MY 680 NEWS INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

SEPTEMBER 2019 - JANUARY 2020

My love of words and writing started almost from the time I first began to read. Over th

My internship at 680 NEWS started on September 23rd and my last shift took place December 30th. During my time there I learned many things about news broadcasting, digital media, and reporting. Thankfully I learned a lot at Centennial College that helped me perform broadcasting and reporting tasks, however, not so much with digital media. This was a format 680 was slowly integrating into their news wheel and I used the opportunity to contribute to their new digital roles.

            Anne Lavrih mentioned the digital role at 680 NEWS was brand new this year and still in the process. We were originally given the task to attend our weekly “Hot Weeks” where we shadowed specific departments. However, I wanted to contribute instead of watch someone do the work. I asked Anne if I can work more on digital roles while still attending the Hot Weeks when I can. She happily agreed and I became more involved with digital media. I was given small tasks at first by Jeffrey Halpenny such as figuring out Adobe Rush and how we can get reporters to edit videos on the go. Eventually he asked me to take on bigger projects such as feature videos.

One of the main skills I wanted to work on was breaking out of my shy bubble and doing interviews fluently. I was given the chance to do so by going out with feature reporters and recording interviews and BTS shots. Thankfully Centennial College prepared us for these tasks and I was fairly comfortable going out and interviewing people while recording them via phone.

            One of the other skills I received was editing videos. Luckily I learned to edit videos when I made YouTube videos, but through 680 I learned even more. Editing videos was most definitely the hardest part of digital media. It taught me patience and accuracy. I learned how to edit videos and what format was expected for our digital media pages. Jeff also showed me how to properly use effects, transitions, assembly, and how to upload videos through many digital platforms. My contribution eventually lead me to a chance to work a real shift as Digital Editor over the holidays.

            My other tasks were checking the news on Twitter, Instagram, and Burli. The Burli application was something I was unfamiliar with at first, but with the help of my colleagues here I learned fairly quickly to operate it. It was an application that allowed all the employees to connect and create the proper broadcast for the station. It’s the bread and butter of 680, finding news on the wire, creating content, and broadcasting it. On Burli I used it to write my copy stories for the broadcasts just in case they needed a backup and finding anything breaking on the wire. I also used Burli to record voicers for our weekly assignments regarding the biggest story.

            I learned a lot at 680 NEWS that challenged who I was as a worker and a person. Communication is key here, because it’s constantly figuring out which stories are more important or whether or not the final product is good enough. It challenged me because I’m not good at communicating especially since I’m shy. However, as time went on my communication skills became better. I asked questions if I was stuck, asked the editor if they needed any assistance, and just socializing in general. When it came to having my work analyzed and criticized it was very tough for me. Again, it took time to not take criticisms to heart, but I learned to understand why certain things didn’t work and applied this to future projects.

            I also learned despite working for a radio broadcast center, there’s more to it than voicers and writing. Centennial college taught me every corner of Journalism and I’m thankful for that because at 680 you’re expected to do everything here and more.

            When it came to working with supervisors or colleagues it was tough at first because everyone always seemed busy and intimidating. However, as time went on I became more open which allowed me to work better. With colleagues and supervisors I took in whatever information they gave me and utilized them for my work. Other than that I socialized with them when the news was slow. Everyone here at 680 is very kind and always had an open ear to talk a little bit. There are definitely some characters here that never make it a dull moment.

            There really isn’t much Centennial College can add to the curriculum. In terms of Journalism and what to expect, Centennial College nails it. I would recommend strengthening and de-emphasizing a couple of things though.

            Centennial College needs to strengthen their digital classes to better prepare students for their field placements. Digital assets is becoming more important when it comes to journalism and broadcast. I was at a disadvantage when they introduced Burli because other interns from other schools already had experience with it. I learned everything in house, but that set me back quite a bit compared to the others. I was also lacking knowledge when it came to operating an audio board which is crucial to broadcast. I would recommend adding an assignment for the radio broadcast class which gives the students the task to find out what each button does on a board op.

            Learning about Adobe and its many editing applications should also be strengthened. Adobe was heavily used during my digital assignments at 680. I mainly used Premiere, Audition, and Photoshop. Thankfully I already had experience dealing with these applications. However, any student at Centennial College might have a hard time because it is tough to learn everything even in 4 months.

            As for de-emphasizing it’ll have to be print journalism. I used my writing skills I obtained from Centennial College and was criticised when I presented it. I think Centennial College needs to tone down on heavy print writing and allow students to write with their own voice. With our broadcasts we emphasized keeping it news but also keeping it conversational and friendly. The quote “Write it like you’re talking to a friend” was tossed around a lot.

            I also recommend de-emphasizing newspaper in general just because I never had to touch any form of paper here. We got our news from Burli app or social media platforms. I think Wordpress and digital applications should be focused more because I’m realizing newspapers are being replaced with websites and apps.

            680 NEWS has been an experience I’ll never forget because of how fun and life-changing my experience has been here. I’m happy Centennial College has a placement course because going from the classroom to the field is a different beast entirely. I’m confident enough to say my experience here will help pursue my career in Journalism a lot easier.

e years, I’ve gone from reading others peoples words to writing my own. Please look through my updated Creative Writing Portfolio to discover more about my work.