Re: Competitive Edge
Being news
AND program director at one of the state's oldest and historic radio stations [albeit, a 1k watt AM station] in the 169 market is better than being a board op. It is also better than being an editor for a 5,000 circ weekly paper.
Schooling is great. Some J-schools are respectable. Others aren't. We had a revolving door at CNC of J-school students from Emerson who had no clue how to write a story and didn't know anything about the real world. In addition, had no street instincts, didn't know how to research a story, didn't know that you could connect elected officials with their interests via campaign finance reports, etc.
That was my larger point: The guy is a board op. He wants to work in the journalism field. Well, he can spend $60k getting a J-degree and maybe not get a job, or, he can go out, work in the field, wear out some shoe leather, and get a job that way. I would say that my experience - and the experience of a slew of people I know in the business - is the way to go.
Lastly, I will send you to this link - about the terrible state of the newspaper business - something we all know about in radio.
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=14253577&postID=113232415214224430
"I can speak to the college prof comment. I recently got my MA in journalism (after getting a nondescript liberal arts BA and milling about for a few years). I did everything you’re supposed to while in school (internship at the Sun, finagling a gig with the AP at convention time, the whole nine yards.) For six months I’d sent resumes and clips to at least 30 different papers between Lawrence and D.C.
Only two offered me an interview. I took the offer a local weekly gave me because I needed the experience and it seemed like a good idea at the time. After 6 months of making less per week than I was spending on rent and gasoline, it didn’t seem like such a good idea."
Why go into debt $60k to get into this type of job market? Get out and do it!
> Well, like all fields, journalism is ultimately a
> performance biz. Education just prepares a person for the
> opportunity to perform.
>
> You seem to feel satisfied that being an ND at a 1-kw AM in
> market #169 is where you want to be, professionally. (I
> know, it's beautiful there). You must realize that there are
> others who wouldn't be satisfied with that.
>
> Would an MA in Journ from UMass have helped you more than no
> degree from Harvard? Maybe. Would an MA from Syracuse or
> Columbia or Northwestern--well respected journ schools--have
> helped even more? Maybe.
>
> Yeah, you've gotta have talent. And you've gotta work your
> ass off. But that goes for any business. But young people
> shouldn't handicap themselves. The more education, the
> better. Like I said, a BA today equals yesterday's high
> school diploma.
>
>
> > I would disagree slightly.
> >
> > The ability to investigate, do hard work, and break big -
> > and accurate - stories, is the only thing you need to get
> > into the journalism business.
> >
> > I'm a perfect example. I've worked in a number of fields
> and
> > never finished college [I went to Harvard at night but
> never
> > finished]. But, I kept writing columns, working hard,
> > volunteering in radio, and it all led to a bunch of
> > different jobs in media after board oping.
> >
> > If took me a few years, but I worked my way from being a
> > freelancer, to a full-time print reporter, and later
> editor,
> > for Herald Media before moving back to New Hampshire last
> > year. I was then hired as a news reporter and later, news
> > director. I'm now the program director at WKXL 1450.
> >
> > Since you already have the degree, the key is to find
> > someone who will let you in. Newspapers are always looking
>
> > for inexpensive freelancers who are interested in covering
> a
> > variety of subjects which their full-timers won't - or
> > aren't able - to cover.
> >
> > If you have your heart set on doing radio journalism, find
> a
> > radio station and offer to work part-time for its morning
> > show gathering news or something else. There are always
> > stations looking for part-time folks willing to do work.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Best,
Anthony Schinella
Program Director/News/A&E
WKXL 1450 AM/Concord, NH
http://www.wkxl1450.com
http://politizine.blogspot.com</P>
