JRN 200: That's All, Folks

Everything is in. Nothing left to do. I'll do the math on your base grades, and then I'll make any adjustments based on extra credit, and that's that. Your grades will be locked in, and soon you'll be finding out exactly what you got.

The only thing left for you to do (if you haven't done it already) is evaluate this class via the SIRS online teacher evaluation site. Please take a few minutes to let us know how this online version of JRN 200 went, what we should keep doing, and what could be better.

Plus, there's only one thing for me to do, and that's to thank each of you for (kinda/sorta) spending a semester with me (online, at least). I enjoyed working with each and every one of you. I really did.

Everyone comes into JRN 200 at a different starting point. Some have some journalistic experience; others don't. A few people have a natural talent; others need that talent cultivated a bit before it becomes apparent.

No matter where and how you started, I got to see improvement. Growth. Little everyday victories. Some defeats, but also renewed efforts to overcome those losses.

No matter if you did great in this class or just eked by, remember this is just one step in a larger journey: one toward the day after graduation. Between now and then you'll build on the skills you learned here. You'll improve. You'll get more comfortable doing this. Things will seem more natural as you do them (like AP style).

If journalism was easy to learn, it would be a two-week certificate class at the local community college, and not a four-year major. This is just an early step in that longer trip to your careers and independent lives.

You're on your way. If there's anything I can do to help along the way, please don't hesistate to ask. (All because our class is done doesn't mean I'm not willing to help!)

Good luck to everyone in the coming semester, and one last time, thank you.

JRN 200: Your Turn To Grade Me!

Student Instruction Rating System (SIRS Online) collects student feedback on courses and instruction at MSU.  Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS Online) forms will be available for your students to submit feedback during the dates indicated:

     JRN  200  730:  11/25/2016 - 12/21/2016


Direct students to https://sirsonline.msu.edu. 

Students are required to complete the SIRS Online form OR indicate within that form that they decline to participate.  Otherwise, final grades (for courses using SIRS Online) will be sequestered for seven days following the course grade submission deadline for this semester. 

SIRS Online rating summaries are available to instructors and department chairs after 12/21/2016 at https://sirsonline.msu.edu. Instructors should provide copies of the rating summaries to graduate assistants who assisted in teaching their course(s). Rating information collected by SIRS Online is reported in summary form only and cannot be linked to individual student responses. Student anonymity is carefully protected. 

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Carlson, (mcarlson@msu.edu, (517)432-5936).

Ethics: What I Would Have Done

Many ethical decisions in journalism are best guesses; rarely is there an obvious "right" answer. We look at the circumstances, apply our values and aim to do the most good and the least harm. In the messy real world, never is that ratio 100 percent good/zero percent harm. It's subjective as hell, but that's the way the world is.

But here's what I would have done, and why:

On Sept. 11, 2001, I would have shot and decided to run the Falling Man pic. To me, it is the most powerful symbol of the day. 9/11 wasn't about airplanes hitting buildings; it was about 3,000 individual people, with lives just like you and me, who had to make horrible death-or-death decisions like, "Do I fall 102 stories or do I burn to death?" That picture brings home that this was humanity at its worst in an incredibly powerful way.

But it may have been too powerful for that day.I think on Sept. 12, 2001, I would have regretted that choice. That's because in reality, there was a ton of public fury over the publication and airing of jumper pics, like the Falling Man one. The public was spending far more time considering editorial judgment (arguing if it was death porn) rather than editorial content (the humanity behind 9/11).

The point of how we write a story or what photo we use is to highlight the facts, meaning and content of the subject we're focusing on, and not distract from it. On 9/11, at least, the pic was a distraction. With the next-day perspective maybe I would have run it Web-only with a disclaimer, or run it well after 9/11, when the wound wasn't as raw. 

Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't have run pics showing humanity, or even the brutal side of 9/11. It's just I think I would have edited more carefully to show pics that make the point of human tragedy without alienating my audience. Journalism without an audience simply isn't journalism. There's no perfect way to measure that; I would have to consider the facts, then the audience and where it draws the line, and make an educated guess.

You need to share what you see. That doesn't necessarily mean every literal thing you see -- like the Falling Man -- but it does have to be something that is representative of all the things you saw and heard. Maybe another image would have done that, while being more receptive to the audience. Maybe Falling Man would have been better considered by the audience well after that day, after wounds have been allowed to heal somewhat.

