I have been interning since June 5, 2001 at News 12 Long Island, in the production department, with a Special Projects Producer named Debi Gade. I have also worked with other producers, reporters, anchors, photographers, and the internship coordinator. Debi first explained to me what her job entailed and what my tasks would be over the summer.
My first day interning at News 12 I was nervous. And the funny thing is that I am never usually nervous. I guess it was a reality check and a little taste of the "real world" and "adulthood". This is the first place I have interned at and it's the first thing I have done that is very involved with my major. But after five minutes, the people at News 12 were so warm, friendly, and welcoming it felt like I knew them forever and that I worked/interned there for a long time. My producer and I have built such a wonderful relationship/friendship We get along great and she has taught me so much these past two months.
My first week at News 12 I did some preparation work for the elections. Debi wanted to start early since she had me to help her. She told me that Election time is one of her biggest projects out of the whole year. I called the Nassau and Suffolk Democratic and Republican headquarters and I requested that they fax me a political calendar, a list of their candidates, and the seats that are open. Then after I received some faxes with the information that I needed, I was able to update the information on a previous file from last year that was already in the computer. I suggested to Debi that I used the program Excel to organize all of this. And she agreed and she was glad that I was familiar with the program.
My second week at News 12 I researched the next segment that my producer would be doing. She is doing a segment on Breast Cancer and she will be interviewing the women and their husbands and children on how it as affected them as a family. There were some things that she needed to go over that we would do to prepare for this segment. She told me what phone calls I would have to make, when we will be shooting it, what time, where, what questions we would be asking them, how we would be editing this piece, when and where I would be logging and watching the tapes we shot. Debi told me that whatever she does I will be doing too, we are a team.
My third week at News 12, I got to go out on a shoot with Debi and a photographer Ray. It was a "12 Making A Difference" segment. This segment is about a person who makes a difference in the community. They volunteer their time to make a difference. June's "12 Making A Difference" is awarded to Coach Ed of the Long Beach t-ball team. We went to Long Beach on a early Saturday morning and shot the interviews on Ed, his wife, kids on the team, and their parents. The photographer also shot some b-roll of Ed interacting with the kids. Ed has a full time job, is a husband, and a father and he still finds time to coach a team, have practices go to the games, and teach the kids to have good self-esteem and good team work. Debi finds candidates for every month of the year for "12 Making A Difference." It was a lot of fun going through the whole process of a segment, preparing it, shooting it, logging it, editing it, and seeing the final piece on the air.
The next week I logged the tapes from the second Breast Cancer family shoot. I also had an Internship Orientation where I formally got to meet almost everyone at News 12 Long Island, including so many interns. The orientation was very nice. Also, this week I helped the Newsroom Coordinator and the Newsroom Secretary. I faxed, filed, answered phone calls, sorted mail, shredded paper, computer work, made copies, etc. It was sort of a secretaries helper day. I didn't really like that day but it was for only one day, thank goodness.
I went out with two different reporters. Two different days. One day with Andrew Enghner the consumer reporter on a Live shoot using the satellite truck, to feed what we were shooting back to the studio in Woodbury, for the noon show, while we were in Wantagh, which was very interesting to see how that process operated. And the other day I went to a press conference with Scott Feldman in Roslyn who is a reporter and an anchor for News 12. So both reporters gave me different perspectives and advice. They both taught me a lot and were very helpful. I asked them lots of questions and they were never bothered by them. I also went out with two different photographers both of those days who also were very helpful.
This week my producer is on vacation but I still wanted to come to News 12 so I offered to intern with whoever needed an intern. The investigative reporter Mark asked for an intern to help him in an investigation with car rental companies. I called 50 rental companies in Nassau and Suffolk and recorded our conversations. The following week I went into the rental companies with an undercover camera, a button camera. It was so cool that a camera was actually in a button. Then I would go back in with a camera man and the reporter and confront them on why they wouldn't rent to me because I am under 25, and let them know that it is against the New York State Law to do that. It was very interesting and a lot of fun. I can't wait to see it air in two weeks.
I also went on a shoot with Debi when she returned from vacation to Angel's Gate in Ft. Salonga for July's"12 Making A Difference". Angel's Gate is a hospice and rehabilitation center for ill, dying, injured animals. It is run by Susan and Victor who are boyfriend and girlfriend and some volunteers that come to help. It is run out of their house. Susan left her 6 figure job as well as Victor to work off donations which barely pay the bills a-t Angels' Gate. They have about over 100 animals inside their house and outside. It is crazy. They also do hydrotherapy with the animals, physical therapy, Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and a natural food diet. Their day starts at 5am -12 midnight, 7 days a week. It was very interesting to be there filming the animals and what they do with them and interviewing them. After we shot this piece the following day I would always log the tapes and then the following day write the piece, organize it, and then the following day edit the piece. This was always the process that I did after a shoot.
This past week I sat in on a meeting to discuss the primary elections that will be aired Live on News 12. And after the meeting I prepared more information for the elections. I also took a ride to the Nassau Board of Elections in Mineola to get some information from them. News 12 is going to air about 57 debates including the primaries. That is going to be a lot of work in September so that's why I am helping Debi now. I am also preparing for a town meeting on the 14t' about the day laborers. Questions, panelists, where, what time, how long its going to be, etc. So basically this past week I have been working on the elections and the town meeting.
This past weekend I was setting up and will continue through Monday for August's "12 Making A Difference". A Captain who has a charter fishing boat in Orient Point takes out paraplegic and quadriplegic adults. So with Debi and a camera man we are going to go out on that boat on Tuesday August 7th, 2001 early in the morning. It should be interesting. I can't wait to go.
The people at News 12 have also invited me to softball games, a summer party at a country club, and a beach party on August 11th, 2001 at Cedar Beach. We also go to the lunch together a lot. They don't treat me as an intern they treat me as a fellow employee-colleague. It's very nice.
Overall, these are just a few of the great learning experiences I received while I was interning at News 12 Long Island. I would recommend this internship to everyone.