Tyler Hardin, a sophomore broadcasting major and Appalachian State, recently won the 2015 Fox News College Competition for his report on live police webcams in the town of Greensboro.
Fox News selects one solo or group winner every year to receive a trip to New York and an interview with Fox News, in addition to a $10,000 cash prize.
He said he originally saw the competition advertised in high school.
“When I got into college and knew I was going to [compete], I set out for something that was very controversial and all over the nation,” Hardin said. “With recent events, a lot of cities are looking into investing in police body worn cameras. For me, living in Greensboro, I figured this was a great way to cover the story and shine light on both the positive and negatives of implementing that.”
Greensboro first implemented police body cameras in 2013, Hardin said. He spoke with the mayor, police officers and citizens when covering the story in order to showcase both sides.
Competing led Hardin to an internship at Fox this previous summer in New York City, working on Mornings with Maria, a show featuring an array of financial and political topics. Hardin assisted with social media, video production and general planning for the show.
“I would wake around 3 a.m. and get to Fox around 5:30 a.m.,” Hardin said. “I met a lot of incredible people and the skill building for me was incredible – everyone was very welcoming.”
For the future, Hardin is starting a show on campus called News Makers, focused on the organizations and leaders at Appalachian State. The show echoes Hardin’s former work as a broadcaster and founder of “Falcon Monthly,” previously dedicated to showcasing positive events in Guilford County.
“I feel like in the media today we cover so much negative news,” Hardin said, “so to be able to shed a positive light on what people are doing is what I really love.”
Hardin hopes to publish one video story a month online to help put Appalachian State on national and international radar.
“For our first show we’re focusing on large organizations that reach a large portion of the student body, and then we’ll focus on smaller initiatives here at [Appalachian],” he said. “We’re working on our formatting right now, and we have our interviews lined up.”
Hardin found an interest in broadcasting at a very young age.
“Since I was very young I always had a passion for TV news,” Hardin said, “and I thought it was so incredible how one person could be in one location and share their experience with millions of others.”
Hardin advises new students to follow their passions.
“When I worked at Fox over the summer and I had to wake up at 3 a.m., that’s not what I would do for something I wasn’t as passionate about,” he said. “Your work ethic will significantly improve if you’re working on something you love doing.”
Kelsey Hamm, A&E Editor