CEO For a Day / #6

WCVB is #1 for news in Boston, so I don’t see a need for too many large institutional changes to the organization. That being said, there are always ways to progress and evolve, as the field of broadcast journalism itself is constantly advancing.

I feel that the station would run more smoothly and effectively if we changed the layout of the office space. The sports department, for example, is completely isolated – upstairs in a stuffy office with no windows or neighbors. If I were CEO, I would get  all the departments (news, sports, and weather) together in the same newsroom, so that everyone would be more in sync with the overall broadcast. Not only that, but producers and reporters from different departments could bounce ideas off of each other and be inspired by one another. Expanding the newsroom to include sports and weather would create more communication and collaboration within the station.

Fresh and different perspectives are always helpful, which is why I would be intentional in bringing more diversity to the station. While I am, to some extent, talking about racial, ethnic, gender, and religious diversity, I am mostly talking about cognitive diversity (people who think differently). I believe that this would foster more creativity in the daily broadcasts, keeping us away from monotony.

As CEO, I would want to make sure that everyone from our anchors, to our producers, to our video editors is in tune with the climate of our field. That is why I would routinely bring in lecturers and speakers to push our station’s thinking. When I attended the social media lecture at the station (which was apparently a rare occurrence), I found that it prompted a lot of discussion and dialogue about how WCVB functions, and whether we were operating in accordance with our overall goals. Such discussion infuses engagement to the employees, and keeps us from getting stagnant.

While the culture at WCVB-TV is one of integrity, sincerity, and achievement, I believe that it’s possible to develop our culture even more to encourage more collaboration and creativity. As CEO, implementing these changes would be a strong priority. Of course, if I were really to become CEO, I would also probably be leaving U-M…ain’t nobody got time for CEO stuff and exams.

Reflecting on My Experience / #5

It is my hope that my internship here at WCVB has prepared me for whatever career path lies ahead. But it is a fact that my undergraduate experience at U-M prepared me for this internship. The academic demands at U-M obviously prepared me for working as a sports department intern, but my experiences outside the classroom were equally as important, if not more important. In my two years as a student manager/practice player for the Michigan Men’s Basketball team, I have developed the ability to think quickly, identify where I can help, and perform under pressure. All of those skills have proven to be useful as an intern. The nature of the jobs are also similar – there is a lot of grunt work both as a manager and as an intern. Both jobs are consistently thankless, but ultimately rewarding. And both jobs entail working under a publicly famous, high-profile boss. Functioning in these starting positions has been humbling, and has taught me several lessons that I can apply in any job going forward.

As a mere individual interacting amongst the 28,000 or so undergraduates at the University of Michigan, I have become very comfortable meeting new people. When I found myself trying to network and form new connections here at WCVB, I felt as if I had tons of practice. This is, I suppose, one of the many advantages of attending a large university.

The main component of my Michigan experience, however, is obtaining a liberal arts education. A quality liberal arts education is always valuable, but particularly in journalism. In an interview I saw with NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, he advised aspiring journalists to get a liberal arts education in order to become very knowledgeable about many different aspects of our complex world. He said that such a well-rounded education serves journalists well in that it allows them to analyze events intelligently within the scope of modern society. My curriculum at Michigan has been fairly English-heavy, which is very useful in a journalism career. Learning how to use language and words to elicit specific emotions from a targeted audience is a huge component of what journalism is all about.

Coming into this internship, I had very few expectations. I did not know what my responsibilities would be, what my supervisors would be like, or what the office environment would present to me. A few days into it, I was surprised (perhaps arrogantly) by my lack of responsibility/attention/tasks to complete. In other words, nobody seemed to care all that much about what I was up to or who I was, so I found myself with a lot of downtime, not exactly knowing how to make myself useful. I felt unnecessary and unimportant, which I was, on both accounts. But instead of sitting around doing nothing, I decided to do what I could to take responsibility for my experience. I started branching out into other departments, and finding some small ways to help out at sports. My experience at U-M helped me feel confident in both of those endeavors. Eventually, my role within the sports department grew, and my relationships with my supervisors materialized. I tried to find a balance of knowing my role and my place within the department, but also subtly pushing for more responsibility when the opportunities presented themselves.

