How to Get Television Broadcasting Experience
Television broadcasting has been a part of journalism since the 1950s, spanning the heyday of network news to the 24-hour news cycle of cable news networks such as CNN and Fox News. Colleges have responded by incorporating broadcast journalism and mass media studies into specialized courses for prospective journalists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income for broadcast journalists is about $40,000 per year, as of 2008, but this can increase dramatically in metropolitan areas. To get started in a broadcast journalism career, you need to be motivated, self-starting and extroverted.
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Instructions
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Select a major in college that is more attractive to broadcasting and media companies, such as broadcast journalism or communications. Join the journalist organizations on campus, particularly those involved with local-access television, or a campus publication. On-air roles are especially useful, since you can make copies of tape for your resume. On-air roles in these types of organizations are unpaid but no less competitive.
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Secure an internship with a local radio or TV station. In smaller broadcasting stations and networks, you'll most likely be contacting the producer, station manager or programming director directly for a role in the company. Your internship will most likely be in engineering or as an office assistant or production assistant. Building a rapport with your supervisors and co-workers will increase your exposure to the industry and prove to potential employers that you can handle the high-pressure environment of a broadcast news station.
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Apply to junior reporter positions at local TV networks. Send a compilation DVD of your on-air experiences, which could also include staged rehearsals. Create a website designed for your own media clips. Because of the nature of this job, you'll need to emphasize your professionalism and be presentable on camera. When you meet with a station or network producer, you are essentially participating in an audition.
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References
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