Television News Reporter Qualifications

Video Transcript

"The way you get your start in television news reporting, is you create a, what's called a demo tape, or a resume tape. Now, basically it incorporates things like stories you've done, either in school, or stories you've done at an internship, that sort of thing, and so it's much like a demo tape, you would expect to be for TV or movies or anything, so as a TV news reporter, what I would do, because I'm always looking for that next great job as well, in a bigger market, for more salary, is I'm constantly updating my resume tape, and so you're resume tape. You take that, and you put some of your best work on it, and you send it out to news directors all over the country, or in markets that you want to work at, and then you would hope that they would look at that tape, and if it's good, give you a call, and offer you a job. Some of the things you want on that tape, are obviously, some of your best work, but also your contact information, so that this prospective employer knows how to get a hold of you. It's also important when you're trying to get into this business, or move up in this business, to build relationships with other job providers. For example, if I wanted to work into the next higher market, than where I'm at now, I might start calling those other TV stations, start calling those news directors and saying, I'd really like to work for you. Do you have any job openings? I'm sending you my resume tape next week. Could you take a look at it? It's very important to build those kinds of relationships, in order to further your career. It's all about networking, just like in many types of jobs. Another important way to get into the business, is by gaining experience in other areas, or similar areas. It's very important to have an education, know what you're talking about. Either have some kind of journalism background, or from a broadcasting vocational school, or any number of trade school programs, that teach you about broadcasting, so that you can better yourself, improve your skills, and make yourself more marketable. The one of the ways you do that, is through internships, either going to an internship, and learning from the people around you, the professionals. Also, volunteering. Volunteering is a very important part of this. You can volunteer at theaters. You can volunteer at TV stations. You can volunteer at movie sets. These are all ways in which you can build experience, and even though they may not pay you anything, it's always an opportunity to get more stuff for your resume, or your resume tape. The way I got into this business, was through internet radio. Some friends and I were doing an internet radio show. We weren't getting paid for it, but it was a lot of fun, telling jokes, and playing songs over the internet, and I really got a taste for it, so what I did, was I went to Specks Howard School of Broadcast Arts, which is a trade school that teaches radio and television broadcasting, and while I did that, I took an internship at a news station in Detroit, Michigan. Once I had established some experience that way, both through the radio and school, and the internship, I also did a lot of volunteer activities. I acted as a production assistant for a variety of things, in theaters, and other areas, so that I could build up my experience, and have more things to put on my resume."