Growing up in this generation, we have always been given directions in all of our activities (by parents, coaches, teachers, etc.). It was uncomfortable, yet valuable for me to have an experience where nobody was telling me what to do. It was an internship where what I got out of it was truly and completely dependent on what I put into it.

Changing Perspectives / #4

The media has become embedded into our everyday lives. Whether on TV, on social media, in the papers, or through advertising, the media leaves its footprints everywhere. With such power, the media is an entity that must be socially responsible. Journalistic integrity isn’t just a saying, it’s a practice that should be taken seriously. But there is a public perception of the media sensationalizing stories, allowing dishonesty, and being full of ego-maniacs.

During my four weeks at WCVB, I have been able to observe the brain-work behind news stories and how they are presented on television. I’ve found that at our station, there is a concerted effort to avoid the presentation of sensationalized content. Not only does the news team care about journalistic integrity, but they also employ a sincere, genuine love for people and their stories. After all, that’s what journalism actually deals with at its foundation. The anchors, editors, and administrative workers are (for the most part) talkative, opinionated, and energetic. Perhaps that’s part of why WCVB is #1 for news in Boston. When I first started here, I didn’t realize that we were Boston’s news leader. But knowing that now, I see a great opportunity to learn from success.

It’s not easy for reporters to stay completely honest and accurate in today’s media climate. The industry (like most others) is in the midst of a huge push towards social media. That means in addition to doing their stories, reporters are expected to be updating Twitter and Facebook constantly. And they are expected to compete for number of likes, hits, views, etc. There is a strong temptation to use buzzwords and intense language in order to get more social media hits, even though such language may not present the story in the most accurate manner. Members of the media can find themselves in a tough situation, seeking a balance of journalistic accuracy and public appeal on social media.

An addition to making new observations about the culture of the media industry, I’ve learned a lot about the actual operations of news stations. Last week, I got to watch the 11 PM news from the studio. After years of watching on TV, it was interesting to see that other than the pretty backdrop, the studio looks like a big garage. Although the viewer sees weather maps during the weather report, and highlights during the sports report, in actuality, there is just a plain old green screen behind the anchor. Also, all that playful banter between the weather guy and the news anchors is more difficult to execute than you may think. In our studio, the weather desk is about 15 yards away from the news desk. After the weather report, the anchor has to walk briskly back to the desk in order to have time for that smooth transition.

As any new intern would, I had a few doubts coming into my internship at WCVB. But after about a month of watching, learning, and thinking, I believe that I can succeed in this industry. Now that I see the pertinent skills needed for success in journalism (writing, public speaking, interest in people, communication, etc.), I feel much more confident. Other than a couple of isolated rookie mistakes, I’ve been successful with what they’ve asked me to do, and my role continues to expand as the internship moves along. I am looking forward to spending a couple more weeks at WCVB and soaking up as much experience and insight as I can.

Overcoming Obstacles / #3

As I come to the halfway point of my internship at WCVB-TV, I have a solid feel for the culture and operations at the station. I also have a firm understanding of what my individual responsibilities are, and what my role is within the sports department. This internship has a lot of downtime, but so far, I’ve been creative enough to find ways to keep busy. I realize that my supervisor is very hands-off, so I must take it upon myself to complete tasks without being asked, and find ways to make myself useful. By understanding the process of producing a sportscast, and branching out into other departments, I can figure out ways to help.

Something I know I can improve on is staying updated on the Boston Red Sox. One of my responsibilities includes logging the Red Sox games to weed out highlight-worthy material. Thus, it’s helpful to be in tune with Red Sox news, the schedule, locker-room drama, etc. Last week, the Tuesday night game between the Red Sox and the Royals got rained out, and the game got rescheduled for the following day at 2 PM. I was unaware of this change, and did not start logging the game until it was halfway over. Although I made up for it as best I could, I learned that nobody is going to tell me that I have to log the Red Sox game at whatever time. It is up to me to know the schedule, and log the games when I am at the station. Going forward, I will make sure to know the Red Sox schedule and keep up with team news. It’s as simple as signing up for Red Sox alerts on the ESPN app, which I have done.

