Hanging with the Big Shots!

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to head down to Pittsburgh and visit WTAE with my capstone class and some producing students. Sarah Bowers, who was a senior at Westminster when I was a freshman, works at the station (which is AWESOME), and she coordinated the tour for us. While I'm not sure if producing or directing are in my future, there are departments of news stations that I can definitely see myself working with.


We visited with Bob Longo, who is the News Director at WTAE. He is so knowledgeable about broadcasting, and it was interesting to hear his take on different topics dealing with the media.

Mike, Aidan, and I also visited with the Promotions department. They are super busy back there, but I'd love to become involved in something like that. My writing skills would definitely come in handy there. They do a lot of producing and editing, but they also write press releases and do all sorts of stuff that is right up my alley.

We met lots of cool people, too. Guy Junker, Wendy Bell, Michelle Wright...it was really awesome. It made me realize that I really do love being in a broadcasting environment. That's why my internship was so perfect...I was doing what I love, which is writing and PR, and I was surrounded by broadcasters. If I can find a job like that, I will be the happiest person on Earth.

My Mile Long To-Do List!

Well, graduation is quickly approaching. While I am very excited about moving on to the "real world," I am also terrified. I have so many things to do before I graduate. So, I present my official "to-do list" for the next two months.

1. SEND OUT RESUMES

I've actually sent out a couple of resumes already, but haven't heard anything back. I'm not really surprised about that, but it would be nice to actually score an interview one of these days. I really need to send out some more resumes, and be more aggressive in looking for job openings.

2. WORK ON SENIOR PROJECT

I've started my e-portfolio for radio news, but I really need to add some more airchecks to it, and maybe a news minute or two. I am creating two more; one for media relations with my press releases and ads from my internship, and one for the Holcad with my stories and examples of my layout. So I need to get cooking on those as well.

3. PREPARE CAPSTONE PRESENTATION

The presentation is in its very early stages right now, so I still have a long way to go. I have a little more than a month to complete it, but I need to work on it NOW. Procrastination is not going to work here.

4. SEND OUT E-MAILS

I've been in touch with my internship employers since I left in December, but I think it's about time I send them another e-mail or two updating them about my job search and what my plans are. I also want some advice from them on what I should be doing in my job search. As much as hearing it from my professors and the Career Center helps, I think it helps even more when you ask people who were in my exact position not long ago.

So, there you have it. That's a LOT of stuff. Add to that attempting to get a 4.0 this semester, completing numerous projects for other classes, working on several more Holcads, and still working at WKST, I have a lot on my plate. And I'm not going to lie, I'm going to breathe a sigh of relief when it's all over.