Director's Cut Spotlight: The Importance of Interning in TV

By Frank Macek

The Director's Cut Blog gets regular emails from students about doing internships at WKYC as many of our readers are interested in getting into the business. So, your blogger thought this would be a good chance to take a look at internships at our station or those offered by other broadcast stations.

For those aspiring to work in television news, an internship program is essential on the "must do" list of projects while you are going to college, a community college or a broadcasting school, like the Ohio Center for Broadcasting. Most station programs require students to get credit for participating in their programs, so you shouldn't wait too long to apply. Stations can only handle a limited amount of students during each term.

The biggest benefit of interning in an economy that's challenging for both pros and graduates fo find work is getting your "foot in the door." Sometimes, that is half the battle. Make sure while you are interning, you take the opportunity seriously and act professionally. Show up on time, work hard and learn everything you can!

Many of the interns who have passed through the Channel 3 Newsroom have been hired by WKYC, or have found great opportunities at other stations because they have real experience on their resume. Any experience gives you an advantage over someone with none.

The internship program at WKYC usually lasts a semester or quarter (depending on the school) and gives the intern a complete overview of many different positions and job expectations found at our station. This includes working on the newsdesk, answering viewer calls, assisting producers, writing stories, observing control room team work and working on web based projects. Some interns even get the chance to go out into the field and work with our reporters and videographers.

One of the coolest projects we have kicked off recently is for interns to get multi-media experience working on our social media pages including Facebook and Twitter. With the advent of Flipcams into our daily news lives, we offer interns the chance to document their work experiences and come up with creative ideas for videoblogging.

WKYC has created its own WKYC Intern Facebook Fan page that was developed by and updated by our current and former interns. This allows our interns to post their experiences and work for others to see. Plus, the page allows those interested in an internship program to see what interning is like.

If you are currently enrolled in college or a broadcasting school and are interested in the television industry, we invite you to follow our Facebook Internship Fan Page and to apply for an internship opportunity either at WKYC or any broadcaster that offers them

You'll get valuable experience to list on your resume and get to work directly with those currently employeed in the industry to learn as much as you can about the ever changing media landscape. And, it is changing

WEB LINKS:

*WKYC's Internship Page on Facebook: CLICK HERE
*WKYC's Internship Program: CLICK HERE

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