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I started mowing lawns in my neighborhood when I was only 12. It was the only way I could put money in my pocket. I had several yards and I usually started early Saturday morning and worked right through about midday. There is something euphoric about mowing a lawn.
It really gives you lots of time to think about almost anything. It was while doing this that I came across my love for TV. I remember mowing the yards one Saturday after my girlfriend and I had broken up. It was all I could do to keep it off my mind.
I started thinking that there had to be other people my age out there with problems and then I wondered; how do other teenagers solve their problems. I thought about it and decided that if they didn't have a way I was going to come up with one. So I came up with the idea of a teen talk show and pitched it to the manager of the government access station here in town. Teen Link was the name of the show and we discussed everything from breaking up with your significant other to dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Although the show is no longer in production it really allowed me to get my feet wet in what was going to be the start of a hopefully long and prosperous career in broadcasting. Working for a news station now I realize how far government TV was from the reality of TV news but a career in news can be particularly exciting. The variety of the job, the gratification of communicating to thousands of people, the fast paced atmosphere makes the job not only exciting but extremely demanding. In general people don't realize how many people it takes to put on a single newscast. Often times it takes a crew of 10 or 12 to make the news come alive. The most coveted position though out of all of those jobs is anchor.
The anchor, or broadcast news analyst, analyze, and interpret news and deliver then news, introduce packages and live reports from reporters in the field. Although it looks like they have it made they probably have one of the toughest jobs in the station. In general the smaller the market is the more work an anchor is going to do. In small markets they will write and produce most of the newscast, as well as the teases and promo spots you see before the afternoon and late night newscasts. "Its funny because people think I work for two hours a day and then I am on my way. I wish, " stated Kim Fields, morning news anchor for Carolina in the Morning. "The truth is that I get here two hours before the show to prepare and make sure things are going to run smoothly. Then I don't usually leave until around one in the afternoon because I am preparing for the next days show. " Anchors, like Kim, not only do their share in the newsroom but also are involved in promotional activities for the station.
Anchors will speak at conventions, put together charitable events and many other activities that help to show their involvement with the community. A news stations weather caster is almost as recognizable as their news anchor, although they spend considerably less time on the air. Weather is the highest rated part of any news broadcast. In general a station will have one morning meteorologist, a night side meteorologist and one meteorologist for weekends. Before the show weather caster spend their time creating maps and looking at conditions to see what lies ahead, as far as weather is concerned. In the studio you also have a director, an audio person, and two or more camera people.
The director is the one calling the shots. She decides how all of the camera shots are set up, assists in tuning in the live van, and in some markets she is even in charge of the character generator. The audio person deals with just that, audio. She sets up the microphones in the studio, selects the music that will be played during the show, and makes sure the levels are correct so that is sounds good on your TV sets at home.
The camera people operate the camera and keep the talent informed on what is going on as far as time in the show is concerned and also keep them informed of any changes going on in the control room. This setup is for a very small station. In larger markets you will have a separate CG operator, the person that puts up the graphics. You will also have a floor manager, who keeps the talent informed of what is going on in the control room, and several producers to help put the show together quicker and allow for more help in breaking news situations. Other members of the news team include reporters, camera operators, and live-van operators that travel to locations around town to cover news stories. The team in the field can, at times, be asked to work in adverse weather conditions or in dangerous situations to break a good story.
Camera operators have to be able to carry the weight of the camera and be able to set up and break down rapidly. They also must have a familiarity with the situation and the story at hand to be able to get the footage and the shots needed to make the story the best it can be. In larger markets there will be a separate person to operate the live van, to tune in the shot and set up the antenna but in a smaller market the camera person will be asked to do this as well as their other duties. " Although everyone has to start at the bottom and work their way up, I can definitely tell you that's it is no fun running camera for any reporter, " said Aaron Oliver, video coordinator for NHCS-TV. "You usually get there two hours before they do to start setting up and you realize that you are going to be there at least an hour after they leave cleaning up. Its not fun but someone's got to do it. " The competition in broadcasting is stiff. More and more these day's jobs in this field are requiring a degree of some sort and preferably some broadcast experience. Almost four hundred and fifty colleges offer programs in journalism and mass communication.
Most newcomers to the business get their first bit of experience from working at a college radio or television station. In general you wont get paid for this position but in most cases you receive college credit and you get the hands on experience you need to get together before entering the professional world. Although competition in this field has always been tough it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a job in this field in part because of new technology. Where as equipment in broadcast stations were likely to be fairly specialized, all the equipment required an operator with specific training on that piece of equipment, now equipment combines lots of different functions and doesn't really require any kind of special knowledge for use.
Another problem limiting job growth in this field is the consolidation of several broadcast sources into one network. The FCC recently passed the telecommunications act of 1996 that said that instead of owning only one station in a market, one individual or company could now own up to 8. This allows networks to use their employer's more efficiently and where as you used to need 8 people to produce programming for 8 different stations, now you have two people producing the same amount of programming and using it on all of the stations in their network. The same goes for production workers, sales and even upper management. Workers are pulled together to work for several different stations as opposed to just one individual station. One would think the money in TV would be great but that's not exactly the case.
The average weekly salary for a person that held no kind of supervisory position is a measly six hundred and forty two dollars. However that is higher than the five hundred and six dollar average for private industry. In closing a career in broadcasting can be exciting and rewarding but also very demanding. Although the money may not be great this is one of those jobs you do because you love. There are all sorts of careers in this field; the hard part is finding one that fits you.
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