Then again, the root of the word news is new. That's no accident; it's news only if it's new, or recent, or revelatory. Is it news if I hide it when it matters most: right when something is happening? Maybe not.

Yes, you want to tell stories truthfully, even if the truth is brutal. But you don't want to distract from the story's underlying point, either. And we have to serve the audience when they want or need news. Our challenge is to reconcile those three factors, even when it's hard. Like it was on 9/11.

I would have taken the starving girl/vulture pic, and I would have run it. But I would have done something else in-between those actions. I would have taken the girl to a first aid station after getting the pic.

Just taking the pic and doing nothing else is not a good choice, in myview. This wasn't an instance where there were hundreds of people waiting to die, all of whom one journalist couldn't help. This was one child; one child is doable.

But helping the girl without taking the pic I find to be a bad choice. First, the way journalists help the most people while hurting the fewest is by sharing horrible things happening beyond the horizon of our audience. How can they possibly decide this is  tragedy and want to make a priority of helping if they don't see how bad it really is there?

Second, we are not there to be aid workers; we are there to be journalists. That's the reason we're there. That's why our news organizations paid for us to go. We can't forget what our job is. It's just that we don't forget we're human, either. We can be both simultaneously. What's more, we need to be both at the same time, never forgetting one or the other.

Given that explanation, I would have done exactly what was done regarding the Vietnam War burned girl pic. I would have taken the pic, illustrating what war really is: not just tanks and explosions, but the very real human carnage of an innocent and terrified girl having her clothes burned off. I would then have done whatever I could to help, like the journalists did in this case by securing medical treatment for the girl.

And then I would have run the pic; again, a story (or pic) without an audience isn't journalism. You need to share what you see.  That's why we were there in the first place. And we do no good to the masses if we don't share what we discovered.

What do you guys think on my points? Give it some thought. Quite often, there is no "right" answer in journalism; rather, there's a bunch of good answers. What we look for is the best solution, even if it's imperfect (and it usually is).  

JRN 200: Your Turn To Grade Me!

Student Instruction Rating System (SIRS Online) collects student feedback on courses and instruction at MSU.  Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS Online) forms will be available for your students to submit feedback during the dates indicated:

     JRN  200  730:  11/25/2016 - 12/21/2016


Direct students to https://sirsonline.msu.edu. 

Students are required to complete the SIRS Online form OR indicate within that form that they decline to participate.  Otherwise, final grades (for courses using SIRS Online) will be sequestered for seven days following the course grade submission deadline for this semester. 

SIRS Online rating summaries are available to instructors and department chairs after 12/21/2016 at https://sirsonline.msu.edu. Instructors should provide copies of the rating summaries to graduate assistants who assisted in teaching their course(s). Rating information collected by SIRS Online is reported in summary form only and cannot be linked to individual student responses. Student anonymity is carefully protected. 

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Carlson, (mcarlson@msu.edu, (517)432-5936).

Job Shadows: What You Saw, Part 3

Here's a sampling of some of the various job shadows done by you all. Take a look and see what you can learn from everyone's visits. There's a lot of good stuff here to help you decide what you want to do with your lives; what you need to be doing to get there; and what to expect when you do get there.

We will add more job shadow reports to the blog as they are completed. Please give each one of these a quick read, will you?

*****

When I arrived at 8:45 p.m. at channel 6 and met Fred Huemann, the sports anchor for the six and eleven o’clock news, we got right to business preparing for the eleven o’clock show.

Fred’s show that evening featured the Detroit Pistons season opener, the recap of the World Series, the Michigan vs. Michigan State football game. Also, his show featured the upcoming Michigan State Men’s basketball first exhibition game.

He had so much he wanted to put into the show about each topic but he only had 5 minutes of airtime and in television that isn’t a lot. He showed me that there was a script used each night that included time slots of each feature and description of anyone in the clip or what it was about. Each clip that Fred entered into the script he had to cut it himself, write out where and when the clip should come in and let the producers know what he would be saying live on the show.

Fred said he has been in this business so long that he memorized the acronyms of scripts, the keys on the computer and just anything he needed to help him prepare for the days job. He has such a strong personality and knows his stuff, which has helped him be in positions like channel 6 in Lansing and channel 10 in Detroit.

