Work as reporter at around market 105 station while in college?

[kreporter]

Right now I'm a rising second year college student doing an internship at a news station in a market in the 40's. I've been making fairly good packages, and get better and better with each one I produce. I've been going out everyday with another intern, and shooting stand-ups to put into a montage.
The school I attend is in a market from 100-110. Is it possible to land an reporting job at one of the stations when I'm a junior or senior. Of course this is still two years away, so I'm wondering what I should do to try and accomplish this. I'm wondering if I should try and get an internship at one of the stations, and make a good relationship with the news director.
What should I work on, and what would be the best way to land a job at that kind of station while still in college. Thanks!

[MyracleMan]

Work on getting a degree in another field. It'll serve you better in the long run when you decide you actually want a life.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

It can never hurt to ask. Apply for an internship there. Email the ND and ask(you may not get a reply, but who knows until you try)
Now-a-days, there really isn't a rule of thumb as far as experience goes. Larger markets hire younger crowds.
Just be prepared...if you can't pull your wieght in a larger market, you'll get canned quick. There is a little more tolerance for the learning curve in smaller venues.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

My daughter finished college in a similar-sized market. She worked about 30 hours a week in production and ran a camera and the audio board. She also helped out the news producers during down time and learned some Avid from the editors. It was great experience and she was getting paid to work in her career path.

So, I think it is a great idea. You may or may not be ready to be a reporter in that size market. That is not for you or I to decide. If it happens that is great. But, if you get turned down consider setting you sights lower, get in the door and obtain television station experience at another level. You will see and learn far more as a paid employee than you ever will as an intern.

BTW: It was that experience that led her away from television and into a more lucrative area of business. My plan worked like a charm.

[newz2me]

Let me guess. You're at ECU?

[TAFKA wacowx]

rising second year college student? WTF?

Seriously, there has been some good advice here, but THE BEST advice was joked about: Persue an alternative degree either in addition to what I am assuming is your journalism degree or replacing it. You can easily get a reporting job with the experience you have already (from internships) with another major. Yes, people can and DO get TV jobs without J-degrees.

I don't want to be captain doom and gloom, but I think you will be SO glad several years hence, when you realize that you have a degree that can help you to transition to another field. You still have time to persue that with 2 years to go. Be smart, sure you MAY end up being in TV for 20 years, but it's really not very likely and you are going to be in a much better position if you plan ahead now. If I had to guess, I would say the average length of a TV career, graduating, let's say within the last 10 years, is 5-7 years.

[Spike]

rising second year college student? WTF?

You've never heard that term?

It means she's in between. She's not a first year student because she finished. But she's also not really a second year student yet. That makes her a rising sophomore.

[kreporter]

FYI.....I'm a double major in Piano Performance. I already graduated from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Piano Performance, and I'm getting another degree while I'm doing broadcast journalism.

[TAFKA wacowx]

You've never heard that term?

It means she's in between. She's not a first year student because she finished. But she's also not really a second year student yet. That makes her a rising sophomore.

New to me.

And good to hear that you have piano performance to fall back on. The musician's union can get you some good jobs to help pay the bills in your first couple of markets!

[The Mockingbird]

I was a junior in college when I got my first producing job, and it was about that market size. There is nothing funnier than having an instructor who last worked in a newsroom in the 70's tell you how news is made when you're going to produce the 6pm after the class.

[Clever Login Name]

Well, I'm sure there are SOME things that are funnier. Not Dyckerson, of course, but something.

[The Mockingbird]

It's possible that the crushing boredom of journalism classes might possibly contribute to lowered standards of what is teh funny.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

Well, I'm sure there are SOME things that are funnier. Not Dyckerson, of course, but something.

I've seen some of your "jokes." You're in no position to be judging my humor.

[Spike]

You're in no position to be judging my humor.

What humor?

[News Is Broken]

FYI.....I'm a double major in Piano Performance. I already graduated from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Piano Performance, and I'm getting another degree while I'm doing broadcast journalism.

Well good for you. I'm certain there are fortune 500 CEO's all over the world saying "damn economy, destroying our company and gobbling up our profits... if only we had a concert pianist on staff, then we could finally do something about it."

[Rambunctious]

Piano, Journalism... throw in a little politics and I think we have found Mark Russell's replacement.

http://www.fredopera.org/home/files/images/mark%20russell%202_0.preview.jpg

[MyracleMan]

And I say again...

Work on getting a degree in another field. It'll serve you better in the long run when you decide you actually want a life.

After 9 years, the end is in sight for me, and what am I doing? Going back to school to get another degree that will allow me to do something else. A J-degree doesn't mean crap, neither does a Communications degree.

[Roy Hobbs]

And I say again...



After 9 years, the end is in sight for me, and what am I doing? Going back to school to get another degree that will allow me to do something else. A J-degree doesn't mean crap, neither does a Communications degree.

Good thing my degree is in American Studies. D'Oh!

http://blog.collegetonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/notre-dame-dm.jpg

Does anyone know an American I can study? The rent money is due by the 5th!