Biography
Marie Curkan-Flanagan, an experienced broadcast journalist, is part of the faculty of the School of Mass Communications in the telecommunications sequence.
Before completing a doctorate at the University of Tennessee, Flanagan worked as a broadcast journalist for more than 25 years in cities as diverse as New Haven and Hartford, Conn., Boston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City and Las Vegas.
Her experience includes positions as news director, assistant news director and managing editor for the Gannett Company and responsibilities ranging from reporter to bureau chief for Capital Cities Communication. She also held a variety of broadcast positions for Triangle Publications.
Flanagan has won many awards both as an individual and as a unit manager for her work in television. Most notably, as an individual, she has received two first-place awards in the New York International Film Festival, for writing and producing documentaries. She also has won three first place awards for documentary for news productions in the Houston International Film Festival and a gold medal from the San Francisco Film Festival for writing and producing documentaries. Flanagan also has won several first-, second-and third-place awards as producer or writer from organizations such as the Associated Press, United Press International, Women in Communications, Sigma Delta Chi and American Women in Radio and Television.
Flanagan was managing editor for KARE television news in Minneapolis, when it was was named the best news operation in the Gannett Company in 1985. She was also named best managing editor in the company. That same year, the news department received the National Edward R. Murrow award for best television news unit in the country from the RTNDA. The following year, the station received the National Press Photographers Association award for best news operation in the country.
In 1987, Flanagan was honored by the Commission of the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution for her six-and-a-half hour documentary on the making of the United States Constitution. Former Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger called her project the “best of its kind,” the documentary is installed in the United States, National Archives.
Flanagan was named news director for KOCO television in Oklahoma City in 1988. With this appointment, Flanagan became the first female news director for the Gannett company. Under her management, the news department received three consecutive Edward R. Murrow awards for best television newscast in the region.
In 1992 and 1993, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences also awarded three Regional Emmy Awards to the KOCO news department. The awards were for best news documentary, best continuing sports coverage, and best weather coverage. The weather award was presented to both the weather and production department for their work in pioneering the first computerized weather system in the world, First Alert, the forerunner for all immediate delivery, computerized weather system that today are the norm for all local news operations.
Among her accomplishments, Flanagan says she is most proud of her work with young journalists. In 1983 she pioneered the first use of high school students as reporters in regularly scheduled newscasts. “For Kids Sake” was a program that allowed teens to be trained by news professionals to write and broadcast daily news information about children. The program she began in Minneapolis was continued in Oklahoma City as “Kids Who Care.” Many young students who participated in these programs are now industry professionals who continue to stay in contact with her. The joy of working with young people is what precipitated her move to a second career in Education. In less than her two year appointment with USF, Flanagan was honored with the prestigious, 2002 Outstanding Media Teacher Award (Post-Secondary) bestowed by the Board of Directors of Tampa Educational Cable Consortium.
Flanagan is an active member of the Radio and Television News Directors Association, American Women in Radio and Television, Broadcast Education Association, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Society of Professional Journalist, Florida Associated Press/broadcast, and Media Professionals of Florida.