This job spoke a lot to what I want to do in my career. I love sports and have been around it all my life that I would be stupid for me not to follow my heart. It was amazing to see how easy it was for Fred to make his script for the show and how long the preparation of just a 5-minute segment could be. It was also an eye opening experience as well because there are so many little things in this business that you should know that will help you future your career. This job shadow has helped me want to work harder and make connections to get better each day.

*****

It’s one of the most sacred rivalries in the entire state of Michigan; a weekend that college football fans look forward to all year — the Michigan State University Spartans traveled down the road to Ann Arbor to take on their arch-nemesis, the University of Michigan. With the historic ending of the 2015 game between MSU and U-M, the 2016 edition garnered attention from media outlets far and wide, and dominated the Metro-Detroit market, including the award-winning ABC television affiliate, WXYZ. Using my connections made through networking opportunities presented by the MSU school of Journalism, I was able to reach out and shadow WXYZ’s lead sports anchor, Justin Rose, and observe his pre-production, preparation, and presentation techniques in a live airing of their weekend sports show, The Sports Cave, the morning after the MSU vs. U-M game.

Mr. Rose, a graduate of the MSU journalism program, invited me to a recording of the show a few weeks prior when we met a press conference held by the MSU football team. The Sports Cave records live every Sunday at 12 p.m. eastern time, so I arrived at the WXYZ studio located in Southfield, Mich., around 9 a.m. After being escorted in by a security guard, I was greeted by Justin and walked to the sports pod in the Channel 7 Newsroom. After briefly discussing with one of the show’s producers about a mishap that happened on the previous week’s show, he promptly escorted me to his desk where he showed me an itinerary of the show’s agenda. After going through a rundown of the show, we walked over to a nearby computer which had Final Cut Pro open, and Rose was working on preparing all the b-roll for the show. The day prior, Rose covered the MSU vs. U-M game at Spartan Stadium and shot b-roll of the football game from the sideline, player interviews after the game, and even the exchange of the Paul Bunyan from MSU personnel to U-M hands. After splicing together audio with the video, he exported the project and put it in a drop box for his producer to use during the show. After going through the show’s rundown again, Rose let in his featured guests, MSU historian Jack Ebling and U-M historian John U. Bacon and went through the show with them — then went into the studio. Rose and his production team then recorded the show, and afterward I was able to interview him about his day-to-day work life.

Rose told me that days like that, with an exciting talking point (like the outcome of the game) dominating the show like that made it a fun day for recording the show. Rose elaborated by saying a hot topic provides a good basis for conversation while creating a high appeal for an audience — and in today’s media landscape, Rose said ratings and metrics are very important to maintain. However, on a day-to-day basis, Rose said he is always on the move, finding stories to cover for the evening news sports segment and always looking forward to the Sunday show — a project Rose said he pioneered at WXYZ and helped take to new heights. After further discussion, Rose told me that the daily process of covering events, writing articles for their website, collecting and producing video content and having the freedom to report on whatever he chooses are the best part, while some of the worst parts are the hours Rose puts in, compared to the actual payout of working for WXYZ; especially on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas where he is working on getting ready for a broadcast instead of being with family or having a considerable amount of free time.

Upon further talk, Rose told me the industry has changed a lot since his graduation from MSU back in 2008. Television, along with most other mediums are shrinking in terms of number of workers, so everybody has to know how to shoot film, interview sources, edit clips, and sometimes even produce the footage so it’s ready for a nightly news broadcast, all within the strict constraints of deadline, as compared to years prior, when the industry was much more specialized. Rose thinks the media industry is going to continue to get smaller, as traditional news is transitioning to suit consumers through the internet, rather than the accustomed television, radio and print productions. I asked how Rose landed the job in Detroit, and he told me it came with a lot of sacrifices and hard work; when he first graduated he took a part-time TV job in West Virginia that paid $10 per hour — he was making ends meet and could only afford rent with the help of his parents. There were many instances where Rose thought about quitting, but after two years of hard work, took an anchor job in Pittsburgh, then through keeping in touch with old colleagues found an opportunity to work in Detroit.

