We are a variety of working broadcast professionals, offering advice & guidance to people interested in tv, online & radio broadcasting HaleyCihock
First Jobs: Before That First Job…
photo credit: o5com I have three major regrets from my college days – and, thank goodness, none of them have to do with drugs or alcohol. I regret not studying abroad. I regret only taking one history class. I regret taking zero business classes. A semester spent in a different country could have provided valuable [...]
First Jobs: Work Flow
A friend is applying for a job titled “multi-media journalist” – which launched an hour-long discussion between the two of us about this growing trend – sometimes called the multi-platform journalist, the backpack broadcaster, or (rather irreverently) the one-man-band… photo credit: stevendepolo We talked at length about the best ways to approach that position, and manage time efficiently. Setting [...]
Internship Applications: Students Getting it Right
I really liked Tai’s last entry and wanted to add some great examples of students getting it right when applying for internships (followed by my gut reaction when I read them): “I am fluent in Spanish and English, with some knowledge of Korean and Mandarin Chinese.” That’s just cool, no matter what you’re trying to [...]
Your Rights: Taking Pictures in Public
There’s a good article in Popular Mechanics (really? yes.) on taking pictures and video in public places. As an intern and young reporter, I was very intimidated by law enforcement and other official types telling me that I wasn’t allowed to photograph something or record something on video. But journalists actually have a lot of legal backing [...]
Ethics: Selling vs. Storytelling
I used to have a managing editor who would emphatically declare, “Let ‘em buy time!” whenever someone would pitch a story about a new product or service. It’s common to be faced with the opportunity or desire to report on something somebody else is selling. It’s human nature to want to discuss the latest gadget, the [...]
First Jobs: Newsroom Advice
Here’s another pile of great advice from our very informal newsroom survey. These are the answers staff members offered when interns asked, “What do you know now that you wish you knew then?” Get on board with multi-media reporting – learn to write for print, web, and broadcast. Take full advantage of internships – learn everything! You have to [...]
Live! (or something like it)
I’ve had a few interesting conversations about live shots lately – their purpose, their evolution, their disappearance. KXAS in Dallas/Fort Worth tried an interesting experiment – no live shots for a week. The reporters were only allowed to shoot look-lives - taped ins/outs to their packages – unless they were covering breaking news. Friends tell me, [...]
News Writing: Gentrification
If you’re not familiar with the concept of gentrification, you’ll likely cozy up to it in your first job. (Just please promise me you won’t say “gentrification” or any version of the word in your story.) Every semester, an intern comes to me with a story idea about “what’s happening” in East Austin, arguably the area [...]
First Jobs: Story Generation
Looking for story ideas? They’re at your every turn… Many of the best ideas come from simply being an active participant in your community. Join a variety of organizations that offer different perspectives on the micro-world around you. In the past, I’ve been a mentor for a student who lived in a neighborhood very different from [...]
Being Green-Take One : Your Guide to Getting an Internship (BiB ebooks)