An experience of a lifetime

I knew it from the moment I walked in the door. I had been skeptical of taking a strictly Sports-TV internship at widely renowned KDKA-TV, but it proved to be one of the most valuable experiences of my life. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. I was seriously considering straying from the business once I graduated, moving into the direction of marketing, athletic directing, or graduate school. Once I got to work at the station I knew my mind would quickly change.
Meeting my supervisors along with the sportscasters was both an overwhelming and exciting experience all at the same time. They laid down the guidelines and what my assignments would be all while reiterating that this would be exactly like a job in the broadcasting field. While intimidated, I knew this would be a defining moment in my college career and in the decision of which career path I chose. I thought for a few days about the experience that was about to unfold. I knew my schedule would be out of the norm and that I would be doing several different types of work. I felt that I was ready to undertake the challenge of a real broadcasting internship.
During my time at KDKA, I felt myself grow into the broadcasting world. From the shaky first interview to my somewhat polished last interview and all the video logging in between, I discovered that I really enjoyed all the facets of this job. Unlike my regular summer job and various classes at school, I looked forward to what KDKA had in store for me that day. The experience and advice I received from the producers and anchors was continual and motivated me to present my best work. Photographers constantly made sure my stand ups were excellent pieces of work. These people took the skills I learned at Westminster and built upon them with their advice and assignments. I shouldered a large amount of responsibility, such as conducting interviews, selecting adequate sound bites for stories, logging video, placing calls to schedule interviews and shoots, and the list goes on.
This experience showed me what a job in sports broadcasting really entails. I worked the same long and unusual hours at the producers and anchors to see what their days consist of. I learned the news system the station uses to become better acclimated to different AP systems. I wrote and rewrote scripts to brush up on my writing skills. I did it all and, most of all; I loved every single minute of it. It was something I never truly complained about, which is how I knew it was my true calling. It was the hardest I have worked and the most fulfilling when I finished a given task. Most of all, it was a test in what growing up and post graduation life will hold for me. I know now how difficult it is to break into the business—it took an experience like KDKA to show me that.
Support was also easy to come by. The producers and anchors I worked with directly urged me to look at other careers involving sports, such as marketing and athletic directing. They claimed I would still need my broadcast expertise to be successful in those careers; however, they pushed me to produce and write, with the hope of one day becoming an on air sports talent. That push was all I needed and, honestly, I don’t even know if I needed it in the first place. I knew by about the second week of long days and lots of sports knowledge being thrown around that this is the career for me. I think I knew it all along, but it took the positive and amazing internship I experienced at KDKA to reaffirm that sports broadcasting is the career for me.