How to Get a Job as a Television News Producer

The world of the local television news producer can be hectic and stressful, but ultimately rewarding and even lucrative. Many of today’s local television producers have college and university degrees in Broadcast Journalism.

In school, they can learn how to put together a show “rundown” (an outline of all of the stories to be covered within the 30, 60, or 90+ minute news show), manage both on-air talent, and production crews, write scripts, choose the stories to be covered, and edit video using both linear and non-linear editing systems.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• EXPERIENCE
• A resume tape
• Several scripts to show your writing ability
• An idea of where you want to work.
• Plenty of patience and self confidence.

1. You will need some experience in a professional news environment. Take a broadcast writing course at your local college, and also serve as an intern at a news station or network (preferably at the station where you hope to be employed). As an intern, you can find out if the business is really right for you, you can gain on-the-job experience, and you can also obtain access to recording equipment to create the materials needed to get you that first job.

2. Put together a Resume Tape and a Writing Portfolio. Your resume tape or dvd is your calling card. It will contain clips from news programs you have produced. Also include a pack containing your best hard news and feature story scripts. Don’t have the experience to create either of these things? Go back to step 1.

3. Look for jobs online. It may be a good idea to stay close to home for that first job. You are working in “local” news, so you should be familiar with the local community- because those are the people who will be watching your show. You need to know what kind of news will have the greatest impact with your audience. The smaller the station, the more work you will have to do- but you may be getting more experience than people who start out in bigger markets.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember: Once you get your foot in the door- the hard part begins. Be sure to make good contacts, because in this business, who you know is just as important as what you know sometimes.
• The average beginning producer at a small market station can make between $15,000/yr and $25,000/yr. It may take many years of hard work to reach the upper echelons of the salaries in the news field.

Resources

• MediaBistro
• TV Job Listing Board
• TV Markets and Stations List

[kimlucatorto]

on 7/25/2009 A great resource for getting your first media job and/or internship is: www.HungryGrad.com