Text 1

Text 1

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Getting into TV Broadcasting

Students wishing to pursue careers in television broadcasting or journalism may have many things to consider. Today, I’d like to begin by speaking to those of you wanting to be a news anchor person or television celebrity. Well, it’s usually best to start out at the local level. Many people who want to break into television do so at the beginning by approaching local networks in their state. From there, your program may be syndicated on a national level if it is successful enough.

Here, by “success,” I mean that success is measured by the number of viewers watching the program. Now, this advice is equally true for those wishing to do the news, as well as those who want to do talk shows. For example, Oprah Winfrey started out doing a small show at a local network in her state, but her talk show is now known and recognized internationally.

Getting that first break can be very tough, though, and I can’t emphasize enough that it is really important to know the right people. Very often, jobs are obtained not because of what you know, but because of who you know. So networking and personal connections are very important. You might even want to consider starting out by doing a clerical or office job at one of these networks as a way of making those essential first contacts.

Now, on the other hand, if you want to be a serious television journalist, that’s a slightly different matter. You may want to study journalism or broadcasting at college since some television networks consider academic training to be a very important prerequisite to obtaining these types of jobs. Of course, a whole host of personality traits will also come into play.

You may be traveling to dangerous locations to provide commentary on crisis situations, so you’d better not be a nervous person or someone who is easily frightened. Having a clear speaking voice and pleasant appearance is also helpful. Above all, you should be quick-thinking and ready to respond logically to any challenge.