Photojournalist at KAKE-TV
What is a typical day like at KAKE-TV?
On a typical day, I will receive my assignments and this will typically include either the reporter and story that I am included and/or a list of short stories and interviews I go out and film for the newscasts of the day. If I am with a reporter we will travel to the site of the story, sometimes several hours away from Wichita, and conduct interviews with people related to the story and get all the necessary footage for our package. After we have gotten all of our footage and interviews we must either write and edit from the field or come back to the station to edit. In the case of breaking news or more important stories, there will be a live shot from the field. This live shot includes setting up equipment, including lighting, and preparing for a live report. There could be breaking news without a live report and I will go to the crime scene or accident to get footage and interviews to bring back for either the late news or the morning show.
What is your favorite part about your job?
For me, the best part of my job is filming sports. During football season I film high school football each Friday, and during basketball season I will typical film at least one high school game a week. I have also had opportunities to travel to St. Louis to cover KU in the Sweet 16 college basketball tournament, as well as traveling this past summer to Kansas City to cover the Major League Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby.
Would you recommend Co-op to other students?
I would recommend Co-op to other students for no other reason than for them to know whether or not a particular job is the right fit for them. I realize that I am one of the lucky ones that fell into the right job and had the opportunity to turn my internship into a job, but this is not always the case for first-time interns. My advice would be to search for the types of positions that feel exciting and right for them and to just go for them.