Career in Broadcasting
In order to wrap up my senior year of high school, we were required to "intern" with a company for two weeks in order to get a taste of the real world. It was called "senior vocation" and the idea was that maybe the experience would spark an interest in a particular field. Even as a kid, I was the sort who would do Atlanta Braves play-by-play on the sofa, announcing in a little tape recorder, mimicking Skip Caray or Ernie Johnson. So, my mother suggested I call TBS, the Braves TV partner, to see if I could do my senior vocation there. I never did it, reasoning that TV was an industry where you had to "know someone" or be "born to it."
Flash forward five years where I did end up interning for CNN sports. And, you guessed it: when I got there I was already the "old man" at 23, and my expensive college degree was never the springboard I thought it would be. The other kids – many of whom were not college educated—were already familiar with basic editing, writing, on-air performance, camerawork and the overall structure of a sportscast. Now, don't feel sorry for me – things worked out OK, and I now own radio stations, a television studio and a broadcast school. Broadcasting is one of the few white-collar, professional industries that does not discriminate against those who do not attend college.
Broadcasting is going younger every year. Stations reason that they can train and educate teenagers to become productive, loyal employees. Even more to the point, stations are turning more and more to new media and new technology. They've discovered Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Myspace.
Young people also assume incorrectly that the only people who work in TV and radio are the faces and the voices that they see and hear everyday. It's almost as if the writing, editing and camerawork just happens magically! The truth is, for every one person you see on TV there are 40 more behind the scenes working as editors, cameramen, writers, producers, engineers, master control staff, promotions people and sales people. These are stable, interesting and rewarding careers. Even better, stations realize that young people are much more fluent with computer technology than older people who are still trying to figure out how to set up their yahoo e-mail account!
As a radio station owner, I can tell you that a radio station – big or small – is really a giant computer system that sends its signal to a transmitter and then up a tower. I will also tell you that, if deciding between two people for the same job, I am going to choose the more computer literate applicant almost every time. Do you enjoy software programs? Are you curious how computers work? Are you good with social media like Facebook? Do you have an interest in websites? Then, you already have an advantage over people my age who don't know an upload from a download.
So how do you get involved in broadcasting? You will likely need some kind of training. Radio stations are open to unpaid "internships", but many – due to governmental regulations – require that you receive some course credit. They don't want anyone wandering in off the street, and, more importantly, if they're going to take the time to train you, they want to know you're coming back tomorrow. Training can be as extensive as a four-year undergraduate program or as efficient as an eight-week accelerated program. There are broadcast schools whose curriculums are designed for students who need intense, impactful training. Be wary of those schools, though, who do not provide a school-provided "demo tape" at the end of the training. Make sure you see an example. You cannot get a job at a TV or radio station without one.
From there, your professor or placement director will be happy to provide job leads and provide the assistance to help you get started. There's an old saying; "A bad day in broadcasting is better than a good day anywhere else" and that motto has been dependable for 20 years! Good luck!
Editorial provided by Jeff Batten, owner of WCHM Radio, Batten Communications, Inc and Complete Game Broadcasting.
