, to CNN. She had words of encouragement for the digital gathering, as both students and professionals grapple with the current pandemic. “COVID-19 elevated everything. It elevated the need for you, your diligent effort to get the truth to people. At the same time it made doing that so much more difficult.”

“You were often risking your own physical health and mental health to make sure the rest of your community knew what was really happening,” she added.

Rachel Ellis
Rachel Ellis

The awards presentation also featured Rachel Ellis, a reporter for ABC 4 News in Charleston, S.C. Her comments addressed college students in their last year of journalism school. “I was in your shoes a little over a year ago.” “No one could have predicted the curve ball of 2020, it became quickly apparent to me that our jobs have never been so important for the communities we serve.”

As much as things have changed in 2020, CNN’s Gallagher noted that much remained the same for broadcast and digital journalists. “My life has changed, but the basics of building relationships, demanding accountability, telling stories, that hasn’t.”

There were 550 entries (working professionals and students) judged by 44 professional journalists in 18 states, with 196 winning entries. The entire presentation and list of winners can be found here.