Rose said the job entails a lot, but at the end of the day is all worth it. As aforementioned, one must be willing to work at most hours of the day, including late nights, weekends and holidays, meaning little time for friends and family. According to Rose, the ability to work under pressure, on deadline and be versatile are essential in every media industry, but especially television because timing is everything. As far as job security goes, Rose’s advice was that security is there if you want it to be — meaning one must find his own opportunities for work, even if it means living in poverty. Rose said the hardest thing to do was finding the first job — after breaking into the industry, bigger and better jobs came but the most important thing was to stay the course. There were many instances where he wanted to quit, where he wasn’t even making a living wage but most people don’t realize they have to make an immense sacrifice in the quality of life to create a comfortable life. Ever since the age of 14, I’ve been working a job and I haven’t looked back. Working is all I know. I am dead set on becoming a prominent member of the media, and I’m willing to live in a box to do so. Knowledge is the key to an organized society, and the access to knowledge is a fundamental right.

I believe I am resilient enough a person to make it in the media industry. Rose is a living testament that hard work and sacrifice pay off and that is a life I am willing to live. He isn’t doing it for the pay — he told me in many aspects he feels he is underpaid. Rose isn’t working in television because it’s easy — he’s essentially always on the clock thinking about collecting interviews, gathering stories, producing content and meeting deadlines, all while being on constant alert for breaking the news. He, and I are in it for the love of spreading information; for being a fountain of knowledge; for providing the truth. Shadowing Mr. Rose was an immensely valuable experience, to which I furthered a friendship and professional connection I plan to use for future reference.

******

Before becoming a student at the amazing Michigan State University, I worked in the nonprofit sector.  I was so excited to finally have a reason to reach out to my previous employer at The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. I remembered that we had a contact at Crain’s Detroit which is apart of the conglomerate Crain’s Communication, a detroit based publishing company and I reached out for her contact information.

Sherri Welch works for Crain's Detroit as a Senior Reporter. I was excited to spend time with her on my quest to finding out what type of storytelling I was interested in. Sherri covers the news of nonprofit, arts and culture, among other things for the city of Detroit.

I met with Sherri early in the morning so I could catch what a day in her life begin with. After arriving and settling into her workspace, Sherri and I took time to talk about Detroit and being a journalist during what some people are calling the city’s “comeback or rise”

On my journey of discovering what kind of storytelling I am interesting in, I have made more discoveries of things I am not fond of. Like Sherri, I have a passion for arts and she explained the pros and cons of narrowly tailoring my focus.

After a chat over coffee, Sherri showed me around the office. The newsroom was set up into different beats, like breaking news, healthcare, entrepreneurship and technology. The senior reporters were like the head of the beats, and reporters worked under them. Editors were stationed around almost sporadically. I always enjoy the buzz of a newsroom, and Crain’s was no different. Things were loud, fast-paced and the clacking of fingers hitting the keyboard filled the space. The hecticness of the space and how the staff found comfortability was a sight to see.

After visiting a few beats and speaking to a few reporters, I gain some great advice. The staff was friendly and eager to know about me. They gave notes of the importance of diligence in this field, and also competence- competence was a big one.

Returning Sherri’s office, she began checking her email, which was full. She showed me how she focuses on what is in importance first by filtering the emails. She focuses first on stories, pitches and leads, then all else.  Sherri sometimes receives pitches from other reporters.

Sherri replied to a couple emails while I watch feverously taking it all in. Sherri became a senior reporter in 2014 and she says it took consistency to be rewarded the promotion. Her promotion came with new responsibility, such as managing some editorial projects.

Before I realized, it was lunch time and my job shadow was over. I was very pleased that Sherri was just a gregarious as I am.  The shadow was an eye opener that gave me perspective and allowed me to see an reporter who shared the same interest as me.

*****

As I was walking down Washington Square in downtown Lansing and heading up the elevator to the fifth floor of the iconic Knapp’s Center to the location of the Lansing State Journal I had no idea what to expect next.

This would be my first time in a newsroom in my young journalism career.

I then met Justin Hinkley, a watchdog reporter who covers anything and everything when it comes to state government.

He gave me a quick tour of the newsroom and explained to me that the LSJ had recently moved to the Knapp’s Center due to budget cutbacks.

We then headed out to Grand Ledge to cover Theresa Abed who was running for state representative for Eaton County.

I rode in the car with him on the 20-minute drive to Grand Ledge and we spoke about his opinions of his career as a journalist.

His favorite part about being a journalist is not having a typical office work environment. He is able to get out of the office and see different areas of the state. Additionally, unlike most jobs, he is usually telling his boss what he wants to do and what to cover instead of the other way around.

His least favorite aspect of being journalist (other than the money) is the lack of job security. He explained to me the financial hardships the LSJ has had recently and that downsizings happen rather frequently in the industry.

