Bobcat alumni goes professional in national broadcasting on Channel Six

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WAKING UP WITH WB: Professional multimedia journalist for NBC Six Victor Jorges (left) anchors with Sydney Constantine for WBTV’s morning show on the first day of the 2013-2014 school year. Jorges led the program to a Best Monthly Magazine Show national award and later went professional himself. Photo courtesy of Victor Jorges

By: Valentina Padula

**REPORTING LIVE:** Victor Jorges, MMJ for NBC Six, reports on a fatal shooting that took place in Miami Gardens. Jorges worked with various equipment to film, edit and write this story himself to air later in the day and be featured on the NBC website. *Photo courtesy of Victor Jorges*

The moon reaches its peak amongst the stars as families and individuals settle down for the night. For multimedia journalist (MMJ) and West Broward alumni Victor Jorges, the crest of midnight is his sign to head off to work. He spends the first blush of morning filming, writing
and editing his news segment to be watched by the viewers of Channel Six National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
As a former Bobcat, Jorges had an active role within West Broward TV’s (WBTV) progression into the national stage. His leadership drove not only the program’s rise to recognition, but his own growth and maturity within the broadcast world. Now as a professional MMJ, Jorges’ experiences with WBTV have assisted in making his dreams a reality at NBC and beyond.
“The cool thing about being a reporter, especially in a city like Miami, is that you never really know where you are going to end up,” Jorges said. “News moves very quickly and you never know where you are going to start, where you are going next and how long you are going to be there.”
At first, taking TV Production in high school was a last option for Jorges, who was set on continuing Yearbook from middle school. However, when he began producing short films with classmates, he was sure it was a program he wanted to invest in. He immediately took interest in the news section and developed a passion early on for informative broadcast.
“Ever since that very first news package, I only ever wanted to do news,” Jorges said. “I got into it because I realized that it was something that I enjoyed and something I was kind of good at.”
Once introduced to the competitive side of high school film, Jorges became devoted to building up a new show to evolve WBTV’s production quality. On a flight back home from a competition
in San Diego, Calif., he created the idea of Bobcat Broadcast, a monthly show produced by the WBTV crew. With Jorges’ vision, the show won the national Best Monthly Magazine Show Award and has continued to win awards even after his departure.
“The cool part about our program is that it is a project-based learning environment, so the more kids get interested in something, the more they get involved with it,” said WBTV advisor Vidal Rivera. “In his case, [Jorges] was surrounded by other very talented kids and they just kept on growing and understanding, trying to take this program to a new level. Because of that, our program has grown to a very good place.”

After high school, Jorges had various internships and jobs with companies such as CNN, Discovery Channel and Channel Seven as a writer and studio worker. When most of the nation’s businesses shut down in early 2020, he created his own digital Instagram show where he reported on daily news in Miami to keep himself circulating throughout the news world. Most notably, he worked as a reporter in Louisiana and reported on local events like Hurricane Ida, state-wide queer issues and the coronavirus pandemic.
“My dream was always to be a reporter,” Jorges said. “I got my first job on air in Lafayette, La. and I had never even thought about living there before. Turns out that it was one of the best experiences of my life.”
Now at NBC, Jorges is more than satisfied with his role in the broadcast industry. He plans to move over to Channel Five WPTV in West Palm Beach and continue his work as an MMJ. One
of his immense desires for the future is to teach at the collegiate level, but he is also certain about revisiting where he learned to love broadcasting. After leaving as a novice student, Jorges hopes to later return as an enlightened advisor.
“I cannot leave this planet without teaching at West Broward,” Jorges said. “I want to give back to this program so badly because it has honestly shaped me into the person I am today. It was just a home for so many people and I want to be a part of that again, but in a different role this time.”