Graduating Senior Tucker Harlin Grateful For Hands-On Experiences In Journalism
Graduating senior Tucker Harlin (left) at the 2023 BlueCross Bowl in Chattanooga with Fox Sports Knoxville. Harlin helped broadcast the games live.
Graduating senior Tucker Harlin always had an interest in sports.
Not so much playing sports, but rather a fascination with what goes into covering sports. His interest led him to get involved in a broadcasting class in high school. He also prepared news packages for the high school television station,worked as a color announcer for his high school football team, and delivered play-by-play commentary for basketball and one baseball game.
With his interest in journalism successfully piqued, he enrolled in the School of Journalism and Media program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to continue his pursuit of working in sports.
His grandfather was former University of Tennessee President Joseph E. “Joe” Johnson, so he was well-acquainted with Rocky Top and Tennessee Vols culture before attending. He also knew a lot of students from his high school graduating class were attending UT and their friendly faces helped make the transition to college life during a pandemic much easier.
Harlin said he could not have picked a better time to be a student sports journalist. He said the Tennessee Athletics program has been doing really well across the board, which makes covering the Vols even more fun.
As a college student, Harlin said he really enjoyed all the different hands-on opportunities available to him as a student.
“I think I speak for everybody when I say the best stuff you learn here is not actually in class, but when you’re doing it hands-on at one of the student media organizations,” Harlin said.
He started off working for VFL Films, the broadcasting and media production company for Tennessee Athletics, as a camera grip. While he enjoyed his time with VFL Films, he felt sports information was not the right field for him and transitioned to working at WUTK-FM.
Harlin had no prior experience working in radio but that did not deter him. Starting as a deejay, he has been able to learn and grow a lot in the industry while working at the college station. Some of the skills he learned include how to produce and host shows, conduct a remote broadcast, and work on podcasts.
WUTK also gave him the opportunity to cover Tennessee Vols games in different sports disciplines as he got involved with Rock Solid Sports at the station. Harlin said he has traveled around the country covering the Tennessee Vols and working alongside other media professionals.
He is grateful to several people for helping him grow as a sports journalist. This includes mentors such as WUTK Station Manager and Adjunct Lecturer Benny Smith. Though Smith can be hard on them at times, Harlin said it’s been a great experience to learn from someone with so much industry expertise who is invested in educating students.
Smith said when Harlin arrived at UT, his bar was a bit higher than other students’ considering his late grandfather was one of the best ambassadors of the university. But he never tried using that to his advantage, Smith said, and always worked hard to continue to improve from day one.
“I always saw him as a focused young man who was confident that he knew what he wanted as a career, and was prepared to do whatever it took to succeed at jump-starting that career by taking advantage of opportunities like WUTK and Rock Solid Sports,” Smith said. “Tucker has always had a mature approach toward doing his job at WUTK, and that was from day one. Whether that was doing his on-air shift, making sure Rock Solid Sports got on the air despite having to work through some technical difficulties from time-to-time, or even showing up to help us at an event outside of the station.”
Tucker is also grateful for peers such as fellow graduating senior Chloe Levering and alumni Jack Foster and Ryan Schumpert, who welcomed him at WUTK and supported him as he learned more about his craft.
Gaining experience at WUTK led to an opportunity for Harlin to intern at WKGN Fox Sports Knoxville Fanrun Radio since his junior year.. His responsibilities include running the podcast and preparing the Top 4 and Top 5 segments, which rundowns the biggest sport news locally and nationally at 4 and 5 p.m., respectively.
He has also assisted with some remote shows and covered Tennessee Vols basketball for Fanrun Radio.
Harlin said what he will miss most about Rocky Top is the people. He has made so many connections that mean the world to him.
One of his favorite memories as a student was watching Tennessee defeat Alabama in football during the 2022-23 season at Neyland Stadium. He was at the 2006 game when Tennessee last won against Alabama, so seeing it again as a student will always be a favorite memory of his time at Rocky Top. For the 2022 game he was there as a fan instead of as a member of the media, allowing him to soak in the moment much more.
After he graduates, he hopes to continue working in sports journalism and continue to cover the Tennessee Vols. He does not have a preference of medium, stating he has experience in broadcasting, writing, and radio, so he feels equipped for whatever journalism job he might find.
“There is no reason to doubt that Tucker will carry on the great tradition of Rock Solid Sports alums doing well in the business,” Smith said. “I am excited to see what happens next, as his drive, focus, and professionalism will take him places that will make all of us even more proud of him.”
Graduating Senior Tucker Harlin Grateful For Hands-On Experiences In Journalism written by Hillary Tune and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.