We arrived at Theresa Abed’s house in a quiet neighborhood in Grand Ledge.

She let us inside and I sat in on Hinkley’s interview of her. He used his iPhone to record their conversation and jotted down notes as she talked, he later told me he only writes down the main points and then goes back to those points on his recording.

He asked her questions such as why she was running, what legislation she would try to pass, what she can bring that her opponent can’t and never backed down on asking her tough questions.

He was very attentive and asked her follow up questions on nearly every one of her answers. He later told me he prepares for interviews by having a list of questions already prepared, memorizing them beforehand, and coming up with follow up questions after hearing their answer.

We headed back to Lansing and spoke about the journalism profession and some tips to becoming a successful one.

His most important tip to aspiring journalists would to be active on social media. He emphasized how most news in the 21^st century is read online and that to be successful in journalism in today’s digital age you have to be on FaceBook, Twitter, and even have your own personal blog.

My experience shadowing a working journalist opened my eyes to the profession. There is no more wondering or assumptions to be made about seeing a newsroom or a reporter at work.

I knew about the hardships news media has continued to go through lately but it was reiterated after hearing it first hand from someone in the industry. It has made me more skeptical about pursuing a career in news media but has not completely deterred me.

***** 

It was an unusually hot day on October 5^th of 2016.  In the parking lot of Metro Times in Ferndale, Michigan, I sat in my car 30 minutes early to a 9 am job shadow with Michael Jackman, the head editor of the Metro Times. To ease my anxiety, I went ahead and reviewed my questions for the day.

           

It’s now 8:55am and I decide to enter the offices of the Metro Times. The building housed a few other media groups and even their printing and delivery operations as well. After about 15 minutes of viewing the wall art in the waiting area, in comes a tall stocky build man with a silly cat t-shirt with a sill The man comes over to me and says, “Hello Danan, I’m obviously Michael welcome to Metro Times and sorry I’m late. Let’s go and have you shadow my ordinary work day!”

            As we walk over to his desk, Michael introduces me to the other nine staff writers and 4 interns. Michael gets to his work area and starts his day off by reviewing the layout and content of the Metro Times. He looks over to me and says, “I love to write, but as the boss you got to make sure everyone else’s work is up to par too.”

            After reviewing the website layout and the upcoming issue of the Metro Times for a couple of hours, Michael then takes me to a pitch meeting with the other writers. In this meeting we sat and listened to 7 story pitches and he tells me, “A great story for print isn’t just about the content, it’s all about how to display conflict with your facts and story.”

            I then took the opportunity to ask, “How did you get your start, and how to be successful in this industry”

            Michael took a deep pause and said, “After going to film school way back in the 80s, I worked as a line cook for many restaurants and did a lot of freelance writing for small publications for years. It wasn’t until 2004 I got an in-house gig with the Metro Times. Then in 2010 after a shift in management, I was then promoted to what I’m doing now. This world is full of who you know.”

            I then asked him, “What advice can you give an aspiring journalist like me?”

            He replied, “Start your work now! Even if the articles are just top 5 lists, work! A good portfolio is built off of your interests. Write about what you like. Old guys like me love to read good voice when the writer is interested.

            At 2pm my shadowing session starts to come to a close after Michael, gets a lead from a contact. He looks at me and asks, “Would you like to write a piece for us in November? I love to give new-blood a chance.”

            I respond quickly” It would be an honor!”

            Michael states, “Your pitch is due in a week and your deadline is November 23^rd. Email me so we can stay in touch, good luck!”

            I reply, “Thank you for the opportunity and we shall be in touch!”

I walk from this shadowing session more informed and hopeful for my future career as a journalist.

*****

I shadowed Adam Droscha, a staff writer at The County Journal and The Flashes.  Adam currently works part-time and puts out four to six articles per week.

                  He was working on a shorter timetable than usual this week; the paper was being put out two days ahead of time due to the upcoming holiday, forcing him to accelerate his entire workflow.  I arrived just after a meeting that he was supposed to go to was cancelled, leaving a few minutes in which Adam showed me around the County Journal office and introduce me to several of his coworkers.

