InternshipRatings.com

By David Charns

Journalism Major

Boston University 2010

Waking up at 2AM is not something that most people would want to do, let alone something an intern would want to do, but if you want to make it in the broadcast news industry, you have to do anything and everything to further your career. And it’s not just necessarily in broadcasting, if you want to be successful, you have to show dedication.

            This May, I began an internship at WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston, the local ABC affiliate. I previously interned at WBZ-TV Channel 4 (CBS) in Boston and at Prospect Pictures in London. I knew that I wanted to do something different with my summer… get an internship (or a job) where I could learn skills to forward myself in my desired field. My other internships were extremely valuable, but I wanted something new. I already had training on how to find stories, contact sources and deal with spokespeople and PR departments, but I had not sunk my teeth into real television production. The opportunity arose to intern at Channel 5, and after meeting with the internship coordinator there, I was offered an internship. But there was a catch. The highly desired, 9 to 5 shift was all filled up. While at Channel 4, I had worked both the day and the night shifts on the assignment desk. While I had some interaction with producers and the actual show, most of my work involved making sure reporters were on track while following breaking news and other stories. I was about to be lifted out of my comfort zone.

             The internship position available at Channel 5 was in the morning. I was told that the intern was expected to arrive at 3AM and stay until 11AM. That means having a wacky sleep schedule. The anxiety set in. When the idea was initially pitched to me, I shot it down. “No, I am not a morning person. I cannot do mornings,” I recall saying. However, within the next hour, I spoke with several employees who told me I would learn the most while working in the mornings, and as an intern, I would be able to do more.

            That is what sold me – I could do MORE. Rather than sit by a computer and answer phones, I could actually learn by doing. This description is what internships are supposed to be all about. And that is what my internship at Channel 5 has proved to be.

It has been less than two months and I am writing for a major market news broadcast. The first day I was nervous. It was more likely that I went to bed at 2AM let alone wake up at that hour. No cars were on the road and it took me legitimately five minutes to get to the station. Even in the dead of night, the producers were excited to have me on board. I signed onto the computer system and starting looking at the rundowns (a spreadsheet-like document showing all the stories in that day’s show). Within five minutes one of the producers turned to me and said, “Hey, you want to write something?” I was ecstatic. The first day as an INTERN and I wrote news copy. Sure I had done it in class, but this was the real thing.

Now I am writing for the morning and noon shows, digging into the scripts, as well as adding in on-air graphics. I never would have expected writing for the show, let alone being given the freedom to be creative. Channel 5 leads the Boston television market in content and ratings. It is an honor to work alongside such professional journalists.

It has been a great experience so far. Even waking up at 2AM is not all that bad. You get used to it, naps and all. I have learned that sometimes you have to make what you think will be a sacrifice. It certainly was a challenge the first few days, but now it’s fun. Sometimes I even come in early.

There is a rumor at Channel 5 that they like to hang on to their interns. I’m crossing my fingers.

By Nick Gaglis
Aspiring Broadcaster
Boston University Class of 2008

The communications business is no piece of cake, but it’s certainly one that anybody can get into with the right attitude. Like any other job, it requires passion, talent, and effort to get things done. Being proactive as an individual is one of the hardest things to do, but it definitely pays off.

The way I got most of my internships was through my own actions. I didn’t need an advisor, or a connection, or anything else. Search a website or two for a company you’re interested in working for. There’s almost always a jobs/employment link at the top or bottom of the screen, frequently next to or part of the about us/contact us page. A quick email with your résumé is all you need to land the job sometimes. I have formally applied (sent applications via mail) to over 15 internships, but the ones I have gotten have all been through succinct cover letters I sent electronically.

As long as you have a well written résumé, a cover letter that states exactly what position it is that you want, why you are the perfect candidate for it, and why you want it, you can land the internship you want. Recommendation letters from professors, employers, or your bosses from other internships are all gold too.

Television and radio are very competitive fields that require ability, persistence, and connections to survive, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t build those things up over time. The reason people start with internships is to create that future for themselves, and they’re already a step or two ahead of anybody who hasn’t had or applied for one yet.

