The Truth about Broadcast Journalism

 

            The world is full of demanding jobs. This could be from CEOs to stay-at-home mothers. Being in Broadcast Journalism is a demanding job, and may not be suited for everyone. The hours are not concise and the pay is not the best in the world, it takes a special person to make it in the industry.

Broadcast journalism has been around for many decades and is still going strong. Due to the internet and smart phones these days, broadcast journalism can be used in many different and innovative ways. There isn’t just the television anymore; the power of multi-media is overwhelming. According to a segment in “Advancing the Story”

“Never before have journalist had so many storytelling tools with which to work…The key for today’s journalists is to find a way to report information in the medium that works best for each individual news consumer. In the most progressive newsrooms, journalist have the potential to do a better job of telling stories because they can now show, tell and invite the audience to interact with the information” (pg 11)

This statement sheds light to the truth, journalism can come in all forms now, and now readers and audiences are able to be a part of it with the internet and relate to it with interaction through twitter and other social networking sites.

But the question is, what is the road to a successful career in Broadcast Journalism and how can I make the most of it? From my personal experience and research, the answer to that question isn’t as difficult as one may believe.

 

 

METHOD

            There are many ways to be able to get a job in Broadcast journalism. The easiest way to do so is to start off at the bottom. This can mean starting out with an unpaid internship, which is what I have personally done, to starting out with a terrible job in the mail room. First things first, getting experience. Learn to ask in depth and meaningful questions, not just “what is going on here?”

            Experience is key to being successful in broadcast. Get an internship. This will teach you the many different aspects that go into a television or radio show. There are editors, producers, directors, reporters of different fields of reporting and many other jobs. Each has a crucial role in what makes or breaks a show. The more experience you have in these different aspects of the show, the better off your chances will be when applying for jobs. Once you have gained experience, the possibilities are endless. When talking to Producer/anchor of WVUA-TV, Daniel Sparkman, he says that he would hire someone straight out of college with experience than a person with no experience at all.

            That means start getting reference letters together and get online to look at different news stations websites for job opportunities. Careers in this field of work are not going to just jump out at someone, for the most part atleast. News stations generally have job postings on their webpages and will have details of what is needed, this usually means proof of experience from a news “Package” to reference letters and a resume. All of which should have great time and effort put into them.

            Why should you be listening to me? Because I have been working for WVUA-TV for a while now and have had all of this experience and have talked to my bosses about how to get a job in this field.

 

 

RESULTS

            If all of these things are achieved, from internship experience to applying for jobs to having a career in broadcast journalism, you may end up being happily exhausted. That meaning that you will have long hours, constantly be on the go, and will probably have to invest in many five-hour energy shots and maybe a good smart phone to keep your life organized as best as possible.

      

 

DISCUSSION

            There will always be a need for news. Humans have an unsatisfiable desire to need to know what is going on. Whether it is local or worldwide. Being in the public eye whether it is through radio, or television broadcast journalism, people want to interact with you. That means having to keep your twitter and Facebook clean for professional purposes and trying to keep a low-key lifestyle so people will find you professional and approachable.

 

 

Works Cited

Daniel Sparkman. Personal Interview; September 4, 2013. Title: Producer/anchor WVUA-TV