Want to be TV news reporter/writer- advice? (interviewed, employers, work)
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Do your research and find a school with a very good journalism program and a record of having graduates that got jobs. Then work super hard at school and make sure you take every opportunity to get experience, from the school newspaper to internships (GPA is not as important as the connections you make and the experience you get). You may or may not find a job after you graduate, but if that's what you really want to do then you might as well try it. Just don't take out a ton of private student loans, because even if you do find a job you won't be able to pay them back on that starting salary (which could actually be 0). In fact, having loans could kill your chances of working as a journalist because you'll be forced to look for better paying work.
And make sure you learn amazing computer skills while in school, since chances are you'll be using the internet as a medium later. That could be the difference between getting a job and not getting one, and having a career and not having one. Blogs are the new newspapers. In fact, you should start writing for the internet now. And learn to take and edit photos and videos, too. The more skills you have, the better.
My last concern is appearance. Looks are important in any television career unfortunately. Will the fact that I wear glasses put me at a disadvantage? I have noticed I never see any TV reporters/anchors with glasses, and I refuse to get contacts. I don't have a problem with dressing up and doing make up and nails, but I refuse to make drastic changes regarding my appearance. I remember reading a story about Julie Chen and how she got plastic surgery and all that.
LOL, can't rep you again but it's like it just dawned on the guy from West Virginia that he has traveled all this way to read breaking news about a wheel falling off a tractor and tying up traffic.
You've got some good advice. Remember you will make less $$ than you imagine until/unless you are able to get to a bigger market or become an anchor, not many do either, but it's not impossible. You WILL get "advice" on your appearance if you are on air & the better the job the more "advice" you will get, as in, if you don't take it they will can your butt & fill the position with somebody more willing to fit their image. Sorry if you have any illusions about being on a broadcast & not being under scrutiny for your looks, they will be selling you like a dish detergent & if they find people don't like you you will be shown the door.
You should minor in Journalism, or Broadcast Journalism, but major in a more substantive field such as law, medicine, meteorology, business, etc., if you really want to have a chance at a well paying job in a good sized market, or spend a few years working on campaigns for political candidates. You have to set yourself apart since there are thousands of graduates each year who "want to be on tv" & the proliferation of cable & digital delivery (WWW) sites means the pay get smaller & smaller & the audiences for each outlet get smaller & the pool of job applicants swell.
And I am not making a joke when I say it will help you, in the beginning anyway, if you are a viable beauty contest participant..... unfortunately.
My last concern is appearance. Looks are important in any television career unfortunately. Will the fact that I wear glasses put me at a disadvantage? I have noticed I never see any TV reporters/anchors with glasses, and I refuse to get contacts. I don't have a problem with dressing up and doing make up and nails, but I refuse to make drastic changes regarding my appearance. I remember reading a story about Julie Chen and how she got plastic surgery and all that.
Hi. I've worked in media so I'll give you some tips.
1) You are putting the cart way, way before the horse. Given that you're not even in college yet, you still have a lot of maturing to do. Most schools won't let you do internships until your junior year anyway.
2) Since you repeated a grade, if you don't get into a four year school, study communications at your local juco or community college to get your head on straight. Don't burn the money because your freshman year is basically worthless, it's just to get you used to the workload.
3) Like you, I wanted to be on-air before I discovered in college I was much, much better behind the scenes.
4) Don't sweat appearance til you're actually looking for a job.
5) Be prepared to move around the country a lot.
Feel free to PM me if you have any in-depth questions.
You've got some good advice. Remember you will make less $$ than you imagine until/unless you are able to get to a bigger market or become an anchor, not many do either, but it's not impossible. You WILL get "advice" on your appearance if you are on air & the better the job the more "advice" you will get, as in, if you don't take it they will can your butt & fill the position with somebody more willing to fit their image. Sorry if you have any illusions about being on a broadcast & not being under scrutiny for your looks, they will be selling you like a dish detergent & if they find people don't like you you will be shown the door.
You should minor in Journalism, or Broadcast Journalism, but major in a more substantive field such as law, medicine, meteorology, business, etc., if you really want to have a chance at a well paying job in a good sized market, or spend a few years working on campaigns for political candidates. You have to set yourself apart since there are thousands of graduates each year who "want to be on tv" & the proliferation of cable & digital delivery (WWW) sites means the pay get smaller & smaller & the audiences for each outlet get smaller & the pool of job applicants swell.
And I am not making a joke when I say it will help you, in the beginning anyway, if you are a viable beauty contest participant..... unfortunately.
Good luck!
EXCELLENT ADVICE. The average journalism grad knows zero.
I would also point out that the internet pretty much is the future of all of this. Check out a local cable access area to see if they have classes. They shouldn't cost that much and the experience can be good. Quality might not be in hd but these days it might not matter as much.
You have to be really good looking and be a good speaker to be a newscaster.
I worked with a lady who tried to do that. She was really pretty, well spoken and friendly actually and she could not even get a shot with a small, small station as a weather lady.
Reporters and journalists I imagine would experience some lean times, but I really don't know any.
CSB is a nice idea in practice but you'll get more bang out of your buck studying communications at a community college.
I'm sure there are plenty of people who have succeeded via CSB but it's generally regarded as a joke for dreamers.
If you are just going to school at CSB and that's it with no background, you'll maybe get a job as a production director or an editor. But anyone who is on-air usually has a 4-year degree with CSB as a complement to their studies.
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