Besides that one mishap, I have enjoyed logging the games. It is my main responsibility, and it is a major step in the process of creating highlights for the sportscasts. The highlights are selected directly from the log that I create, and then they are edited for presentation. As a game-logger, I must keep in mind the audience of our newscasts and tailor my entries towards them, look for human-interest stories in the game, and of course, keep my eyes out for the actual baseball highlights such as home runs, great fielding plays, or momentum shifters. I enjoy using my judgment and determining what is highlight-worthy. It is rewarding to see what I log actually appear in the sportscast.

The major challenge in my internship is dealing with the downtime. My supervisor is quite distant and erratic in giving me responsibilities/assignments. Although this is challenging, it gives me a chance to take responsibility for my own experience and figure out ways to contribute. I have branched out and networked with other workers at the station, while staying ready for whatever is asked of me in the sports department. Through the first half of my internship, I have learned a lot about broadcast journalism by observing, and I am continuing to find ways to contribute.

Connecting with Colleagues / #2

As an intern, I am constantly looking for opportunities to involve myself, learn, and observe. I’ve found that sometimes the mentoring comes to me, but most times, I have to seek it out. On the first day, my supervisor gave me a formal rundown of all the computer systems and terminology that they use frequently. That was pretty much the only formal teaching that I have received. Otherwise, I learn a lot by talking to my supervisor about the TV station, the culture of Boston sports, how social media influences the industry, etc.

After a couple weeks of watching Bob, my supervisor, go about his work in the sports journalism industry, I feel that he could be a great mentor for me. He is creative and open to opportunities. For example, in addition to his regular job, he has written the script for a TV sit-com about sports reporters and their day-to-day lives. He has also written several books. Bob leverages his skills in public speaking and writing quite effectively, both of which he says are vital to a career in sportscasting. Additionally, he says that the ability to use language (vocabulary, intonations in your voice, etc.) effectively is of the utmost importance. More generally speaking, to make it in journalism, Bob believes that reading, observing the world, and inquiring about people and their stories is important, because fundamentally, that’s what journalism is all about. Bob’s assistant, believe it or not, is also named Bob. When I asked him for his thoughts, he said that it’s important to learn through osmosis, particularly for me as an intern. He also said that I should constantly be asking myself what I might do differently or better as I observe the process of putting together the sportscast.

In my first two weeks, I’ve learned a lot from observing my colleagues and engaging them in informal conversation.

Initial Impressions of WCVB-TV / #1

One of the reasons I wanted to partake in an internship this summer was to immerse myself in a professional setting. In my first week, I spent a lot of time observing the environment at WCVB-TV (the ABC network) in Boston. Even at a major TV station located in a prime market, I found the office culture to be very relaxed. This was one of my first impressions as I showed up to my first day in a shirt and tie only to be told that a simple polo shirt would suffice. Obviously, the news anchors wear a shirt and tie when they deliver the program, but everyone else is mostly wearing business casual attire. I am interning in the sports department, which is, perhaps by nature, slightly more relaxed and informal than other branches of the station. There is a lot of room for socializing in the media industry (including sports) for a couple of reasons. There is a lot of down time (waiting for press conferences or media sessions to start), and part of journalism is fundamentally embedded in human interest and human interaction. The social culture is fairly loose, but there is a clear hierarchy within the sports department (and I would guess most other departments). Mike is the main talent, delivering the sportscast on most evenings. Bob (my supervisor) delivers the sportscast on other evenings, and each of them has their own assistant. I would imagine that different departments all have their own unique sub-cultures and hierarchies within the workplace. There is a strong balance between male and female workers at the station, although the sports department is all male. That being said, I noticed very little racial diversity at the station – it seemed to be almost entirely Caucasian. But in the media industry, employees aren’t confined to interacting with just the other employees. They are constantly going out and interviewing all kinds of people for all kinds of different stories. The interactions that do occur in the office, however, whether it be the cafeteria, offices, or hallways, all seemed friendly and comfortable.