I am a broadcast journalism major, so I look for the positions that land me closest to the on-air personalities. There aren’t too many on-air internships per se, but there are other alternatives. Being a production intern is the best choice while working for a sizable company.

I have been a production intern at four different stations: three radio and one television. I have dealt directly with the people you see and hear in each and every one of them. There is plenty of button pushing, sound checking, and other tasks that may seem mindless and unimportant, but knowing how the broadcast works is infinitely valuable when something goes wrong and the producer needs help. You are much more marketable to an employer for an on-air job if they know that you can help with (or do entirely) the production aspects of the show.

If you land a production spot, don’t be afraid to speak with the talent. You need to be able to communicate with them well in order to put on a quality show. Not all of them are the friendliest people, but I have met more than my fair share of good people in my internships. They’re the ones that can seriously help you out down the road, whether it’s with a cover letter or someone they know who’s hiring.

By Michael R. Ratty
Director of Communications
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

One hand on the steering wheel, one hand on a hastily printed map, I nearly swerved into oncoming traffic on the two-lane bridge. It was a humid June afternoon and I was panicking on my first day of an internship with The Lowell Sun, a daily newspaper in Lowell, Mass. Only ten minutes earlier, I had been handed my first reporting assignment, covering a press conference announcing a new affordable housing measure for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I had expected my first day to be filled with inane duties like finding an empty cubicle and having my employee ID picture taken. I was wrong.

I was on summer break before my senior year at Ithaca College and, like most journalism majors, I had agonized over where I would intern. My first choice was the Boston Globe and my second choice was the Sun’s internship program, which had four paid, full-time positions. The Globe program, although unpaid (the Globe name was the payment…) was renowned for landing impressive placements for its graduates. Up against Ivy Leaguers and students from higher profile journalism programs like Syracuse and NYU, I was not offered a position. Disappointed but undaunted, I pursued the Sun’s program because of the experience I anticipated receiving. After two rounds of interviews, I was given the good news on the last day of classes. At the time, I felt like the last kid picked at gym class. That feeling would not last long.

Fast forward two weeks to my second day on the job, and that affordable housing article was published on the second page of the metro section. After being thrown into the fire and succeeding on that first day, there was no challenge I couldn’t handle over the next three months. There was no reason to be timid and every reason to be fearless. I knew that although the Sun’s name may not leap off the resume for a prospective employer, a thick stack of writing clips would.

At the Sun I wasn’t treated like a typical intern, and around the newsroom I was treated in accordance with my articles’ bylines: Michael R. Ratty – Staff Writer. Over the course of the summer I would publish over 25 articles for the newspaper, seven of which appeared on Page One. As you might expect, the topics of my articles ran the gamut:
-“’Up In Smoke Tour’ a rap lover’s paradise”
-“Hibernians give gift of green at Middlesex”
-“Taking aim at video-game violence”
-“State aiming to cut mercury levels in water”
-“Sovereign makes a solid first impression with Lowell leaders”

My articles appeared in every section of the newspaper and, more importantly, my editors gave me the freedom to come up with my own article ideas. A good example was when I wandered over to my editor’s desk and asked if he knew what Napster was. It sounds silly now, but in the summer of 2000 music downloading was still in its infancy and people were still taking sides on the issue. With a little cajoling, I convinced him there was a great feature waiting to be written. Three weeks and dozens of interviews later – I even tracked down the uncle of Napster founder Shawn Fanning on Cape Cod – the newspaper featured the story on its front page. I was getting my hands dirty on every article by doing all of my own research, fact checking, and even some photography.

By the time my last day arrived, I hadn’t fetched one fax or cup of coffee. I was simply a writer, something I had dreamed about as long as I could remember. I would be lying if I told you that, given the opportunity back in May 2000 to choose between the Globe and the Sun, I would have chosen the Sun. But the fact is that after graduating, those writing clips helped me land two jobs and various freelance opportunities. Although it wasn’t the flashiest or most prestigious internship, my time at the Sun turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences of my life.

In its own unique way, I did indeed land my dream internship. It just took a little creative driving to get me there.

Michael Ratty is the Director of Communications at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He holds a BA in Print Journalism from Ithaca College, and resides in Boston’s North End. He can be reached at ratty.michael@gmail.com.