A Career In Broadcast Communications Essay Research

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A Career in Broadcast Communications The exciting world of broadcasting can sometimes be a hard place to get a job. There are many different parts to play in a radio or television production, so one must have the right kind of education and experiences to succeed. Depending on which field one chooses to go into, radio or television, and furthermore what part he plays in the production of the program, he must builds his lifestyle and schedule around that program or show. Depending on what kind of a job he takes, the person interested in this field, might have perfect hours, very few hours, or he could even choose his own hours. As a Christian, he can use his profession as an outlet to tell others about Christ and to simply live the life of a Christian. When the interested person decides to enter the field of Radio or Television, he or she must take a close look at what type of job inside that field that they would like to do. There is a wide range of different jobs, ranging from director, stage manger, scriptwriter, or even something like a camera operator or a salesperson. Persons considering a career in broadcasting should first understand that most of the job opportunities are for not for on-air personalities. (Morgan 1) In fact, some of the largest number of entry-level jobs in radio and television are in the sales and marketing division. After the decision has been made of which part of the production the prospective person will play, it is important to know what kind of requirements the perspective person will have to meet in order to be qualified. For instance, in television, a producer usually has a college degree in either broadcast journalism, education, fine arts or even business. As far as experience goes, it is recommended that this person has a wide variety of experiences in every aspect of television. Some character traits of a producer would be a team player, a good communicator, and an example under pressure. (Hollingsworth 17) In the technical field of broadcasting, either in radio or television, experience is the key to landing the specific job of choice. It is strongly recommended that while a student studies for a college degree, that he intern at a small station in the area. As an intern, he will most likely do a number of various jobs, in the following three different categories: one may work as an engineer, develop his program-talents, and gain experience in sales-administration. It is to his advantage to know something about every part of a production, because he cant ever know when an opportunity will become available for him. (Haeberle 5) When he has finally chosen what specific job that he wants to do, there is a wide range of salaries. For instance, in 1992, as a marketing director for a radio station, you would be making on average $26,900 a year. However, as a director of a television studio, according to 1991 statistics, you would be making in the $44,000 range.As far as the hours that a prospective employee would work, that would also depend on the specific type of job that he had. For example, when Rodger Skibenes, who is a newscaster in New York, was asked what a typical day of his life is, he said this: I leave for work at 2:30 in the morning, and I m in the studio by 3:15 A.M. (my hours have always been crazy, and you don t get off on most holidays) With my cup of coffee, I have a conference with the overnight editor to find out what s been happening and what s the latest check to see what s been left by the local reporters for morning use. I find out what s been sent to all the other ABC affiliates over a closed circuit from all over the world. Then I go through the news to see what news to report, depending on what s hot that day. After that, I go through the wire copy that s been received in the newsroom by the various wire services. I then write up the stories that I ve decided to use. I generally write the 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, and 10:00 a.m. newscasts. There are always new developments in a city like New York. Of coarse, if there is a lot of news, you have to decide which items to omit. There are certain things that the public must know, and other things they might want to know. (Bradley 6)

As Mr. Skibenes answer shows, sometimes things can be very different form a regular 9 to 5 job. Broadcasting in both radio and television can have its rewards. Besides having the satisfaction of being able to be a part of possibly sharing news with others, or various issues, as described before, it can be financially rewarding. For example, lets take the average collage student that we will call John Doe. John obtains a college degree and started in a show doing bookings and promotions. Fifteen years later, he is a tour production manager for a national entertainment act and earns more than $250,000 a year, with excellent benefits. Also, in the middle of a career, if he decides to change to something different, he could become very good at public relations work. (Bradley 8) It is interesting to see a television station or a radio station in action. Some times during the day are completely different than other parts. For example, in a television station, if there was the 11 o clock nightly news being taped, then there would be a lot of people working and the atmosphere would be different than if some pre-programmed show was on-air. Public television stations, as well as public radio stations are wonderful ways of reaching the general public. If the person who is drawn into one of the two, radio or television, is a Christian, he or she could witness to a large amount of people that otherwise would not hear about God. He or she might not necessarily even have to have a Christian program, but if you have clean themes, and opinionate through your Christian worldview, you can be a witness to a large amount of people, and maybe even save their lives. A career in broadcast communications is a very broad field and in order to succeed a student should narrow down exactly what he or she wants to do in that field, and study and internship for that specific thing. This sort of career can be very rewarding both financially and in his or her personal life, but can also be very demanding. Finally, a Christian that is in the field of Broadcast communications can greatly effect his or her audience by simple things.

Hollingsworth, T. R. Tune In To A Television Career. New York: Julian Messner, 1984. Haeberle, Billi. Radio and Television. Minneapolis: Dillon Press, 1974. Morgan, Bradley J, ed. Radio and Television. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1993. Martin, James. The Wired Society: A Challenge For Tomorrow. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-hall, 1978. Powers, Ron. The News-Casters: The News Business As Show Business. New York: St. Martin s Press, 1977. Skornia, Harry J, ed. Problems and Controversies in Television and Radio. Palo Alto: Pacific Books, 1968. Thesis statement: The exciting world of broadcasting can sometimes be a hard place to get into. There are many different parts to play in a radio or television production, so you must have the right kind of education and experiences to make it. Depending on which field you go into, radio or television, and furthermore what part you play in the production of the program, you build your lifestyle and schedule around that program or show. Depending on what kind of a job you take, you might have perfect hours, very few hours, or even you choosing your own hours. As a Christian, you can use your profession as an outlet to tell others about Christ and to simply live the life of a Christian. Communications Broadcaster Outline I. Education requirements A. High schoolB. CollegeC. InternshipsD. ExperienceII. Lifestyle A. SalaryB. HoursIII. Benefits IV. Christian outreach A. PossibilitiesB. Uses