Clarksville, Arkansas.
Cristhian Rodriguez (22), Senior student from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, won a national award at the 83rd annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Conference, held at the Sheraton Times Square hotel in New York City. Cristhian is currently an enrolled student at the University of the Ozarks.
The Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) is a non-profit organization with a membership of over one thousand non-profit, education-affiliated radio stations and webcasters. Founded in 1940, it is headquartered in New Windsor, New York, and provides support for establishing and operating noncomercial radio and webcast operations, and frequently represents its members with FCC negotiations, copyright issues, and litigation.
Cristhian is a Communication Studies and Psychology double major student. "I chose to study Communication Studies because since I was a child, I enjoyed firstly playing that I was a journalist, and also, I loved to play with a compact camera that my dad owned, and play that I was a cameraman from a news channel," he said. "From there, in 2013 I started to learn how to edit videos, and I started to record more and more. I created some short films with my sister, and also started creating videos by myself to upload them in YouTube in 2015. From that moment, the feeling that this was my passion and that this was what the path I wanted to follow in my life just increased."
From his double major of Communication Studies along Psychology, he said that "Psychology started just as a minor, but I ended up liking so much the classes and felt that Communication and Psychology were closely related because in the end, even inside an organization and in management positions, you want to understand how people’s minds work, and why people behave in some ways."
Although Strategic Communication is his track, Cristhian plans to pursue a career in the mass media field, either on TV or radio. "I would love to work in something related to media, like in a TV, radio station, or newspaper in Honduras, and keep forging my path into this field, which has already started forging with this experience at the radio station at the University of the Ozarks." But Cristhian's plans go beyond that as well. "I would love to have my own production company one day to produce different types of audiovisual content ranging from advertisements to projects such as music videos, and films."
Regarding his radio show, called Latino Fusion, which airs every Friday at 4 p.m. on KUOZ 100.5 FM, he talked about how it started last year. "I always wanted to be more involved in something related to media. Back in January 2020, I created my first podcast which was called “Los Pensamientos de Tinoquito” (Tinoquito’s Thoughts), and also, during the pandemic of 2020, I had to stay during the whole summer here in Clarksville because Honduras’ borders were closed," he said. "During those months, I used to livestream audio on Facebook and talk to my friends, while playing some music. I could say that during those days, that was my first 'radio' like experience."
Cristhian contacted Susan Edens, associate professor of Communications at the University of the Ozarks to ask for an opportunity to start his radio program at the university's radio station. "Last summer I contacted professor Susan Edens to let her know that I wanted to start a project in the radio station after having taken her Radio & Podcast class. We talked about it and I presented to her a formal proposal with the show’s name, which I changed like five times before finally deciding for 'Latino Fusion,' as well as all of the segments that it would have," he said. "Finally, on Friday, September 22nd, 2022, the first show aired at KUOZ, the university’s radio station," he added.
In regards to his first time on the air, he told us his experience. "During the first show I was really nervous because it was a completely new experience, and I had to learn to use the radio console and have the pressure of knowing that I was going live, and that any mistake made would be heard. Luckily, Prof. Edens explained everything to me about the use of the console, and I managed to control my nervousness and everything went really well in the end."
Talking about his show, Latino Fusion, which he produces and hosts, he describes the process as a funny experience. "I enjoy a lot every part of the process, which surprising or not, doesn’t start when I sit in front of the microphone and start talking. Before going live every Friday, I start to write a script days before. I gather news from campus and the Clarksville area from different sources such as the Johnson County Chamber of Commerce, where I get to know what are the events and offers from local businesses happening during the week in Clarksville, as well as the University Roundup and news archive from the University of the Ozarks to broadcast any event happening on campus," he said. "I also have to have a list of the music I will be playing in every music session in my show, so I enjoy listening to new music and discover artists to feature them in the show."
Cristhian's main goal with the show is to entertain his audience, while spreading his Latino roots with the campus and the Clarksville area, as well as highlighting his country of origin, Honduras. "I have had several special shows in which I highlight the native music from Honduras, called Punta, playing music from Banda Blanca, Pilo Tejeda, Kazzabe, among others."
Cristhian assisted to the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System conference, held in New York City from February 24 to February 27, 2023, where he was nominated for an IBS Award for Best Foreign Language Program for his show Latino Fusion, which is completely in Spanish. "I applied to the IBS Awards since October 2022 after Prof. Edens let me know about that opportunity since I was already doing my show, but I kept the nomination as a secret to my friends and family as I was unsure if I was even to be nominated for the category," he said.
When talking about his feelings after learning that he won the award, Cristhian remarks that he felt hopeless when the ceremony started. "I saw the other nominees and didn’t feel confident that I was going to win the award. When the moment to announce the category I was nominated for came, my heart started to race faster, and started to feel a little bit anxious, but still felt hopeless," Cristhian said. "Hearing the announcer say the name of my show and my name really took me by surprise. I couldn’t believe that I won a national award and since I was in the back table of the ballroom, the walk to take the award was filled with a lot of emotion, to the point of almost crying. After I received my award, the first people I contacted were my mom and my girlfriend, and they were both really happy about the good news."
Cristhian's plans with his show are pretty solid. "I plan to keep doing the radio show at the University every Friday until I graduate in May. After that, if I get the chance of working on a radio station in Honduras, this show could be a great start in my career as well, maybe with some twists to accommodate the format to another audience target, but keeping the essence of the show intact: highlighting the Latino culture, my country Honduras and delivering information and entertainment for the listeners."
In recognizing the labor his professors have had for him to achieve this success in his life, Cristhian highlighted some of his professors. "I am thankful for professors such as Susan Edens, firstly for opening this opportunity to have my own radio show at the University, and also for all the advices and knowledge she has transmitted to me since I took my first class with her," Cristhian said. "Also, Dr. Greta Marlow has taught me lots of things as well, especially with classes such as Media Writing, in which I had the opportunity to learn how to make different mass media and social media diffusions, and how to write scripts for both radio and podcast as well." Also, Cristhian had some words for Dr. William Clary, former Walton Scholarship director at the University of the Ozarks. "I can’t forget to mention Dr. William Clary, since he was the one that trusted in me four years ago when he went to Honduras as the Walton Scholarship director by that time, and selected me to come to Ozarks and keep growing personally and professionally with an amazing opportunity such as studying abroad," he stated.
Cristhian dedicated his award to several people. "To my whole family, but with a special mention to my mom that has always been along with me in my life, making sacrifices and always trying to give me the best, and supporting me in every project I do in my life. To my girlfriend and friends that always supported me, Professor Edens and the University of the Ozarks for giving me the opportunity at the radio station, and the IBS for creating these spaces for students like me and recognizing our work," he said.
