One Day, One Job » broadcasting

American Public Media

Willy Franzen — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 16:00:30 +0000

When I was in high school, my family carpooled with two other families. When my parents were driving, I got to sit in the front seat, which meant that I controlled the radio. My usual choice was HOT 97, New York City’s finest Hip Hop and R&B station. But when the other parents were driving, it was usually their choice, and more often than not the choice was the local NPR station (check out our post on jobs at National Public Radio). I can’t say that I learned to like it then, but I do find myself listening to public radio far more often than my high school self would have ever imagined. If you listen to NPR, there’s a good chance that you listen to something produced by American Public Media. They are a St. Paul, MN based non-profit organization that “is the largest owner and operator of public radio stations and a premier producer and distributor of public radio programming in the nation,” while also being “the largest producer and distributor of classical music programming in the United States.” So if you listen to NPR in Minnesota, Southern California, or South Florida, you probably listen to one of American Public Media 43 stations or 32 translators.

Listeners Like You

American Public Media reaches 16.5 million listeners every week, and are able to have such a wide reach not only because of their own network, but also because they have 20+ national programs that are broadcast across over 800 stations. These programs include A Prairie Home Companion, Marketplace, and Performance Today. American Public Media has a ton of information on their website, so I really recommend that you dig in and start to learn more about them. Their Organizational Structure page is probably the best place to start. Then you might want to check out their Accomplishments, their FAQs, and their programs. If you like what you see (or hear), then you’ll want to check out jobs at American Public Media. They have a bunch of openings, and a few seem well suited for new or recent grads including Associate Producer – The Madeleine Brand (Pasadena, CA), Django/Python Developer – Web & Apps (Pasadena, CA), Marketing Specialist (Los Angeles, CA), Newscaster/Weekend Fill-In (St. Paul, MN), and Web Developer (Los Angeles, CA). There are lots of options, so check them all out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you listen to an American Public Media station?

NESN

Willy Franzen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:50:18 +0000

As a Yankees fan I am obliged to hate anything and everything related to the Red Sox—and even Boston sports in general. That’s why it pains me to cover NESN (New England Sports Network) today. They’re one of the most successful regional sports networks (RSNs) in the country ratings-wise (#1 for 6 straight years), and they do it in the 7th biggest media market. NESN is jointly owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins, whom they cover along with the Celtics, Patriots, and plenty of local college teams. They were launched in 1984, which makes Watertown, MA based NESN one of the oldest RSNs in the country, and they now reach more than 4 million homes. I still don’t understand why anyone would want to watch Boston sports on tv.

Monster Opportunities

Obviously I think that jobs at the Yes Network are way cooler, but I do have to admit that working at NESN would be pretty sweet. There probably couldn’t be a better place for a Boston sports fan (must… hold… back… joke…) with an interest in television than NESN. They have a “40,000 square foot state-of–the art facility” and they do a ton of broadcasting in HD. The only thing they were short on this year was October programming. If you’re interested in NESN, you should check out their Jobs page. Current opportunities include Tape Room Technician – Operations and Graphics Operator – Programming & Production, while they also accept applications for future opportunities. I hope that you’ll check out NESN, so that you can help broadcast another Red Sox collapse next fall.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you watch NESN?

WWE (formerly WWF)

Willy Franzen — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:28:55 +0000

Yesterday I was amused by a friend’s Facebook status that said: “just had a revelation: Obama sounds like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.” I instantly imagined Barack Obama shirtless, yelling into a microphone, “Do you smellllllllllll what Barack is cooking?” Apparently SNL had a similar idea. That got me thinking about WWE (formerly the WWF), where The Rock first became famous. I was never a huge fan of professional wrestling, but I must admit to having watched on occasion. My little sister, on the other hand, was a huge fan. At about six years old she decided to be Hulk Hogan for Halloween. It was priceless. Back then they were the WWF, but a spate with World Wide Fund for Nature in 2000 resulted in a lawsuit and eventually a name change. WWE is located in Stamford, CT, just 20 minutes or so from my home town, and is a billion dollar business. Unfortunately, they haven’t been immune to layoffs, but they seem to have some great job opportunities right now.

Body Slam Your Way into a New Job

One thing that surprised me when I started doing research on World Wrestling Entertainment was the fact that they aim for a PG rating with all of their content. They put a huge emphasis on being family friendly because kids are such a huge part of their fan base. This philosophy runs throughout WWE’s five business units: Live and Televised Entertainment, Consumer Products, Digital Media, WWE Studios, and Sales & Sponsorships. If you’ve always loved professional wrestling and think that a career with WWE would be action packed, then you need to check out WWE’s Careers site. There are a bunch of job openings that can be considered entry level including Business Analyst (Stamford, CT), Live Event Marketing Rep (based anywhere in the U.S.), Motion Graphic Designer (Stamford, CT), On-Air Talent (Stamford, CT), and Writer Assistant (Stamford, CT). You can apply for all of these jobs online, so start practicing your body slams and elbow drops.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Who is/was your favorite wrestler?