Senior Mass Communication major Sydney Young interned with WKRG, the CBS affiliate in Mobile, Alabama, during the summer. Read her first-hand account of the experience below:
An internship is a huge opportunity for everyone, no matter what career they are going into. This summer I had the honor of interning with WKRG News 5 in Mobile, Alabama.
My time at WKRG was amazing. During my internship I was able to write stories for the website, write for the newscasts, and learn from so many people in this field. I was able to learn to edit video for stories and improve my skills as an anchor, reporter and producer.
My expectations going into this experience were to better my skills on all platforms and make connections. Working with so many people from anchors and reporters to producers and photojournalists, I was able to exceed my expectations and grow as a journalist.
Writing articles for the website helped me get better at article writing. Intro to Mass Media Writing definitely prepared me for this because I already had a solid foundation of the basics.
Working with the producers and getting to write for shows helped me get better at broadcast writing. Even though I have written for many Vallo Vision News shows, getting more practice has made me better, so when I write for more shows, there will be fewer mistakes.
I also learned how to write for different anchors and how to write stories quickly and precisely when short on time.
When working with the reporters I was able to learn so much, since I have had no experience in this field yet. I learned how to shoot my own video, edit packages and write scripts.
I was able to work on a project to grow my skills. My project was a package about a gardening program that teaches young people how to garden. The hope of the program is to keep them out of trouble. The program also teaches them different life skills.
Fortunately, I did not run into any major problems during my internship. The only problem I encountered was deciding who to work with each week. Luckily, I was able to fix this problem very easily.
WKRG’s mission is “To provide weather, sports and news on all platforms: TV, website and digital, to all viewers and readers. So, the audience can make decisions to keep their families and selves safe and happy.” The project that I worked on met this mission.
As a senior, my decision on what I want to do is approaching quickly. Before starting my internship, my career goals were to become a producer, maybe do some on-air work, and eventually become an executive producer.
Now that I have spent time learning from people in every field, I have realized that I want to become a reporter and then an anchor.
I was able to work with one of the anchors, Devon Walsh, and learn what all her job entails.
Devon and I were able to talk about a career path for me, talking about what my first job should be, where would be the best place for me to start out, and how hard I will have to work to make it into an anchor position.
I was able to record myself in the studio and practice my anchoring skills. The anchors gave me advice on how to better connect with the audience, be confident in my stories and to practice as much as I can.
One of the main reasons to do an internship is to grow professionally. This helped me grow by teaching me how things run in a newsroom, how to stay calm under pressure and how to work with many people.
Since everyone has the same goal, to bring accurate news to the community, we all have to communicate so that the show can run smoothly.
The WKRG newsroom showed me a key component to team success is getting everyone on the same page heading in the same direction. Part of that involves the daily newsroom bonding that brings the team together and boosts morale.
From lively food conversations and monthly potlucks to newsroom polls and funny nicknames, I learned it is okay to have fun in the workplace, as long as it does not interfere with work.
One of the friendships I cherish is with Assistant News Director, Neil Costes. Neil was super helpful, kept my spirits up if I was getting frustrated and made the newsroom fun.
My experience at WKRG is something I would not trade for anything. If I was given the opportunity to come back or do it all again, I would. I am excited to see what future internships bring me, what the future holds for me and how this internship has shaped my knowledge and career path.
Vallo Vision News 