TV Station Intern

TV Station Intern

TV123

State of, NY

Male, 15

My career started in 8th grade when I got involved with a school TV news show. I now work on local news shows in the studio and I also record local public events so they can be shown on TV. I've been a director, teleprompter tech, switcher tech, graphic editor, and more.

What I love about live TV is the teamwork, responsibility, intensity, and communication that it requires, more than the artistic part.

I know more about behind the scenes stuff than TV talent stuff, but ask me anything!

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18 Questions

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Last Answer on August 26, 2014

Best Rated

Do they make you go on menial errands like coffee runs or picking up dry cleaning?

Asked by Carriszs over 10 years ago

In my case, no. Maybe at big stations where the paid professionals are doing the real work.

But at my station it is mostly part-time and volunteer. The staff relies on interns to do actual work. Also, all except for one is public so it's 80% for TV education partnered with the school district. So the whole point is for teens to do real work.

Hope this helped. (By the way can everyone try to ask questions about TV production and less about the internship itself. I don't mind these but I'd prefer questions about production in general. Thanks!)

Are TV people like nerds or something? No offense but they seem like nerds.

Asked by Jsn over 10 years ago

To be honest, yeah a lot of TV people are nerdy, quirky, weird, or a combination.

But those are a specific type of TV people. I'm assuming you mean artsy, geeky, etc.

As I said in my bio, everything I like about TV can be found somewhere else, in some other activity. I don't love visual arts. What I like about TV is the teamwork, responsibility, and--to be honest--pushing buttons.

There, I said it! But really, I love the intensity involved with putting together a TV news show. I think a lot of people would if they had the chance. So those "nerds" you mentioned, I agree they exist, but that is not everyone.

Hope this cleared some stuff up!

What is more exciting: Doing a show in a studio, or filming an outside event?

Asked by Jon over 10 years ago

Hey Jon,

Thanks for asking that question, as it allows me to explain what the difference is between in-studio and out-of-studio productions.

When we do a show in the studio, we have all the equipment set up. Most of the planning is script writing (not need for most out-of-studio shoots) and rehearsals.

When we film an event somewhere else, there are different things that we have to do. We don't have to have a script or telepromter set up. But other than that, it is much more complicated to set up than an in-studio show:

We need to set up all the cameras and mics. Then we put down wires to connect them to the "production unit." The "production unit" is whatever we are using to control the filming. We use it to select which camera shot will go on, which mics will be on, etc. This is our temporary studio.

If we are at an indoor place, we can set up a portable studio in a room. That would be the production unit.

If we are outdoors, we might use our TV truck. It has the ability to take in camera feeds, mics, etc. Inside the truck we can control the filming.

So out-of-studio shoots are usually more exciting.

Hope this helped!

Has interning there made you more or less likely to pursue a career in TV news, and why? Thanks!

Asked by lAURA over 10 years ago

Hi there. Working part time at a TV station has been very cool. But it has actually showed me that it is not something I'd do as a career.

Something unique about me: I can never settle on one career that I want to pursue. And of the many things that I have considered, TV would not fufill me enough for it to be a full-time job.

But I plan on doing TV part-time for as long as I can. It really is a cool thing.

I hope this answers your question!

Hey Ryan you didn't tell me you made a Q&A! (Harrison told me lol.) Anyway congrats. (BTW Brigs says he needs us every day on finals week.) Peace.

Asked by Lev over 10 years ago

Hey you know you didn't tell me who you were. Lol of course its Matt. Yeah I didn't want you to tell Brigs because he'd make sure whatever I said was perfect. Anyway I got the email from him. Hopefully we can find more people and that way we can rotate days.

Why do Finals have to be the same week as the PATV marathon!!!

But seriously 80% of PATV is HS kids. That was just awful planning.

See ya Monday Matt.

(And BTW you could have called)

Good for you for interning at such a young age – I hope to god my kids are this industrious when they're in high school! Do you plan on looking into college programs in TV/production? Do you see yourself working in TV as an adult? (Best of luck!)

Asked by Ms Bliss over 10 years ago

Hey there! Thanks so much for your comments. I partially answered this in another question, but don't worry about it. I'll explain again:

Some of the kids (and adults) I work with have a true passion for TV Production. I love it too, but it's in a different way. What I like about what I do is the teamwork, pressure, and responsibility that I get to experience at a young age. Of course, those things can be found in (some) other places, too. It just so happened that this program existed in my community. But if another place had, for example, a maritime program that involved learning how to operate a ship (just because I wish that existed), then that would also do the same things for me. I would get to experience teamwork and real life pressure.

So the short answer: no. I would not seriously consider college programs and/or becoming a professional. There are just so many other things that I'm interested in more. But doing it in high school is a great experience, and I plan on continuing until I graduate.

Hope this answered your question!

What happens when the teleprompter stops working? (Or has that never happened before?)

Asked by AA over 10 years ago

Hey there. Yes the telepromter has stopped working before. The anchors always have paper scripts ready, plus a script on a computer monitor at the bigger station.

As for everyone else, there are a few steps that will be taken: The first priority is making sure that the anchor is still reading. Then, if this is okay, there are a few things that have to be done to fix it. The computer from which the telepromter works will be checked out, as well as the box that connects to the computer, and the telepromter itself will be checked whenever possible (as it is mounted on the camera.)

If it gets fixed (only if), the anchor will switch back to reading from the teleprompter.

Chances are, a battery was out, a cable got unplugged, etc.