Klein College of Media and Communication is happy to announce that two recent graduates, journalism major Emilie Cochrane, KLN ’23, and media studies and production major Luke Meli, KLN ’23, placed in the top 20 of all on-air talent in the country and were awarded All-American status from the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA). In addition, Cochrane was the only woman to be honored in the top 20. 

Every school year, students involved at TUTV – Temple University Television have many opportunities to submit their work for regional and national awards. From behind-the-scenes production to on-air reporting, TUTV has received various recognitions for the talent and passion of its students.  

This past school year, Associate Professor of Practice and OwlSports Update (OSU) Executive Producer Matt Fine learned about the STAA’s Jim Nantz Award and All-America Program for on-air talent and invited his eligible juniors and seniors to put together a submission. 

Both Cochrane and Meli were involved in OSU for all four years of their time at Temple, including when shows were being done mostly over Zoom. They started by taking the sports production practicum and ended side-by-side as anchors for OSU’s Courts in Session.  

“We both did our time doing packages and being in that space and then we grew and matured and were finally able to be on the anchor desk,” Cochrane said.  

While putting together a reel to submit for the awards, Cochrane and Meli took a trip down memory lane and revisited some of their earliest work with OSU. Though much of it did not make the cut, they said it was a great way to look back on their college career and see how far they have come as they approached graduation.  

“As you get older and further along, you see that this is the person that’s kind of taken the same path as you,” Meli said of his journey with Cochrane. Even though the duo has graduated and are moving into their new careers, they will always remember their four years of OSU together.  

The awards were announced on a live stream on May 26, 2023, and Fine noted that he was not surprised to see Cochrane and Meli’s names in the top 20. He is especially proud that Cochrane can represent Temple as the only woman in the group.  

“They’re both just going to be so good in this industry because they’re so driven and focused,” Fine said.  

Now as recent graduates and alumni, Cochrane and Meli are still receiving award nominations for their work with OSU. Recently, they were nominated for the Best Talent award from Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Student Production Awards. OSU shows Inside the Nest and Courts in Session were also nominated for Best Newscast/Sportscast. 

Cochrane also received nominations for two of her packages for Best Sports Story. At the same time, she has moved to Knoxville, Tennessee to be a sports reporter with WBIR. She is excited to cover college and high school sports. 

Meli is working as a reporter, anchor and play-by-play broadcaster with the Delmarva Sports Network in Salisbury, Maryland.