                  Shortly afterward, we took a trip to a cafe just down the street for an interview with one of Adam's former classmates, who had developed an app to help verbally impaired people communicate.  It was interesting to watch Adam's interviewing methods - at first, he just had his source explain the app's purpose and development history, and then followed up with more specific questions.  Afterward, Adam explained to me that, depending on his interviewee's willingness to talk, he doesn't always start an interview with a structured set of questions.  This approach allows him to get as much information as possible without necessarily constraining the scope of the conversation solely to his list of questions, meaning that he's sometimes able to get details that wouldn't have been brought up otherwise.

                  We then returned to the office, at which point Adam made a couple of calls to follow up on potential sources for his other articles.  He mentioned that he was having trouble getting an interview with one particular source, telling me that "following up can be awkward and it can annoy your sources, but you have to do what you have to do".  As part of his usual Monday routine, Adam then looked at local community pages on Facebook, explaining that they're just one more way to find smaller stories that may not have been reported already. 

                  Later in the day, we drove to Olivet and looked at bulletin boards in a variety of public buildings in search of local events for Adam to cover.

                  Based on what I saw, I think that a job like this would fit me fairly well.  It may not be as prestigious as working at a larger publication, but it certainly seems like it would be (somewhat) less stressful.  Being able to focus on local news would be nice too, as I wouldn't mind being able to stay close to home for now; working in a familiar area would be a good way for me to get comfortable with the job.

******

David “Mad Dog” Demarco is an East Lansing sports talk radio host with The Game 730 AM WVFN. I first learned of Mr. Demarco when he came into my Journalism 218 class and emphasized the importance of the entertainment factor while covering sports. After the class, I asked him if I would be able to shadow him for a day, and he said yes. He gave me his business card and we set up a date where I could come to his studio at Town Square Media and experience what a day in the life of David Demarco looks like.

I was looking forward to the experience for weeks and when I showed up at his studio, I was slightly nervous. Mr. Demarco was actually on air when I first arrived and his assistant had to wait for a break to tell him that I had arrived. When he went on break, he came into the lobby and brought me back to where they were recording the show, something I had never witnessed. As a talk sports radio junky, I was incredibly interested in all aspects of the whole operation. I asked Mr. Demarco numerous questions and he was extremely informative!

The coolest part of the day came as I was sitting and taking notes, when suddenly, Mr. Demarco looked at me and pointed to one of the extra microphones. I rolled my chair up to the microphone, and we had a five-minute conversation on air about my future career plans, where I am from, and general sports talk. I was flabbergasted at the opportunity! I was beyond impressed how Mr. Demarco treated me, a college student, shadowing him for just one day.

The biggest take away from the day shadowing Mr. Demarco, involved his attitude and how he treats others. From the time I first met him in my class, to when I said goodbye at his studio, Mr. Demarco showed me nothing but enthusiastic respect. He was constantly trying to help me learn as much as I possibly could about the field I dream of being a part of some day. I drove away from the Town Square Media building that day not only confirming my desire to work in this field, but the importance of encouraging and inspiring others with the same aspirations. I hope one day I am in the same position, and will be able to mentor a student like myself, with similar motivation and confident direction that Mr. Demarco gave me.

******

It was almost two in the morning and I was meeting with Brianna Jenkins for the start of her shift at the radio station at Power 96.5 in Lansing.

Brianna Jenkins is a 24-year-old On Air Personality for Power 96.5 and a board operator for 1440 AM WMKM from Southfield, Michigan. Brianna began working for Power 96.5 after graduating from Western Michigan University and Specs Howard.

As we entered the station and got comfortable in the recording studio Brianna explained how the content for her shift was already prepared hours before. She began practicing every single break out loud before going on air and before her stop sets to avoid mistakes and reduce stumbling over the air, which I found to be an effective technique.

During one of the breaks Brianna asked listeners “what is the worst gift someone ever gave you for Christmas” and soon enough we start receiving calls. Brianna explained that the callers were one of the most rewarding things from her job because they are your biggest fans and they give good feedback and sometimes send nice messages on social media.

Brianna’s shift was from 2am-6am and since it was Wednesday she did news reporting for the syndicated morning show program ‘The Rickey Smiley Morning Show’. She recorded her news segments before they went on air which were about 2-3 minutes.

Brianna started off in radio at the age of 16 at WSHJ 88.3 Southfield, programming music and producing an afternoon show called ‘The Urban Way’. By being friendly and reaching out to the right people she got the job with Power 96.5 as well as having previous experience with 1440 WMKM and interning for ‘The Blaine Fowler Morning Show’ on 96.3 WDVD.

