| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Beginner Issues > Topic: breaking into broadcasting - PA or reporter route? |
Topic: breaking into broadcasting - PA or reporter route?
| Author | Message |
| keke11 | Posted – 5/10/2008 6:55:10 PM | show profile Hi! I'm looking for advice from those who have been in the broadcasting industry, particularly network television. Please help! I'm stressing out about my job route and am sorry in advance for the long post... I am a broadcast journalism student at a Big Ten school and am graduating in December. Right now I am contemplating if I should apply to production assistant or reporting jobs with graduation coming up. Here is my experience... I have written for both my campus newspaper and magazine, as well as been an on-air reporter/producer for our campus cable station. I have internship experience at a large publishing firm as well as a local television station and this summer am interning at a large network television station but will primarily be working with their radio entertainment show. In the fall i will be interning and reporting for another local tv station before graduation. The main problem is that i have found from my experience that I really hate news, i thrive on the entertainment aspect which is why I am thinking I should try to go the production assistant route and work my way up within higher network stations as opposed to moving to a tiny market and reporting on topics I have no interest in because i know viewers can see right though that. I am so passionate about entertainment and broadcasting and reporting but hate news! I'm just afraid if i work my way up from a PA i will pigeon hole myself in the production route and I won't be able to get on-air in the future. I know I have to pay my dues in the industry but the thought of spending time in a tiny town chasing fires and news stories makes me want to crings. Any help? Thanks so much, this is the only place I can get advice from people who actually know from experience. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 5/11/2008 9:57:02 PM | show profile Network exec responds ... The only original programming coming out of local stations these days (even in the largest markets) is NEWS programming. My suggestion to you is go the PA route and try to land an entry-level gig at an entertainment show. Networks generally do not hire people directly for their entertainment shows ... staffing is usually handled through the production companies. And if you really want to be on-air in an entertainment capacity, start taking voice and acting classes while you're working those PA gigs. |
| Louisewasnothalfbad | Posted – 5/12/2008 12:59:23 PM | show profile If you apply as a PA to E! or Style or TV Guide, to name a few, as a PA, you can probably show your reel around. Getting an on-camera gig at ET or as an entertainment reporter on a network news show would require that you work in smaller markets first--even as a general assignment reporter. Do you just want to interview people on the red carpet? But how do you know that you "thrive on the entertainment aspect"? Being a PA on a dramatic series isn't like news at all, and your journalism background will be useless. Looked at the web lately? Lots of people have their own shows, some good, some bad. |
| keke11 | Posted – 5/12/2008 1:02:43 PM | show profile thanks thanks so much for your advice Matt, it means a lot! |
| keke11 | Posted – 5/12/2008 1:11:23 PM | show profile Louisewasnothalfbad I know I am interested in entertainment because the network I'm interning at now revolves around music and entertainment and i just love it here, the environment and topics covered is everything I am interested in. It's unlike my other internships which were all small market and news-related. I definitely don't have the unrealistic expectations of just jumping on the red carpet after graduation. Basically, I'm just trying to figure out if I want to stay in the entertainment industry even if it's not on camera or try to spend a few years doing things I'm not too excited about (news) at the shot of being an on-air network reporter. I know it takes a lot of hard work either way. Thanks for the feedback!! |
| newsgal | Posted – 5/12/2008 5:16:17 PM | show profile It could go either way Many of the cable hosts on places like Food Network, HGTV, etc were all local news reporters before getting into cable - other hosts are actors. So it might not hurt you to try to do small market tv on-air. Get a good tape together. In smaller markets, there are plenty of opportunities to cover more feature-y stories - really show off your talents for feature when you get them (sure, you'll have to do some hard/spot news too) - or see if the local stations have PM Magazine or public affairs-y type shows that can be more featurey. I would say that's how you'd develop your tape enough to go on-air for entertainment. I would agree that experience as a PA for ET, for example, isn't going to make you qualified to be on air there. |
