PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – One month and a couple days into my WAVY intern experience and I’ve already learned a lot. Internships are pretty much jobs you don’t get paid for. They literally give you hands-on experience that you can put on a resume that says you have done a specific job for a specific amount of time. Not that you have taken classes or anything, you actually did the job in real time in a professional setting.
I’ve seen first-hand that things can change at any given time and you have to be ready. We’ve had guests show up at the last minute and had to move fast to get them situated. We’ve had guests show up late and we had to move the show around a little bit to make everything fit. We’ve even had a show or two where adjustments had to made mid show, but watching the show, you would never know what was going on in the areas that the camera wasn’t rolling.
We’ve had a host change (temporarily) since our original female host Patrice left on maternity leave. Watching our new host Dana settle in and learn from the crew has given me a different perspective. It’s almost like seeing myself when I first started and realizing the progress I’ve made. When she speaks on certain things, I completely understand because I felt the same way when I first got here.
While doing my regular HRS duties, I’m also in the process of shadowing other departments. I started with the newsroom. Sat in a meeting, was told how things work in the newsroom, how field reporters communicate with the studio, how they listen and watch for things going on with the TVs and scanners, etc. I have a scheduled date where I get to go out in the field with the reporters. I’m looking forward to that experience and also looking forward to experiencing the other departments to see how things work and come together for the business overall. About a month in, and I’m really grateful for this experience and grateful to meet the people I’ve met!
