Fall 2007 Semester Wrap Up, Plus a Job Opportunity!

Well, a whole semester has passed since I last blogged, and it pretty much seems like a blur right now. I was so busy with my full schedule of classes which included my cluster class and an upper-level French class. But more importantly, I was even busier dazzling in elements of radio news all semester in BC 311. We even got to visit KDKA Radio, the heart of it all, on a field trip.

I was able to build on my skills as radio news producer, which ended up really helping me toward the end of the semester when one of my broadcasting professors, Dr. Barner, suggested I apply for a part-time position at Newsradio 1200 AM WKST in New Castle, Pa., currently owned by Forever Broadcasting. After sending a copy of one of my better newscasts on Titan Radio, the PD and morning show host, Ken Hlevboy, e-mailed me back saying he was impressed and wanted me to come in for an interview. Soon after, in November of 2007, I officially started working at the station, mostly on the weekends.

My job includes the following duties: producing, writing, and anchoring radio newscasts on the weekend, sometimes filling in for the news director during the week, and running the audio board for the local high school sports games and the ethnic weekend shows! Although the semester is over, I will be working there a little over break and working more again when I get back for the spring semester!

A Typical Intern Duty? Not Really...

Just to follow up from where I left off...I did get to fill in the next day for my boss Greg, the morning show producer (many may know him as the "treadmill guy"). Anyways, my responsibility was mostly to answer the phones and talk to the listeners, but I had another duty my second day on the job. It was my responsibility to get coffee for the morning show. OK, so I bet you are thinking typical intern duty...but that wasn't really the case. Before I went to work, I ran to Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and McDonald's to buy a regular coffee from each place. Len, Brooke, and Mark decided they would do a coffee taste on the morning show that day to try and determine which coffee was the best, or at least, which they thought most people would choose as their favorite. Apparently, the crew had gotten into a debate over which coffee was the best with the work-day DJ Gina Hart, who said she would only drink Starbucks coffee.

So, when I got back to the office, I poured a small amount of each coffee into a three separate cups. Then, we also added the office's coffee to the mix. I labeled each type of coffee with a number, but only I knew the results. After some discussion between the hosts and the listeners, Len, Brooke, and Mark decided that the McDonald's coffee was the best overall. Then, they brought me into the conversation, and I got to reveal the results on-air and then talk a little more with the hosts live. This was definitely a way to turn a typical intern duty into something exciting, fun, and beneficial. Plus, this was probably one of the most exciting moments during my internship experience. I was very grateful for the opportunities I was given at the Fish radio station and for the new people I met and got to work with on a daily basis. If you're interested in interning at the Fish radio station in Cleveland, check out this link: A Super Great Experience!

Wakin' Up with Len and Brooke...95.5 the Fish!!

Last week, I had a really great opportunity...I got to shadow the Fish morning show crew!! A week or two before, Len had said I could come sit in during the morning show, but that I should wait until Brooke got back from vacation.

On Wed. July 25, I got up EXTRA early; it was still dark as I was driving to the office. The experience was just amazing. The morning show runs three hours from 6:00-9:00 a.m., featuring Len Howser, Brooke Taylor, and Mark Rein. Len normally opens up most of the breaks, and Brooke adds to what he says. Len also runs the contests while Brooke updates listeners with the Scoop and offers her own tips and advice. In addition, Mark Rein, the news director, brings you Info to Go every 15 minutes! Mark also runs the audio board and the 360, while my boss Greg and Len usually answer the phones.

I had a great time, although I was caught off guard when Len brought me into the conversation on-air...I ran up to Greg's microphone to answer the question, so I was on-air for like five seconds!! And shadowing the morning show definitely paid off...tomorrow, I get to shadow the Fish morning show again...and fill in for Greg as morning show producer!!!!!!!!!! :) Check out this link to find out more about the Fish morning show!! Wakin' up with Len and Brooke...