Brianna deals with some difficult things with the job such as commuting back and forth from Southfield to Lansing which is an hour both ways. Since she just started out in the radio industry she is only getting paid $8.50 an hour but loves what she does so it doesn’t affect her.

Brianna plans on being on a syndicated live morning show whether its cohosting or having her own show and eventually wants to do more TV and entertainment news. She will continue building her own personal brand, Inside the Girls Room blog, which is non-profit and a media company currently in the making.

After finding out that Brianna and I both were on air personalities for WSHJ 88.3 Southfield at some time, I felt more comfortable with the thought that I may be able to find a position in this field. Being at Power 96.5 made me excited to pursue a career radio rather than TV.

Realizing that I would be getting paid way less than I expected kind of had me on edge about considering the radio industry. Brianna helped me realized that if you love what you are doing, continually gaining experience, and perfecting your craft then eventually you will be where you want to be.

After completing my job shadow at the station it gave me more interest in going into radio after school. Gaining experience such as a job shadow and being able to relate to others that are doing what you want to do is rewarding.

*****

Noe Hernandez: Livingston Daily

I pulled up to the Livingston Daily building in disbelief. I couldn’t believe I had never noticed it before. The building was located in downtown Howell, Michigan, an area I’m around frequently.

Mr. Hernandez met me in the front of the office right as I walked through the door.

“Hello, Mr. Hernandez!” I said.

“Please, call me Noe,” he responded. I knew I was in good spirits.

Noe gave me a tour of the office, and I was surprised, but happy to see that the work environment was relaxed. Many offices and cubicles were empty, as Noe explained that journalists could pretty much work from anywhere.

After we finished a tour of the office and his work area, Noe and I hit the road. Noe took me to the Howell Chamber of Commerce, where he gathers information for potential stories. We were headed eastbound on I-96 towards the Brighton Chamber of Commerce, when I noticed a billboard advertising Panera Bread’s new delivery service. I mentioned the billboard to Noe, and we immediately headed towards Panera Bread in Howell.

We arrived at Panera Bread, and were lucky that the district manager, Bryan Bennett, was at the store to give us some information. Noe and I interviewed Bennett for about fifteen-minutes, and afterwards, Noe placed a camera in my hand and requested that I take a photograph of the restaurant.

Our information was gathered and we headed back to the office. We cleared the story with the editor, and began developing the story. I was thrilled to see Noe give my name a mention in the final story, Panera Bread Adding Home Delivery.

It was a great experience watching the full procedure of writing a story. From observation and reporting to writing and editing. I also enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere within the office. I know I will enjoy the independency of journalism, which ultimately gives you flexibility.

I definitely learned I have what it takes to be a journalist, but I think I learned that small-town reporting isn’t for me as well. I hope to work in a city with more action when I graduate.  

******

While looking for a job to shadow for the day in the journalism industry, I was drawn to any form of broadcasting. I reached out to a few news stations in the Grand Rapids area but was unsuccessful. Finally I decided to reach out to a local radio station and was able to shadow for a few hours at 105.3 Hot FM in Grand Rapids.

            When I first walked in the door I was greeted by the receptionist and then taken to Rachel Gray who is one of the lead radio host every weekday morning from 6am-11am. She was very excited with everything that she said and she had a great attitude about everything we did. She gave me a tour of the station that didn’t end up being as big and extravagant as I had pictured. I’ve also never been to a radio station so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.

            Later, I was finally able to sit in on a live radio broadcast and listen and watch her do her job. The controls and everything were a bit confusing but she explained which one did what and how simple it was to learn about it. I then started asking her some questions about the job and what it took to get where she was. She started as an intern there and decided to come back after finishing her journalism degree at Central Michigan University. It took her about two years to get a daytime gig and not be broadcasting the graveyard shift. She said that when she first started off she wasn’t sure how reliable keeping her job was but now that she’s the lead radio host during the weekdays, it’s a lot more secure pay. Everyone at the station was having so much fun all of the time, it was a great energy to be around.

            I knew that I wanted to go into broadcasting but I never pictured being a radio host before. With broadcasting for the news it can be tough reporting all of the terrible things that happen on a daily basis. With radio, you get to focus on music and not so much negativity in the world and that’s something that would make working for my entire life a little bit easier. This job shadow definitely opened my eyes to different options I have after school.