Internship Weekly Blog: Week 15

The moment has finally come. This is my last blog as an intern of WESA. This was my final week with the station. I can’t believe that this day has come.

I want to thank everyone who helped me throughout this journey this summer. I want to thank Bob and Helen personally as they were the best supervisors that I have ever had for any job. They were kind, attentive, showed great passion in me and my work, and helped me shape my skills to become better in the workforce. They were also very helpful in making sure that if I ever had any mistakes they would point them out and if I made great progress, they would say that to me as well. I wish them the best of luck for the remainder of their careers.

I would also like to thank Kevin Gavin, the person in charge of the internships for giving me this opportunity to broaden my knowledge and expand my horizons on another side of journalism and radio stations that I never considered before. I will highly recommend to future Point Park students to look into their internship program as they are kind, wise, and can offer you a fully hands-on internship experience.

I would also like to thank all they other people at the station that I worked around. I want to thank them for helping me if I needed help and overall just being great people to work around and get to know.

This internship, as I have mentioned before, has given me new skills and experiences that will carry me through my career and help me get a good job in the future. I will take this experience to heart and I will love to check in on them in the future to see how they’re doing and to update them on my personal progress.

This summer was a great experience throughout and I hope that it carries over to my last semester here at Point Park University.

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 14

This is it. Only one more week left in my internship. I can’t believe that it is almost here. It just feel like I just started. However, as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

In terms of this week’s work, it was another solid work week. I think that the promos I end up making during the week turn out pretty good. On Tuesdays, I work on 26 promos while on Thursday I make 18. In the beginning when I started working on promos, I will admit, they were not perfect. I can admit that in the beginning I was not as careful with my audio levels as I was now.

Back then, I was more concerned about making sure that the promos were the appropriate length and weren’t having extreme feedback. However, I now realize that some of my early promos were too loud. Now, all of my promos are not only the right length, but at the right levels audio-wise as well.

In the theme of improving, me making the logs every day improved as well. In the beginning, I can admit that I made some mistakes organizing some of the promos. However, the more experience that I got, the less and les mistakes that I made.

Now, I can go through making playlists for 2-4 days in a row without making a single error. Overall, this applies to all of my work that I did during my internship, as well as any job that I have ever done. Practice makes perfect, the more that I practice at anything, the more likely I am of never making any mistakes, at least not any careless ones.

The same thing applied in my classes doing my practice assignments. The same thing applies to my work experience at my jobs and the same thing applies for my internship and for me going forward in the future.

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 13

Throughout these series of blogs, I have talked about what I liked about my internship. Overall, I have enjoyed the experience and felt it will go a long way to helping me find a job in the future. However, this week, I will go over what I didn’t like about this internship since it is almost over.

The biggest thing I didn’t like about this internship was that the tasks I had to do, while very important to the station, are tedious and can be viewed by many people as boring or unexciting. The main things that I do on a daily basis are working at a computer looking at logs, spreadsheets, or working in Adobe Audition. Those are not the most exciting things in the world. I find it amazing that Helen has been working on these assignments almost every day for over 11 years with the company.

Now, I’m not saying that what they are doing is stupid. Like I said, the operations and production part of the station is arguably the most important one because they make sure everything sounds right and also helps to make sure all of the advertisements are put in place, which provide the funding. I just think that I wouldn’t be able to that type of job every day. I think that it could get old very quickly. I would rather be working out in the field covering a story or writing an editorial piece. Even Bob said to me when I was working one day, “Are you having fun with the wonders of Marketron?”

That being said, like I mentioned before, am I glad I experienced and got practice in this field because it was a good learning opportunity and can help me in the future.

The other major thing about the internship I didn’t like was that there were times where I would have to wait a while to do another task because Helen and Bob didn’t have anything for me. This didn’t happen a lot but happened enough for me to notice it. I didn’t wait too long, a max of 10-15 minutes, but it showed that the tasks I had to do at times were a little limited.

Overall, while the tasks were a little drawl at times, I still liked the internship. The people were nice to me and treated me well and I got a whole new perspective on another side of journalism and radio/TV stations.

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 12

Throughout these series of blogs, I have talked about what I liked about the internship itself, what I like about journalism and why I wanted to become one, and what I liked about Point Park. This week, I will again be positive but be a little more broad. I will go into detail about what I like about Pittsburgh, as it is where both my school and internship is located, and where I would like to work once I graduate.

First and foremost, I always loved coming to Pittsburgh because of its sights, sounds, and culture. The Pittsburgh skyline, particularly at night, is truly a beautiful sight to behold. There are also many different parts to the city, each feeling unique to the other. Downtown does not feel the same to the South Side, which doesn’t feel the same to North Shore, and Homewood, and so on.

I also like that even though it is technically the second-biggest city in the state, it is still small enough to me that I don’t feel claustrophobic . Pittsburgh is small enough where if you had too, you can easily walk to wear you need to go, given you have the time.

Finally, as a very personal bias, I love all of the sports teams that are in Pittsburgh, which include the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, and Panthers.

Pittsburgh was, as I mentioned before, a major factor in my decision to come to Point Park. It was relatively close to my hometown of New Castle and I felt it would have a lot of opportunities for me with my career.

