A documentary created by 12 Cal State Fullerton broadcast journalism students who produce the Spanish Language newscast “Al Día,” has once again been nominated for the collegiate version of an Emmy Award.

The Television Academy Foundation’s annual College Television Awards recognizes the best student-produced programs from colleges and universities around the country.

Al Día’s Spanish Language documentary titled “Coronavirus: Pandemia Mundial,” or Global Pandemic, is up for an award in the News and Sports category.

Awards will be given in six categories and announced at the virtual awards ceremony at 6 p.m. March 26.

The 40-minute documentary is divided into multiple segments, each focusing on challenges stemming from the coronavirus faced by the Latino community on both sides of the border.

“Just to be nominated for an Emmy is the pinnacle for all the work we accomplished,” said Edwin Flores of Anaheim, who produced a segment for Pandemia Mundial on the impacts of the coronavirus on Latino-owned businesses. “To see it come into fruition the way it did, I feel very happy, especially with all my peers I was in the class with. We all respected each other. We all elevated each other’s work. We all believed in what we were doing.”

Since graduating in 2021, Flores has been producing Spanish-language digital content for NBCU Academy, a journalism training and development program that partners with Cal State Fullerton and other universities to prepare college students for careers in broadcast journalism.

Pandemia Mundial also was a finalist at the CSU Media Arts Festival in October.

Another Al Día newscast, titled “Lo Que Está Trending” (What’s Trending), took first place in the Television News category at the festival.

In 2019, Al Día won a College Television Award in the Best TV News Show category for the documentary “Al Dia: A Border Emergency.”

The College Television Award nominees were selected from 185 entries submitted by 58 colleges and universities around the country.

Student-produced projects eligible for the 2022 awards were created between August 2019 and July 2021.

“I think that just being nominated for this award shows persistence of always giving high-quality content to the Cal State Fullerton students,” said Jorge Flores of Anaheim, who produced a segment for Pandemia Mundial from Mexico. “I got that experience, which was great. Being nominated is a great platform, not only for Cal State Fullerton students but also for bilingual journalism.”

With approval from Al Día advisor Jesús Ayala, the team began working on Pandemia Mundial during the early days of the pandemic, in March 2020, when little was known about the deadly virus.

The production team could meet only virtually, without the benefit of face-to-face collaboration and a well-equipped newsroom.

“It was different, too, because we were all at home,” said Marina Rodriguez of Anaheim, who produced a two-minute segment on the challenges faced by parents and caregivers whose children were attending school virtually. “We weren’t used to working on such a big piece and not seeing each other.”

The segment was also personal for Rodriguez, whose daughter would have been in kindergarten had the pandemic not disrupted everyday life around the world. “I was finishing up my last semester at Cal State Fullerton,” Rodriguez said. “And all of a sudden, this whole change, not just for myself, but for her.”

But earning a nomination for a body of work produced in conditions far from optimal elevates the feeling of accomplishment, Edwin Flores said. “To see it being nominated, it makes it even more gratifying. We tackled big topics. I believe we did it with the best service to the Latino community.”

Nominees and winners from the 41st College Television Awards Presentations automatically become part of the Television Academy Foundation’s alumni family, gaining access to year-round networking opportunities.

During the show, the Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award, a $4,000 cash prize, will be awarded to a College Television Award-winning project that best highlights a humanitarian concern.

With minimal collaboration and each member of the production team focused on their individual segments, it was difficult to envision how Pandemia Mundial would turn out, said Daisy Tornel of Garden Grove, who produced a segment on a small Latino-owned restaurant in Long Beach trying to stay afloat during the pandemic.

“When we watched everything come together, it was impressive to see how well we did and how well put together it was,” said Tornel, who produces her own YouTube show titled Cafecito con Daisy (Coffee with Daisy) and is co-host on the multifaceted YouTube show “The Latin Babbler.”

“I’m very proud of all my classmates and myself because it was a lot of hard work, especially working under the circumstances we were working,” Tornel said. “It was hard to go out and film when people were not very open to having those interviews in person. And from being in school in a studio and having the professor in front of you to all virtual was very tough, but we did a great job regardless.”

Coronavirus: Pandemia Mundial – Al Día Production team

Samantha Aguilar, writer, Half Moon Bay

Dolores Alvarez Zuniga, writer, West Covina

Edwin Flores, writer, Anaheim

Jorge Flores, writer, Anaheim

Gabriela Martinez, producer, South Gate

Giselle Martinez, producer/director, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Stephanie Mejia, writer, Riverside

Janelli Pedroza, writer, Indio

Marina Rodriguez, writer, La Habra Heights

Daisy Tornel, writer, Garden Grove

Rita La Vau, producer/director, Fontana

Angie Zubia, writer, Compton

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