Lack of Live Shot Experience

[OnAirTalent]

Is it possible to crack the top 100 if you don't have a lot of live shot/breaking news experience? This is my first reporter (one man band) job and I am in a market in the 110s and have been one man banding here now 8 months. I'm anxious to AT LEAST be on my way out of here/have some job offers by the time I come up on a year. But the problem is my 110ish station feels more like a 210ish station. It's a small town with only about 35,000 people, so there's usually nothing going on here to cover. Also, we are the only station in town, and I think the fact that we have no direct competition really hurts our station; we never do any live shots or live studio intros and tags and I fear my resume tape will suffer because of that. One of my mentors in a top 40 market told me that would all that being said, it is possible for me to get out of here in a year to a year and a half, but says it will be hard to crack the top 100 without a lot of live experience and breaking news experience, and says although I'm looking at moving up in market size, I may have to go back about 10 or 15 markets to get the experience I need to get well into the top 100. Is it possible that if my standups and PKGs are really good, that an ND in the top 100 will see I have potential, understand that I come from a small station that doesn't do live shots and give me a chance anyway? Or is my friend from the top 40 market right?

[Mr G]

it's not about the market number, it's about the station and the product.

and to answer your question: yes, you can get to a bigger market with no live experience. you'll becompeting against others with no experience at all. just work to get something live, anchor a cut-in, intro a pakage onset or from the keywall, anything. if all else fails, do your next pak as a "look live" with standup open and close. I hate this, but when we can't go live here in a top 20(geography, weather, ect.) we still shoot them.

[2:30]

If you're cute, perky and work cheap you can go anywhere.

[Spike]

You can always become a VJ. I hear VJs are getting hired in top markets at unbelievable income levels.

[upandown]

Sure.
In the top 100, they'll take almost anyone assuming they have potential.

[ June 07, 2007, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: upandown ]

[dlr2133]

I got into Market 98 right out of college, with no experience, so I think that the answer is yes- you can break 100. Obviously the more experience you have - the better off you're going to be. But be motivated, positive and convince your interviewer that you have what it takes to do the job they're hiring for. I think you'll do fine.

[news rookie]

Originally posted by Spike:
You can always become a VJ. I hear VJs are getting hired in top markets at unbelievable income levels.unbelievably [LOW] income levels.