It’s seriously like fate….

I found out I got the internship at NBC10 in the Investigators Unit last March. I was so happy to have gotten this internship, but at the same time I found myself complaining at times because I knew my summer was going to be tough. I would work full time (40hrs.) at the internship and then at my serving job on top of that. My weekends were shot and some of my nights too.

But, once I began working at NBC10, the worriment of missing out on time with my friends vanished. I loved what I was doing SO much that it wasn’t a big deal if I missed a night out with the girls. I became so focused on what I was doing and how I could be better at it.

My internship…

I had NO idea what the heck I wanted to do before this past summer; I just knew I wanted to work in TV. And, I knew that in order to work in TV, I needed an internship. So, I started applying to different news stations in the area. I don’t even know why I applied to news stations because I never thought I wanted to be a journalist.

Most people think about getting coffee or running errands when they hear the word “intern.” And, to a certain degree they are right. Interns do a lot of the brunt work, but that’s how you learn. You may log a million interviews while you’re there, but by logging, you hear the questions reporters ask, the way people talk, and how to pick out the best sound for the story package. In every task you’re given there is a lesson you can take from it.

Just so you know, I never had to get coffee…

I fielded phone calls, responded to emails, logged tapes, pitched stories, put video up on the web, shadowed reporters in the field, and worked in the iNews program. I had the opportunity to be hands on in all aspects of the business.

Moving up the ladder…

In order to become successful in this business, you have to start at the bottom rung of the ladder and move on up. There’s no way of getting around it. And, one of the best ways to get a head start is…an internship! Internships play a key role in getting your foot in the door of the newsroom.

Take Cherie Bank for instance. She was an intern at KTVI in St. Louis before landing herself a job at that same station after graduation.

The Investigative Producer, Ed Dress, was an intern at NBC10 before he got a position working with Herb Denninburg.

Managing Editor, Lisa Spinosa, and Producer, Alexis Fischer, were interns with Ed Dress in the Investigative Unit before becoming NBC10 employees.

I don’t think there are many employees working in journalism whether it be a reporter, photographer, director, or producer who didn’t start out with an internship somewhere. Making it inside the newsroom is all about the people you know. Therefore, if you stand out as an intern, you'll have a better chance to stand out among the dozens of other applications stacked on the news directors desk.

Really….get an internship! Here are links to apply for an internship at the three major news stations in the Philadelphia area: NBC10 Internships, ABC 6 Internships, and CBS 3 Internships.

Or, look up an internship that most suits your needs at JerseyIntern.com

*I have some good tips that were given to me before I started my internship last May, I'll have them for you with my next post tomorrow.


Duggan, Eileen. (September 2007). Moving up the tv ladder. St. Louis Journalism Review. 37, 28.