John Wesley Cochran Communication:Broadcast and Digital Journalism

The reason I chose Broadcast and Digital Journalism is because of my passion for sports broadcasting, specifically radio play-by-play. I felt the calling when I was a senior in high school. Around freshman year of high school, I joined the live stream team for our high school team. I was responsible for filming all the home and away games. Once I was old enough, I asked if I could put on the headset and give broadcasting a try. I immediately fell in love with it.

I would then proceed to call the rest of football season and basketball soon after the season was done. I knew that I wanted to progress into this industry, so I decided to get as much practice as possible. My sister was attending Mississippi College in Clinton, MS which was only thirty minutes from my hometown. She received word that Clinton High School softball needed a PA announcer, so I reached out and gained valuable experience there.

While attending Mississippi State University, I have been able to call the many games for Starkville academy. Having these experiences showed me how much I love working in the sports industry.

When it comes to school related projects, I found that working on the final project for advanced tv production has been one of the main projects of my time at MSU. I loved being able to work as a team to create a 15-minute newscast. It gave me a since of what life would look like in a news station. Besides that project, I took a sports announcing class that had a format to create a live 30 minute radio talk show. This gave me an opportunity to feel more comfortable with a microphone on hand and to think on the fly.

While I think photography and video are great aspects and I could see myself using those a lot in my career. I find that writing is the most interesting to me. I really enjoyed taking intro to news writing and reporting. This class gave me insight to how I can use my love for talking/interviewing people and relay their amazing stories.

When it comes to mind when I think about thiclass I am most interested in communicating a more in-depth story. I find that a lot of classes I have taken cover surface level stories and I think by taking this class I will have more experience telling a detailed message. This class will benefit me more by telling that style of story.

My career plans are a work in progress. My dream is to be a sports play-by-play announcer. The industry is so vast that my career could be in many different areas.

One path that I could see myself taking is working for a local news station in Mississippi and covering sports and news while also calling high school or junior college sports on the side. I could envision myself taking the path of minor league baseball and working my way up the ladder in the division.

Sports Broadcasting is such a large field. There are many radio as well as television stations for every sport that you can think of. I find myself to gravitate towards basketball, so if I could find myself plugged in as a radio play-by-play announcer for a women’s basketball team in the SEC and working my way up to the men’s teams would be a good route.

At the end of the day, I am prepared to pay my dues and do what it takes to make it to the upper echelon of this competitive field. I know that what I desire to do is not always what is given to me. Playing the long game and working as hard as I can is the best way to reach my goals.

Email me at jc4773@msstate.edu with any questions