WPRO

This was my busiest summer yet. Not only did I intern at WPRO, which did take up most of my time during the week; I also put in many hours working as a waitress at the Longhorn Steakhouse and took an involved summer class. I am pleased that I got through it and hardly ever let my busy schedule stress me out. In terms of my internship placement, I feel that I have met each course goal, as well as a few of my own.

The WPRO newsroom was really a great place to get my feet wet. From the day I stepped in the door, I felt accepted and positively received by those that I came into contact with. Each person inside and outside of the newsroom was always eager to help in any way they could. The one thing that each reporter stressed was that I was not there to push papers and get coffee; they wanted me to do what they did and really get hands on experience.

I noticed at the beginning I received praise for never showing signs of apprehension when I was told to do something like phone interviews with public officials or cutting stories fast for the upcoming news break. Receiving such praise at the beginning boosted my confidence and made me want to work harder.

What was sometimes difficult was that when I would go in, it was almost like the newsroom was too busy for me to be there. However, during the beginning to middle of my time there they did not have a news director and they were handling things by themselves; so I always gave the benefit of the doubt. Several times I would come up with things for myself to do; getting it approved at first of course. There definitely were times where I felt like I was getting in the way of their work. The newsroom was small; only two stations that had recording and Associated Press wire capabilities. I would recommend anyone that intern there to do your hours in the mornings; more time and space to work. What would happen sometimes is I would have a work station to myself for my first 3 hours or so and if I were working on a project I would feel pressured to hurry once the other reporters came in; after all this is their real job.

The times I enjoyed and feel I got the most of my experience was going out on assignments. At first when I was with the reporters and they would take me to these places and say, ³ok-write a story.² I would go totally blank and come out with garbage. It certainly got easier as time went on. I found myself developing stories faster and with ease as I went out on more assignments. I really enjoyed the places that WPRO took me. I went to court, press conferences, even the beach! I enjoyed talking to different people and seeing different environments.

I liked meeting the other reporters and talking and becoming friendly with them. It gave me a complete sense of what to expect for my first job. It was an eye-opening experience when I realized just how much work is involved for this job. It¹s not just lights, camera, actionŠ.it¹s SO MUCH MORE! There is quick editing, fast story writing, a lot of technical business. I have a much better sense of what I am getting myself into.

I feel as though I met each of my course goals. Though I have had practice in resume and cover letter writing, I feel I have a better handle on correct word usage and format on both documents when it comes time to draft them in a real-life sense. My next step in these next two semesters will be putting together a resume tape. Through WPRO I recorded several story pieces; some of which wound up on the air. I recently recorded a mock-broadcast to be critiqued by the news director and anchors to see what I need to work on. I also have several writing samples which involved several drafts; but are decent enough to be read on-air.

It takes a certain kind of writing to make it in radio; several times I found myself going back to my print background, which did not turn out to be the right thing to do. I realized that my writing has to be conversational; for everyone to relate to. It took practice, but I think I finally get it.

Reading through the various packets for the class, I came across interesting literature regarding the workplace. I think I have a savvy list of job-hunting resources and contacts that will be useful to me when I look for my first job. I also feel more open about discussing several workplace issues such as sexual harassment, professional misconduct, employee rights, obligations, and benefits. I am now aware that there is much more that goes into an interview besides going in, shaking hands, and talking. I feel that the articles I read have better prepared me for my first job search. They will be useful to refer to when I eventually do look for a job.

Working in an actual professional environment, an intern might feel inferior. I felt completely opposite. One thing I will say about this internship that other interns might not be able to truthfully say is that I felt comfortable from day one. There was never a time when someone said or did something to me to make me feel uneasy and unsure about my placement. No one acted like they were better than me and they enjoyed hearing a ³youthful² input on issues surrounding us. We would all often talk about what was going on in the news and pop culture and many times they would say, ³What do college kids think?² (I was never shy about giving my input.)

Also, I realized I have a knack for being able to relate to just about anyone I came in contact with this summer. Often, other reporters from other stations would ask how old I was, and when I told them I was 20 they had all assumed that I was older. I feel that I will be able to hold my own in any newsroom or other workplace by my effective form of communication

I realized that there really is only so much you can learn in the classroom. Of course, there were several times when I was trying to figure out the editing program in the newsroom and my JOR 230 skills would come in handy from using the program in the editing lab at school. I know that because of my practice this summer, my broadcast news writing has improved so much. I now know more about the technical words that were often used in JOR230 because of hearing them so much at the radio station. I feel that having this experience in the actual broadcasting field; will make me a better journalism student.

Overall, I think this was a successful experience for me. There were certainly times where I got frustrated and maybe did not think I was cut out for the job, but somehow I never gave in to giving up. I feel that my supervisor and others around me did me a great justice in the advice and knowledge they provided me with. The weekly readings and assignments via the actual class gave me a better sense of what to expect out of a general work place. I received efficient training and a solid preparation for the business at 630 WPRO. I feel that if this fall I was hired at a radio station, I would be prepared well enough to be an asset to that particular work environment.

-- Rebekah Berger