Well, as it turns out, yes, there is. Going into school, I knew of the four big TV stations, (KDKA, WTAE, WPXI, WQED), and the two big newspapers (Post-Gazette and Tribune Review). However, as it turns out, this city has a lot more to offer than it appears for journalism. This city has ten TV stations, over 40 radio stations, and over a dozen smaller papers/magazines. That is a big commodity of places that I could hired to, no matter what career path in journalism I decide to follow.

Even working and having experience in WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station will be beneficial because it shows that I have had work in a top-20 market city like Pittsburgh.

Overall, when I graduate, I would love to start my career in Pittsburgh, or the greater Pittsburgh area because I love the city, it’s still close to my family and friends, and I believe  the city will be give me plenty of opportunities to succeed moving forward.

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 11

It’s hard to imagine this, but it has already been three months since I started my internship. I now only have one month left until I leave and return back to school for my final semester. They say that life goes by faster than you can imagine. Well, that is an understatement for me in general.

I still remember the first week that I started the internship. I was very nervous because I wanted to make a good first impression and prove to everyone there that I am a hard worker willing to do whatever it takes. However, as the weeks went by and I got more comfortable with the different responsibilities that I have to do, the less nervous that I got.

In fact, I have practiced and done those different activities so many times by now that not only do they feel second nature to me, but I know exactly when in the day I have to do each activity/job.

The same philosophy applied to me for college as well. When I first started college in 2013, I was a shy, socially-awkward 18-year-old who cried his eyes out when my parents drooped me off, even though they were only an hour away. I was scared, nervous for my future, and thought I would hardly have any fun or friends during my time here.

Low and behold, all of that was proven false. Sure, I can still can a little nervous talking to people and I am still concerned for the future as far as job placement goes, but that is perfectly normal. However, I am more confident in myself, am not afraid of being away from my family and have had great moments and friends here at Point Park that will last a lifetime for me.

In fact, it will be heart-breaking for me and will make me cry even harder when I leave in December and have to say goodbye to my friends and professors here. I will also miss working at my internship too, as everyone is nice and helpful to me and too each other and I hope that I get to work in a friendly environment like that in the future.

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 10

In addition to my regular workload and assignments this week, I also had a really unique history lesson. It was a small history lesson on jazz. I know what you might be thinking, what does jazz have to do with an NPR radio station? Well, the simple matter of the fact is that they are one in the same.

Well, for my station it is one in the same. My station, 90.5 WESA, in addition to streaming 24-hour news and NPR coverage also has a second radio stream called jazzworks, which plays jazz 24/7. Throughout my internship, I have on occasion listened to some of the songs and programs that have been played on jazzworks.

What really surprised me was that there are as many different types of jazz music as there different types of rock, country, rap, etc. I always assumed that jazz was just simple low-key and smooth that you would hear in a jazz club. While that certainly is a big part of it, Bob, the person in charge of running jazzworks, said that there are many more different sounds and types of jazz from around the world. There have been many different artists and writers who have sang and written pieces throughout the years that have gone on to become jazz standards.

Most people think of Etta James, Duke Ellington, or Louis Armstrong when they think of influential jazz players, but there is so many more. There are also different ways that jazz has changed forms and styles over the years in America, inspired by those who perform jazz around the world.

That brings me back to the history lesson. Bob wanted me to look up information and listen to a few songs about the bossa nova style of jazz, which was inspired by jazz musicians from Brazil and other parts of Latin America. Overall, while I have always liked the sound of jazz beforehand, this internship has made me have a new appreciation for it and realize just how important it is to music and popular culture.

 

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 9

Another week is in the books. I have been writing the last few weeks about the ins and outs of the radio station that I am working for. However, for this week, I want to do something a little different. While I won’t go to complex, I will go over why I wanted to become a journalist and why I chose to go to Point Park, as well as what my dream job is.

As far as when I wanted to become a journalist, it was my senior year in high school. Previously, I wanted to be a creative writer because I loved to either write or think about stories for many years. I still do that in my spare time when I relax. The previous summer, I went to a writing camp at WQED to learn the ins and outs of being a creative writer. However, that experience ironically made me realize that was something that I didn’t want to do.

The people in charge said that I had good potential as a writer but warned that it was very difficult to say the least to make it as a writer. You hardly make any money to start out with and aren’t even guaranteed to make it big. That scared me and mad me realize that being a creative writer wouldn’t be the best career choice. Therefore, throughout my junior into my senior year, I transitioned to be a journalist instead because in that field I still get to write and tell stories, but am more likely to get a job out of school.

Therefore, once my mind was made up, it was time to choose a university to attend. I may have mentioned this before but I will go into more detail now. Point Park was actually the fourth school that I visited for journalism. I previously thought about going to Hiram College and visited there as well as Seton Hill and Edinboro. I also visited Waynesburg and Penn State Behrend after Point Park. However, after visiting Point Park, I knew that would be my front-running choice for my school and I didn’t look back since.

