Graduates

Graduate Student Scholarships

RTDNF graduate scholarships are open to students who are enrolled or about to enroll in a graduate program and who are pursuing careers in radio and television news. Winners also receive an expenses-paid trip to the RTDNA International Conference. Candidates must be a full-time graduate student whose career objective is electronic journalism and have at least one full year of graduate school remaining. To receive an award, winners must be officially enrolled in college and be in good standing. Scholarships are paid in semi-annual installments for one year of study.

The Abe Schechter Graduate Scholarship
Abe Schechter, a true pioneer of radio news, became the first vice president of news for NBC. He began his career in newspapers, then moved to radio. During WWII, he became senior public relations officer for General MacArthur. He eventually returned to NBC where he helped create the Today show. From there, he became part owner of the Mutual Broadcasting System. In the 1960s Schechter, along with RTDNF trustee George Glazer, founded a PR firm that was subsequently sold to Hill & Knowlton. Schechter and his wife died in a car accident in 1970, and this $2,000 scholarship was established in his memory.

The Pete Wilson Scholarship
In memory of the late news anchor, Pete Wilson, ABC7, KGO-TV established The Pete Wilson Journalism Scholarship to be awarded annually by The Radio and Television Digital News Foundation (RTDNF.) The endowment will provide a $2,000 journalism scholarship in Pete Wilson's name. It will be awarded to students from the San Francisco Bay Area pursuing a journalism undergraduate or graduate degree.

If you have questions, please contact Stacey Staniak at staceys@rtdna.org or call 202.467.5214.

APPLICANT CRITERIA:
Must be officially enrolled or accepted in graduate program and have at least one full academic year remaining.

Must apply for only one scholarship.

May be enrolled in any major so long as your intent is a career in electronic journalism.

May submit samples of web work in addition to materials requested below. (optional)

REQUIRED ITEMS FOR ALL APPLICATIONS:
A completed application form, signed by your faculty sponsor, clearly identifying the scholarship for which you are applying. If a faculty sponsor is not available the application may be signed by a news manager or undergraduate professor.

A copy of your resume.

A one-page statement detailing your merits and career objectives.

A letter of reference from your dean or faculty sponsor explaining why you are a good candidate for an award. The letter must also certify that you have at least one or more years of school remaining. Graduate students may substitute a letter from a news manager or an undergraduate journalism professor.

For the Pete Wilson Scholarship: One to three examples showing your journalistic skills, totaling 15 minutes or less, on audio CD or DVD, accompanied by scripts. Please include a brief statement describing your role (writing, editing, producing, reporting, videography) in each story and a list of colleagues, if any, who worked on each story and what they did.

Click here for the application form.

Applications are due May 10, 2010 and should be mailed to 4121 Plank Road, #512, Fredericksburg, VA 22407.

Contact Stacey Staniak at staceys@rtdna.org, or call 202.467.5214 with questions.