At the recent National College Media Convention, The Mercury earned college journalism’s top award, the Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker award. Beating out entries from schools such as Midwestern State University to win this coveted prize was no easy task but director of student media Chad Thomas noted it demonstrated the excellence of students on The Mercury’s staffs as well as their AMP staffs.
The Mercury
Mercury is an extremely toxic element, capable of producing numerous symptoms when inhaled or consumed ingestion, including nerve and liver damage, bloodstream contamination and organ attack, including in rare cases the heart. Mercury poisoning may even result in death. Thankfully there are steps you can take to minimize exposure.
Mercury stands out on the periodic table by being one of only two liquid metals at STP (standard temperature and pressure), unlike most of its metallic peers that remain solid at room temperature. This unique property makes mercury an invaluable substance with many applications; however, due to its toxicity it has become less appealing in many recent applications.
The Mercury is a student newspaper at the University of Texas at Dallas covering campus life and surrounding community news. Over its history, The Mercury has received various honors such as winning multiple Pacemaker awards – most recently two consecutively! In addition to its print edition, there is also an online version available of The Mercury’s publication.
Mercury underwent extensive changes during the late ’80s in an effort to modernize and differentiate itself from Ford divisional offerings. For instance, its Cougar was reimagined as a sporty coupe; Capri was dropped altogether in favor of Lynx; two-door sedan models were merged under Monterey and Commuter brandnames;
In the 2000s, Mercury added the Villager and Mountaineer to its lineup, as well as marketing Cougar, Sable and Grand Marquis to different buyers with shared design features and platforms. After being introduced for 2010 model year to replace Grand Marquis as top seller; however it eventually lost ground against Ford Fusion; eventually Mercury sales declined further and it was ultimately discontinued in 2012.
UTD TV
At the recent National College Media Convention, the student-run Mercury newspaper received the Best of Show award for a special edition – its summer orientation issue was distributed with 3-D glasses to freshman, featuring full-color center spread photos. Mercury staff worked on creating this issue all summer while publishing its regular weekly edition – winning this accolade is unprecedented among student publications.
The Mercury covers news that is important to both students and faculty on campus and community affairs with an emphasis on student interests. It aims to inform, educate and entertain, with pride taken by its writers, photographers and designers in their work and pursuit of excellence – winning two Pacemaker awards since 2013 as well as being shortlisted numerous times – along with producing UTD TV newscasts and AMP magazine publications.
UTD TV provides students with sports, entertainment and news programming for an engaging student experience. UTD also boasts an online streaming library containing over 20,000 movies and TV shows from popular channels like PBS, BBC, 60 MINUTES Annenberg Learner BroadwayHD A+E Networks’ HISTORY as well as more niche options such as Inspire! and Comedy Central.
The UTD TV app offers live streaming of Manchester United matches as well as access to all their video on demand programming, as well as exclusive podcasts that share never-before-heard stories from within their dressing room and training ground. Downloadable from Google Play and Apple App Store and available free for current students enrolled with either university.
AMP Magazine
AMP Magazine was established by Brett Matthews, Lisa Root and John Joh in 2002 as an American music magazine. It features interviews, album and live reviews, band journals as well as video content. Distributed through newspaper stands, home delivery services, superstores and service stations as well as its online edition with exclusive audio/video features; available in eight states including Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland Michigan Ohio Virginia with an estimated circulation of 80,000 and sister publications including Loud Fast Rules! and Hails & Horns it has produced genre compilation CDs over time based out of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
Radio UTD
Radio UTD is a student-run internet-only station broadcasting music around the clock, 24 hours a day. It provides an ideal venue for discovering new tunes and exploring what the college scene has to offer – from psychedelic rock to drone metal genres! There’s also plenty of talk shows ranging from global politics to theoretical physics as well as coverage of University of Texas Dallas sporting events!
The Mercury has been recognized by the Associated Collegiate Press as a top four-year, less-than-weekly newspaper and won two AP Pacemaker awards for Online Pacemakers as well as multiple awards for its website, video and multimedia projects. Furthermore, its staff members have even been invited to present at conferences on how to start college newspapers and radio stations.
Radio UTD stands apart from traditional radio stations by being freeform and permitting DJs to create their own show formats, although certain guidelines must be met in terms of show creation: for instance, DJs must play nine tracks from “New Music” during each show and no tracks that have been on the charts for more than eight weeks; they also must present a variety of musical genres in each performance.
Past programming on WUCS included artists like White Denim and Hundred Waters as well as established national artists like Macklemore and The Lumineers. Furthermore, WUCS hosted multiple concerts and music lectures on campus.
Radio UTD also seeks to strengthen the local music community through supporting concerts hosted each semester by local musicians as well as hosting showcases at pubs in town. Furthermore, their staff regularly hosts on-campus lectures featuring local talent as well as dance parties featuring them.
Radio UTD provides not only music, but also serves as a forum for students to gain an insight into the music industry while building connections among peers. Numerous alumni have gone on to become professional disc jockeys. Furthermore, the radio station works closely with music promoters in order to introduce fresh sounds.
As a UT Dallas student, you should become immersed in its culture and activities. Join a student organization or participate in volunteer efforts; attend movies, museums and cultural events off-campus at discounted tickets available through Comet Card Office; stay connected to student media such as Radio UTD, The Mercury or UTD TV – make the most out of being here!