AUGUST 22, 2006
by Nick Hassel
Being the first recipient of the WPCA internship from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls has been a very exciting time in my life. From day one till the end of my tenth week, I never stopped learning and improving. In my mind, there are many goals of an internship. First, an internship should give the student a chance to learn under someone who is currently involved in the field he or she is studying. Second, an internship should give the student a chance to see beyond the books of college, and understand what a job in the field would be like on a daily basis. Lastly, an internship should assure a student that the field they studied is something they enjoy and can do for the rest of their lives.
I feel my internship at WPCA has met all these goals. During my short time here I had my ups and downs. I accomplished a lot, gained samples of my work for future employees, and most importantly, got a chance to see what my life will consist of after college is completed.
Bob Zank, who is the owner and founder of WPCA, taught me a lot about the job of working at a radio station. Throughout his career, Bob has worked at countless radio stations throughout the Midwest , as well as currently working for the Amery Free Press. Not only has Bob been a newsman and a farm director for radio stations, he also has been involved with sales and disc jockeying for stations. During my short stint at the station I was able to take a little bit away from all of his experiences.
Although Bob was rarely able to sit down with me and teach me about things he learned while in the radio business, I was still able to learn through observation. At many of the meeting and press conferences I had to attend for the station Bob was present. I was able to observe what he does at these conferences and meetings, and when it was ok to speak and when not to speak.
Furthermore, I was able to observe how Bob ran some of the other aspects of the radio business. Although he is not the sales person for the station, I was able to see the relationship with the sales man and how this part of the station is run. On many occasions Bob sat down with me and showed me the duties of the sales department, and how essential it is to the station. He always said the goal is to make enough money to keep the station running on all cylinders.
Being a journalist at WPCA this summer has shown me the day-to-day activities of a journalist. Every morning I got to the station early in the morning and added to my news script that I had been writing since my last newscast the day before. During most news days my newscasts were approximately seven to ten minutes long and consisted of eight to twelve stories, some state and some local.
Although I did spend some time writing and editing, most of my time was spent researching, making daily phone calls or going to meetings. On average, I spent around three days a week at either meeting or press conferences. Every Monday after my noon newscast, I went to the sheriff's conference. This usually gave myself a better understanding of things that had been going on the last week. It also gave me some items to look further into. The other two meetings per week were either government committee meetings, county board meetings, village meetings or even some school board meetings. For the most part these consisted of just watching and taking notes and getting some sound afterwards.
When not at the station or meetings, I spent a lot of time talking to some of the individuals involved with government or people who were involved with other news stories. I think the most interesting story and interview I did this summer was with Frank Bussalacchi, the Secretary of Transportation for Wisconsin . He had flown in with some other associates to discuss the possibility of a new stoplight at one of Amery's busy intersections. It was interesting because I never guessed I would have the chance to interview a high figure so early in my career. It wasn't that the story was big, because it wasn't; it was just great to have a newscast with such a prominent voice in it.
Looking back on the internship now I realize that I am glad I picked to go into the journalism field. Not only is it exciting, but it's something new everyday. One day there could be a huge election screw up and the next day there could be a local person picked for something exciting. No matter what everyday at the station was different. All in all this great internship just proved to me that journalism was the correct career path.
In the introduction I said there were three things that an internship should give to a student. And I believe I have shown that I have received all three from WPCA, and much more.
The best part about the internship was the ability to accomplish things I have never done before. I was able to attend my first press conference. I was able to interviews prominent people such as the mayor, county chair and the Secretary of Transportation. I was able to involve myself with other journalists who work in the area. I was able to produce a newscast by myself everyday. I was able to make all decisions involving the newscast, and much more.
All in all I would definitely recommend this internship to others. It gave me valuable experience that I needed in order to begin by journalism career. It also proved to me that I can be successful. Also, I had a lot of fun during this summer. I thoroughly enjoy being on the radio and reporting to people listening. This internship gave me the opportunity to do this. Furthermore, I learned more than I ever could have imagined. Some internships give you limited recourses and don't let you go out on your own and do your own thing. The WPCA internship was not like this. It gave me the opportunity to make my own mistakes, and deal with issues that were important for that day. So, for anyone who ever is given the opportunity at WPCA, I believe they will come back with more knowledge and more experience that they could possibly imagine. Plus if you're from the cities like I am, it is interesting to get other people's aspects on life.
Biography of Rasmussen by Nick Hassel
