week #7 At My Internship

      This week at my internship was, by far the best week.  Of course, I wrote a lot of VOSOTS, but I'm getting better at it.  As many VOSOTS as I write, (which isn't TOO MUCH) I still really enjoy writing them.  I like to write words for people to hear.  Even more than that, I would like to report news for people to hear.
      At the beginning of my internship, I was stuck on being a sports reporter.  I wanted to do that, and not much else.  But as I continue to work in this wonderful news room, I think I'm falling in love with news period.
      I went to check out the morning show twice this week.  I really like the morning show actually, I get to write teases instead of VOSOTS, which is cool to switch it up.  I also got to start on my demo tape (there's another name for it that somebody told me to call it but i can't remeber) again this week, which was good for me, because I got to hear what I sound like on tape.

Signing OUT KT

Week #6 At My Internship

       I will start by saying, that this week was probably one of the hardest weeks of my internship.  It was just really difficult.  There was a lot of stuff that I should be understanding, that I wasn't.  Stuff like that always stresses me out.  My friends tell me I think about stuff too much.  I seriously can't help that I think a lot though.  However, like I'm learning every week, you have to have thick skin in this business.  I have to try not to let everything rape my brain, to the point that I can't get over it.  Somebody actually told me at the internship that I was too nonchalant, which I was surprised to hear, but I took it in, and I'm trying to be more conscious of behaviors that could lead someone to think that I don't care.  So I'm working on it.
SIGNING OUT KT!

Week #5 At My Internship

WEEK 5 PEOPLE!!!!!

    It seems as if I just started my internship yesterday.  This past week was very interesting, I did not go out in the reporting field as much, which was by choice.  I have realized, that whenever I go out with a reporter, I usually am gone the whole day, and I don't do much writing.  As much as I love to write, I have by no means come close to perfecting the art.  So I know that I need a whole lot of practice.   This past week, I was writing a VO SOT (I don't remember if I ever told you guys, but a that stands for Voice Over and Sound On Tape) anywho, I was writing one in particular, and after I finished it, I turned it in to the producer that asked me to do it.  Well she asked me to change it up, and that it was way too long, and that I needed to shorten it, but still add some more info.  Well usually when I turn a VO SOT in, I need to make some changes to it.  Well this particular one, I seriously think I changed it like 10 times.  However I appreciated that producer sending me back to do it again, and being very patient with me.  Things like this, I know will help me in the long run.
    This week we also had a training group come in and show us how to use iphones, and laptops on the fields.  We learned how to stream video and how to post it on the web and stuff.  This is the direction that newsrooms are going in.  People want news as quick as possible, and that is our job as reporters and producers...

Signing Out, KT

Week #4 At My Internship

This week was a very tiring week for me.  I forgot to mention that while I am doing this internship, i am working two jobs.  I am a lifeguard at the YMCA, and I also lifeguard at a summer camp.  I honestly am enjoying everything that I am doing this summer.  The only negative thing is, that I tend to spread myself thin at times.  This past week, I would wake up, go to work at camp, then go home, change my clothes and go to my internship at WAPT.
However this past week was also very interesting.  Jackson was under a small water crisis.  This of course made for some very interesting news.  I got to take a couple of pictures, where the water leek was.  My mom told me one of them was on the news, and it had my name in the corner of it.
Also, just like all the other weeks i wrote vo-sots.  I actually enjoy writing, i can't stress that enough.  I especially like to write about my opinion on things.  I want people to here me, and I want to be someone worth listening to...
Signing OUT KT...

Week #3 At My Internship

     So I knocked out week three of my internship, and for the most part it was great.  I wrote some more VO SOTs and I wrote a package.  I think I'm getting the hang of writing VO SOTs.  I honestly would rather stay at the station and write VO SOTs rather go out with the reporters.  However, I like going out with the reporters, I guess since I'm learning how to write VO SOTs its keeping me interested.  It seems like this week I was confronted a lot with the question, "what do you want to do?"  Honestly before my internship I never minded that question, and I would answer confidently, quickly and realistically.  I knew that I wanted to be a sports reporter and eventually be working at ESPN.  However know, when I see all of the jobs, I'm not sure if thats all I want to be.  

      When I am at the station writing and doing various other task, I am constantly around producers, and their job looks so cool to me.  It doesn't look easy by no means, it actually looks really hard, but that's an option I might want to look into.  I also look at the camera man, and I see him doing his thing, and it looks so stress free, but very necessary.  I have always known though that wanted to know how to do everything in the news room.  Like I said last week, mass communications is a very competitive field, and they want the most competent people for the job, because everything you do doesn't just reflect on you, it reflects on somebody else to...

Signing out KT

Week #2 At My Internship

     So I finished week two of my internship, and it went a whole lot better than I expected.  I assumed as the week began, that I would be doing nothing more than listening to police radio, entering in stories on ENPS, or casually going out with reporters every now and then.  However, little did I know, that this week would be the beginning of many opportunities.  On monday in our morning meeting where we give news ideas, I suggested that we do a story on the City of Jackson lifeguards.  I was surprised and elated when my supervisor loved my story suggestion.  From that point on he has expected me to have a story idea every meeting, which is to be expected.  I am learning how competitive this business is.  I knew that it was competitive, but I am realizing that one has to have a lot of drive and ambition if they are to be successful.
     Also this past week I got an opportunity to go out and do a story on the drilling at the reservoir, and was able to interview people.  I also was able to go to a JPS elementary school and interview the principal, and a summer feeding program that they had for the children.  Picture Man and I did the story together.  He suggested that I start doing some work in front of the camera.  I was a little hesitant, but my hesitation quickly went away when he turned the camera on and told me to speak.  Of course I didn't get it right on the first take, or the second, third, or fourth, but I did catch on.  It became just as fun as I imagined it would be.
      Some of my personal reservations about reporting that I have had have been about my voice.  I have heard a lot of pros, and quite a few cons about how my voice will come across as a reporter.  I remember the first time I heard a recording of myself, and I actually cringed.  I couldn't believe that I sounded like that person.  But I did, and I have learned that my voice is a part of me.  Nobody else sounds like me.  I have learned that all I can do is perfect my diction, and allow my voice and my personality to show through my reporting.  Confidence is the key to any venture that one does.  If you are confident people will know...
Signing OUT KT

Week #1 At My Internship

WEEK 1  May 31st-June 5th


     The night before my first day of my internship I had all of these questions/anticipations dancing around in my head.  I was wondering how soon would they let me interview someone, or would they let me help do some investigative reporting.  Its really kind of funny how anxious I was.  
    My first day at WAPT, I walked to the wrong door.  My supervisor actually was pulling up as he saw me going to the wrong door.  He quickly guided me to the right door, and introduced me to the crew that was working.  The first task that they gave me was to sit and listen to the police radio, for anything that sounded interesting.  After about 5 min. of sitting and listening to the radio, the news anchor/reporter asked me if I would like to ride with her as she went to report at a ground breaking ceremony on Hwy. 80. Of course I jumped at the opportunity.  The hours that I worked that day were very enlightening.  The most that I learned from her  that day was how it is beneficial to get to know, and the talk to the people you plan on interviewing before hand.
     The rest of the week, I continued to listen to the radio, and go out and shadow other reports.


Signing OUT KT