Are you up for the Challenge?
Internships:
Are you creative, hardworking, upbeat, motivated, and energetic?
Do you want to be a part of a team that wins?
If so – we have the internship for you!
WSOC-TV Channel 9 – the ABC affiliate in Charlotte is looking for a few good interns.
We want to provide a practical internship experience for students pursuing a career in broadcast related fields.
News Internship:
Students will have many opportunities during this internship, including observing and participating on a limited basis in the operation of a major market television station. Internship candidates should have excellent communication skills. Students will learn the art of producing. This will include researching, learning about the decision-making process for stories, where story ideas originate, writing, timing and boothing a newscast. Students will also learn the process of news-gathering from a reporter’s point-of-view. Interns will be allowed to accompany reporters on certain stories, will learn about asking the right questions when interviewing, and will learn what it takes to complete a story for broadcast. Must learn quickly and follow directions with minimal supervision. Please send direct inquiries and applications to Stephanie Linton or call 704-335-4737.
News Internship Application Deadlines:
Summer Internship – Application deadline is April 1st
Fall Internship – Application deadline is July 1st
Sping Internship – Application deadline is December 1st
Web Site Internship:
Learn how a local television Web site works. Work with Web site producers in updating news content, performing research on the Internet, writing copy for the Web, and learning design basics, and links for the Web sites. You will also learn how to program the Web site, write news, community, sports, and promotions stories for the site. Internship candidates should have excellent communication skills, accurate data entry and typing skills. Students must have working knowledge, familiarity and experience with researching information on the World Wide Web and other Internet protocol. Must learn quickly and follow directions with minimal supervision. Please send direct inquiries and applications to Jennifer Haynes-Watkins.
Assignment Desk Internship:
Students will have many opportunities during this internship, including observing and participating on a limited basis in the operation of a major market television station. Internship candidates should have excellent communication skills. Students will learn how to work on the assignment desk—the heart of the newsroom. This will include researching, dispatching and monitoring news crews, communication with law enforcement agencies, learning about the decision-making process for stories and where story ideas originate. Students will also learn the process of news-gathering from the ground up and how the assignment desk plays a critical role from start to finish each day. Must learn quickly and follow directions with minimal supervision. Please send direct inquiries and applications to Linda Nester.
Who we are:
Since its founding in April 1957, WSOC-TV’s Channel 9 prides itself on commitment to news and information throughout the 22 counties it serves in North and South Carolina. True to its slogan, Covering the Carolinas, WSOC-TV is the proven market leader in news coverage. Live mobile newsrooms based out of Hickory, Gastonia, Salisbury, and Rock Hill, South Carolina, position Channel 9 to cover local stories and breaking news as it happens. WSOC-TV’s helicopter, Chopper Nine, is equipped with the latest news gathering technology to cover the market, bringing viewers instant access to breaking news and information.
History:
When WSOC-TV first signed on, Channel 9 operated from temporary studios on Plaza Road Extension before moving to its current site in July 1959. In January of that year, the station was purchased by Cox Broadcasting of Atlanta, which grew from one newspaper in 1898 to a giant conglomerate of radio and television stations, cable companies, newspapers, and other entertainment enterprises in markets nationwide.
Objective:
WSOC-TV recognizes the need of the student for exposure to a real-life station environment as a supplement to their formal education.
Student eligibility requirements:
In order to be eligible for a WSOC-TV/Channel 9 Eyewitness News internship, each student must:
Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program leading to a degree in Mass Communications/TV or a related field.
Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program leading to a degree in Meteorology with an interest in pursuing an on-air career — for the Meteorologist Internship
Have attained at least Junior year standing.
Have at least a grade point average of “B”.
All internships are non-paid and require that the student receive credit from their college or university. Previous intern experience and a related course of study are preferred, but not required.
You are not guaranteed an internship just because you’ve submitted an application. We receive many more applications than positions available.
General Guidelines
I. No intern or candidate for internship shall be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status or any other basis which is prohibited by applicable Federal, State or City Law.
II. All internships are unpaid positions. In order to assure compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act:
The internship shall be for the benefit of the student.
The internship, even though it may include the actual operation of some station equipment, shall be similar to the training that would be given at an educational institution.
Interns shall not displace regular employees, but will work under their close supervision.
The intern must attend an orientation session at the beginning of the internship.
The station shall derive no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and on occasion may actually be impeded.
An intern shall not be entitled to employment with WSOC-TV at the conclusion of her/his internship period. An intern may, however, compete for employment openings at WSOC-TV at the conclusion of her/his internship period.
An intern should understand in advance that she/he will not be entitled to wages for the time spent in an internship.
III. An intern is not an employee and therefore is not covered by the station’s employee benefit plan or worker’s compensation insurance.
IV. The internship is intended as a learning experience. The duties of the intern should be clearly spelled out by the station department head.
V. Starting and ending dates shall be specified in advance for each internship. Internships are to last no longer than one quarter or one semester unless an extension is granted by the internship coordinator.
VI. WSOC-TV reserves the right to terminate any intern at any time for any cause.
VII. Students will only be offered an internship after WSOC-TV receives satisfactory results from a background check of your driving record, criminal record and credit history.
VIII. Each intern shall sign and submit to WSOC-TV at the start of the internship a letter of understanding of these guidelines.
IX. RELEASE OF LIABILITY
Prior to serving an internship, students must sign a release absolving Cox Enterprises, WSOC-TV/Channel 9, its divisions, subsidiaries and all personnel from liabilities relating to any loss, damage, or injury sustained during the course of his/her activities as an intern at WSOC-TV/Channel 9.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES:
Students must take the following steps to apply for an internship:
I. Consult with your career counselor or student advisor.
II. Submit the following information:
A cover letter introducing yourself and outlining the time(s) you will be available for an interview, days/times you are available to intern, phone number where you can be reached.
A completed resume.
A one-page essay outlining personal interests and professional goals, and a statement of why they would like to be chosen for this internship.
A letter from your college/university stating that you will receive credit for the internship.
Email the above information, plus verification that you will receive credit for this internship, to the corresponding contact.
COMMITMENT TO INTERNS
In an effort to maximize the effectiveness of the internship program, the station will offer internships that provide consistent, step-by-step exposure to some of the most important aspects of the television industry. Experience in these vital areas will help the intern to broaden his/her horizons and crystallize career goals while gaining a basic understanding of the station’s operations.