For one thing, the school was in Pittsburgh. I always loved going to visit Pittsburgh growing up so I was comfortable with the city. I was also only an hour away from my home so I could go home any time I wanted. However, more importantly, the school is in Pittsburgh, a city that is filled by four big TV stations and dozens of radio stations and newspapers. If there was ever a perfect opportunity to find an internship or find employment after graduating, it would be with a school in direct contact with them. Those were the deciding factors in my decision to go to Point Park.

I also mentioned previously that my dream job is to be an online entertainment reviewer. Why, because I get the most enjoyment from them so I want to pay tribute to their legacy. I started watching people on YouTube since 2011 and it has shaped me as far as where I get my history on entertainment, where I get my sense of humor, and more importantly, how I want to cover entertainment in the future. I love the way that they review and cover the news, almost as much as traditional media covers them. Plus, the way that news coverage is going, more and more publications is gearing their efforts towards online anyway, so I am in the field of the future of journalism.

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 8

This is technically week 9, however, for me, this is week 8 because I was on vacation the week before. So, for the rest of the summer, I will be one week behind everyone else. It’s not as bad as last summer where I was two months behind everyone.

Anyway, with this week being over, I am now over halfway done with not only the internship, but also the summer as well. I can’t believe how fast it is going. It feels like I just started not too long ago. However, that is why they say that life goes by quickly and that you have to take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to you.

That is why I decided to mainly take the internship. Yes, the internship is giving me three credits for school, but that is not the main reason why I took this internship. I may have mentioned this before, but it was an opportunity that I could not have afforded to miss. In the job market, especially my field of journalism, it is a highly competitive field with hardly any openings at all.

In order to stand out by employers for a job, you not only need to have the skills and a kind personality, but you also need to have experience. Now, for most people, that is hard because it difficult to get experience when they are so young. However, that is one reason why I love Point Park, because they offer you real-world experiences and can help you with your career choice.

For me, all of my journalism professors have had experience in the field so when they teach me and look over my work, I know that it’s based on what they’ve seen in the real world. I have also been fortunate that the university has had so many different programs/organizations that gives me experience as well. I have had experience with a newspaper, a TV station, and a radio station thanks to The Globe, U-View, and WPPJ respectively. Plus, the two internships that I had taken will all hopefully help me to stand out and get a good job whenever I graduate.

So, I am thankful for this internship and the university that I attend. Plus, it’s two blocks away from Market Square. You can’t beat that.

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 7

For this week, I will talk about some of the shows that are aired on a daily basis at my station. Since I hear them all day when I am at work and have to make promos for them, I’d figure I would have a good idea of what each show is like.

From 5-9 a.m., a program called Morning Edition is aired. It is basically from what I’ve heard the radio version of The Today Show. It has a mixture of local news coverage, national and global news coverage, and interesting tidbits of talking and discussion.

At 9 a.m., as well as from 11 p.m. through 5 a.m., WESA airs the BBC World Service. From 10 a.m. through noon, a talk-show called the Diane Rehm show is aired. It is a political discussion talk-show starring award-winning radio host and journalist Diane Rehm. From noon to one, an original program created and produced by WESA is aired called Essential Pittsburgh. It is a news feature type show that mainly focuses on news that deals with the Pittsburgh area.

From there, a series of political talk shows is aired through the afternoon. From 1-3, a show called Here and Now is aired. A show called Fresh Air is broadcasted from 3-4. All Things Considered is aired from 4-6:30.

Another local show called Marketplace fills the gap from 6:30-7. It is essentially a half hour of market and economic talk. A program called the World airs from 7-8 which is a feature show that highlights different stories, cultures, and groups of people from around the world. Essential Pittsburgh is rebroadcasted from 8-9 and Fresh Air is rebroadcasted from 10-11. A music-orientated show called Q aired from 9-10 but will soon be replaced.

That is the general schedule for the radio log from Mondays through Thursdays. Fridays are the same minus a few different shows and the weekend has a completely different and random schedule. I just figured I would give you insight on the type of shows is broadcasted at my station and what I have to make promos for.

Internship Weekly Blog: Week 6

Well, it was an interesting week. My main advisor, Helen, was on vacation. She actually said to me before she left that she would prefer for me to come in at 12:30 because she was afraid I would sit around for most of the day doing nothing. However, instead of doing that, for both days I actually came in for my regular schedule. It was a good thing that I did because I did have a decently-sized workload that occupied most of my time when I was working.

This proved that I am able to take responsibility and know when I am supposed to work. This also shows that I am able to know what I am supposed to do during a typical day when I work so that I know what to do in case someone isn’t there.

I arrive at 9:30 and I usually spend an hour going over the log from the previous day to make sure the previous day’s underwriting credits are aired. From 10:30 to around 12:30 I do small tasks for Bob or Helen and get a head start on making promos.

After my lunch usually ends at 1:00 or 1:30, I make the next day’s log, work on small tasks, and finish making the promos which usually takes me to around 3:30 or 4:00. From there, I highlight what is supposed to be read by the DJs for the next day when they are on the air which normally takes me to when I leave at around 4:45.

That is my routine, more or less, and it makes me feel accomplished that I know how to plan my day and that Helen trusts me to do all of those things while she was away.