RTV Students Learn the Ropes First Hand Through Fox 21 Internship

CONTACT: JOHN WOODSON, EXT. 1313

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9/12/2003
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- The single best way to land a job in the highly competitive radio and television business is by making contacts with potential employers in the job market, says John Woodson, who leads Tri-County Technical College's Radio and Television (RTV) Broadcasting program.

"If you can get your foot in the door, you have a chance to impress your future employers," said Woodson who, himself, began his radio career at WRIX Radio while a student at Tri-County.

It's that real world experience gained through internships that gives you invaluable work experience and often leads to full-time employment following graduation, said Woodson, a 1985 graduate of the College's RTV department.

Five of his second-year students are learning the ropes first hand in the studio and having the time of their lives working as interns for the new Fox Carolina's Friday Night Blitz show on Fox 21. This new sports-only show airs from 10:45 – 11:30 p.m. and gives comprehensive coverage of Friday night high school football in the Upstate.

Students are responsible for manning the telephones and recording scores, running tapes to the control room and running shot sheets (an outline for the show, which includes camera shots) to the production room.

"This is a resume-building experience that's worth just as much as any class," said Woodson.

Exactly, said Bernard Reid, photographer and weekend editor at Fox 21, who contacted Woodson about the internship opportunity. "They see how a newsroom is run in a pressure situation. This is a great learning tool - I know because I've done it myself," said Reid, who worked internships at Carolina Fox and WYFF-TV when he was a student at Tri-County.

Jerry Phelan, a Navy retiree from Piedmont who entered the curriculum to train for a second career, says the Friday night show is a compliment to their hands-on work on campus.

"It's a real treat to be able to go in and watch a show being produced live," said Stacey Gullatt, of Liberty. "It's fast paced and high pressure." Stacy listens to four scanners, searches the Internet for updated scores and takes calls and feeds scores to others. "You have to be accurate and be able to multi-task. Making sure the information is correct is mandatory."

Mitchell Childs, of Easley, also works answering phones but also has pitched in at the control room by taking shot sheets to anchors during the breaks. "I'm getting a working knowledge of how a newsroom operates during its busiest hours," he said.

"I love it," said Louise "Peaches" Williams, of Belton, who also records her share of last-minute scores. She wants to pursue a career as a photographer and chose Tri-County because the RTV department covers, radio, TV production and her interest, photography.

There is no college credit or pay for the work, but real-world experience far outweighs a paycheck for the students, says Woodson.

Mitchell agrees. In fact, he quit his paying job to get this internship experience. "No question -- I made the right decision," he said.

"The students have done a really fine job," said Reid. "They help us out a great deal, and I encourage students to participate in these internships. It's tough and there are time sacrifices, but it works out in the long run."

The feeling is mutual, said Phelan. "Fox 21 is a great crew. They bend over backwards to accommodate us," said Phelan, who has worked as an extra in several movies (Ritchie Rich, Cobb, Remember the Titans and Eddie).

"Students also are learning the urgency and importance of accuracy," said Sheila Harbin, a 1994 RTV alumna who now teaches part-time for the department. Like Reid, she agrees that an internship often leads to a full-time job. "My job at WYFF after graduation was a direct result of my internship there, said Harbin, who worked there as for seven years. Today, in addition to teaching, she works as freelance video producer.

During my internship. I learned to do whatever needed to be done," she recalled. "And I learned the importance of accuracy and speed in production work," Harbin added.

Reid said there are days when the pressure is on and deadlines are tight. Then there are slow news days when he seized the opportunity "to tag along with the guys to gain additional skills. It paid off, he said, in the form of a full-time position at FOX.

Woodson said a two-year degree is the perfect intro to a job in radio and TV today because of the technical skills and writing/editing stressed in the curriculum. "They can hit the ground running and do the job at any media outlet," he said. He stressed the job market for graduates expands outside the radio and TV arena to include industry, Internet broadcast services and teaching."

"Most of the news outlets know Tri-County and value our students because they go in prepared," said Woodson.

"It's a competitive market," said Harbin, "and there is always something new to learn." Even for the department head, said Woodson, who spent the summer at WYFF working an internship himself.

Placing students in related jobs is common in the RTV department, he added. "RTV jobs don't fall into your lap. They are specialty jobs, and we find the job that works for both parties."
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