News Article

CNA grad’s voice broadcasts across radio airwaves


4/7/2010 10:03:15 AM


Karen Gillingham is a graduate of College of the North Atlantic’s two-year Journalism program offered at the Bay St. George campus. Gillingham is presently working at the CFCB and K-Rock radio stations in Corner Brook as a DJ and news reporter.

Karen Gillingham’s voice can be heard all over the West Coast as a DJ for both CFCB and K-Rock radio stations. She is quick, punchy and prominent; all skills that she tributes to the Journalism program at College of the North Atlantic (CNA). Gillingham graduated from the program at the Bay St. George campus in April 2007.

Now a successful journalist, Gillingham had no interest in the field at first. Her boyfriend was moving to Stephenville to do the Business program and she started flipping through pages of the school calendar.

“I kept going back to the Journalism program. My main reason was I love to write, read and I had (and still have) a thirst for knowledge about different parts of the world. I was very interested in learning more about Newfoundland and Labrador,” she says.

The Journalism program offers courses in Reporting and News Writing, Writing Fundamentals, Broadcast, Photojournalism, Political Science, and Newfoundland and Labrador History.

Gillingham was not set on broadcast when she started this program. She enjoyed all her classes, including the electives. Reporting and News Writing was great for her because she learned how to structure a proper news story in many different versions and styles. The program also offered classes in Newfoundland and Labrador Economy, giving her a better understanding of the province where she would be working.

Stan Moeller, now retired, was her favorite journalism instructor. “Stan brought his life and adventures into every class he taught at CNA. He was just excellent.”

Gillingham says Frank Caroll was also an instructor that had a strong impact on her time at CNA and she still looks to the notes from his class when needing extra guidance at work. Her third instructor, Don Murphy, introduced her to the broadcast side of journalism, which turned out to be what she loved the most.

“I really didn''''t know what I wanted until well into my second year. When I first started and I would read my news stories, I was dead set against writing for a paper. However, my writing improved and with time I really felt I could do news writing as my career choice, but the more I delved into broadcast I soon realized this is what I wanted to do. I knew it was the career for me,” she says.

To complete the Journalism program, students have to do a four-week internship at a media outlet of their choosing. Gillingham decided on Steele Communications in Corner Brook where she worked in the newsroom for CFCB and K-Rock.

“The training was intense and I had to work really hard. To say it was different from the broadcast courses in school would be an understatement. The number one thing the Journalism program did to help me was to build up my confidence. Never in a million years did I think I had what it took to interview politicians, doctors and lawyers,” Gillingham explains.

After her work term, Steele Communications hired her immediately.Then, after graduation, her job became permanent.

“I was solely working in the newsroom, which is mainly CFCB, and when the hours there started to minimize and I got cross-trained to become a DJ. Now, I work in the production end of things; writing and producing commercials.I still work in the newsroom when the situation arises, but mostly in the very early mornings.”

Since she started working in 2007, her skills in broadcast have expanded immensely. She prepares newscasts for K-Rock and reads live news on CFCB each morning. She downloads stories, weather, and sports and gathers audio.

“Being a DJ is so much fun, but it is very time restrictive, you have got to be on your toes at all times, and you must become very familiar with your surroundings in a very short time. A lot of people picture radio DJ''''s as having one of the coolest jobs, nice and laid back but think again! The production aspect is what I love. I like writing ads, recording ads, mixing them to music.”

Gillingham’s career has met all her expectations, yet the opportunities keep coming. She was recently trained to produce advertising for Steele Communications and is the new host of “This One’s for You” airing every Sunday morning on CFCB. Gillingham is pleased with her accomplishments but says it all stemmed from her time at CNA.

“My time in Stephenville was fantastic! The program challenged me in ways I didn't think were possible. From writing a news story for the first time, to interviewing people, hosting radio shows, hosting Sonic Potlucks, and I will never forget being in Stephenville for Hockey Day in Canada. It was amazing, getting our press passes,” she states.

Gillingham wants future students who enter the Journalism program to keep an open mind. She was 29 years old when she went to school and after just a few months she was floored by her accomplishments. The program offered such a variety of options, whether it is broadcast, print or public relations.

Her advice is to, “work hard, study hard and have fun! The friends I made during my stay in Stephenville are some of the best friends I will ever make. There will be competitiveness, but trust me it only makes you stronger and better at what you do.”


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Media Contact:

Colleen Connors
Public Relations Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
709 643-6408
colleen.connors@cna.nl.ca