CHARLOTTE, N.C. — COVID-19 took so much from the world, and one of the big impacts the pandemic had was on our students and their schools.
Millions of students across the country missed important opportunities to learn from in-person internships or from job shadow programs.
WCNC Charlotte partnered with the Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists and the CSB Media Arts Center, Charlotte, to make a difference by helping fill that knowledge gap by introducing juniors and seniors in high school as well as college students to the many career pathways available at their local television stations.
The staff at WCNC Charlotte put together elaborate presentations to mimic what a student would learn in a day of shadowing someone in a local newsroom or on a sales team or marketing the station.
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In June 2021, different departments outlined their jobs, what it took for them to get to where they are, and what students should do to prepare themselves for a similar career.
Ever been interested in becoming a journalist? Do you know the multiple different paths to get to work in a newsroom? If not you, do you know a student who would be interested in learning about this?
All the remote job shadow presentations were free to attend.
If you missed the sessions, you can still watch them on YouTube:
Here is a list of the presentations in the YouTube playlist:
- Overview of the industry and careers with WCNC President and General Manager Joan Barrett | Rewatch here
- Photography, Editing, Directing and Engineering with Senior Editor Linda Cook, Director Greg Olenik, Head of Technology and Operations Jodi Winterton, and Photojournalist Pierre Simmons | Rewatch here
- Digital journalism with Digital Director Blair Shiff | Rewatch here
- Weather/Meteorology and Sports reporting and anchoring with Sports Reporter Ashley Stroehlein and Meteorologist Iisha Scott | Rewatch here
- Anchors, Reporters and Multimedia Journalists with Anchor/Reporter Bill McGinty and Reporter Billie Jean Shaw | Rewatch here
- Producing and the Assignment desk with Senior Assignment Editor Amanda Aycock and Executive Producer Kristy Nation | Rewatch here
- Sales and Revenue career opportunities with Digital Sales Manager Lauren Beckerle and National Sales Manager Rick Delcampo | Rewatch here
- Marketing with Brand Manager Stephanie Mackey and Marketing Director Rob Dwyer | Rewatch here
If the sessions piqued your interest and you'd like to get some hands-on training once you graduate, you should apply for the Producer-in-Residence program through WCNC Charlotte's parent company TEGNA.
This innovative and intense multi-platform producer development program pairs two producers-in-residence for two years at 20 different TEGNA stations across the country.
Each outstanding candidate learns how to create exciting, unique, sharable content across all platforms and watch the audience see the difference. These producers craft original content for digital and social platforms around an innovative show currently airing at the TEGNA station while working closely with experienced, professional journalists.
Producers-in-residence also act as change agents inside the TEGNA newsrooms, bringing their own innovative ideas to help re-invent journalism in the digital age.
Candidates are asked their top five market destinations once selected for the program and TEGNA tries to get them placed at one of their top three choices.
At the end of the two-year-long program, the producers-in-residence are able to produce an innovative show for any TEGNA station as well as produce original content for any TEGNA digital/social platform. They have the opportunity to move up within TEGNA at any time during the two-year period either at their original station or another TEGNA property.