Throughout the 2019 Spring semester, I spent over 20 hours a week at two different internships. WGR550 is a sports radio station that covers Buffalo sports teams, while WIVB-Channel 4 is a Buffalo TV news station where I spent time in the sports department. Going into the both the internships, I thought they would be very similar, but, in fact, they were quite different. One of the best things about doing both internships, though, is that I could take something that I learned from one and apply it to the other.
At WGR550, the first major thing I noticed about the internship was that it was structured. I was there during the Howard Simon and Jeremy White Show every Tuesday and Thursday. I started by cutting up audio segments that were recorded from their show, usually when an important phone-in interview was conducted. That first step took me some time to get good at. I had to learn how the audio editing system functioned, then how to select all of the “umms” and deep breaths from the guests’ vocabulary. I felt I really mastered this task was when I was able to tell what types of sound bites they wanted, and what stuff was not important. My favorite part was the next step, which was taking the interviews, usually Sabres head coach Phil Housley, and writing articles that they would post on their website. I got to the point where I did not have to ask to write one, but I knew to write one. Lastly, the final step for an intern is writing sports updates that summarize major headlines in Buffalo and national sports media. Overall, I feel like I was able to climb the ranks and produce work that I was proud of. I always felt like I accomplished something after leaving there.
My internship at Channel 4 was a little bit different. I wrote teasers for their later shows, helped them brush up on stats, scores, and general knowledge. I was also able to help them by holding microphones during interviews that they did in the field. My accomplishments were smaller compared to what I had done for WGR, but I everyone seemed happy, energetic, and excited to be at work while they were there. This was also the internship where I got to do some fun things, like sitting at the press box of a Sabres game and then going in the locker room for post-game interviews. I also attended the UB Bulls Spring Game, and got to meet Tyree Jackson and Anthony Johnson, who have both found homes on NFL teams.
Both experiences were equally rewarding and valuable. I feel as though my internship supervisors also valued my presence while I was there. I feel like they are great connections to have down the road, and I could not be more grateful for the time that they took to teach me things.
Recent Comments