Hey guys this is Ryan Young, and I'm interning at News 8 and MyTV9 this summer, blogging today from the News 8 station in downtown New Haven! Hope everyone is trying to stay as cool as possible on this rather toasty mid-summer day. This is my first blog entry as an intern under Angela Campion the MyTV9 Star here at the station. I've gotten to travel to a lot of interesting and unique places over the past two months working with Angela and have definitely learned a thing or two along the way on how the business is really run. I'll get to all the fun stuff in second, first a little bit about me. I'm currently going to school at West Virginia University and am majoring in Broadcast Journalism, a field that I hope to excel in once I'm done with college. Right now I'm on pace to graduate next spring from WVU, but I don't know if I'm ready to graduate yet. I'm having an absolute blast there. It's really fun going to school at WVU. Maybe too much! I try to keep myself busy while at school, as I work for the school newspaper as the sports editor, and the radio station at West Virginia University, while also trying to juggle classes in between and hanging out with my friends. I also work for a local TV Company called WEST TV, and call high school basketball games on local television. For radio, I have the privilege of doing play-by-play for the West Virginia Baseball, Hockey, and Women's basketball team's for 91.7 FM. It's a busy time, but it's with out a doubt, worth all the time and effort. Last summer I had the privilege of interning at KC 101 and KISS 95.7, two Clear Channel Communication Radio Stations here in Connecticut. I learned a ton from those experiences, and even got to co-host a radio show on WELI with George DeMaio every Saturday morning, live on the radio.
So far my internship experience has been a very productive one here at News 8 and MyTV9. Here at the station, I've gotten to sit in on the 5 p.m. news cast, the Connecticut Style program, (which airs weekdays at 12:30 p.m.), and have met some of the best local broadcasters here in Connecticut, including Keith Kountz, and Darren Krammer, just to name a few. The people at News 8 and MyTV9 are extremely friendly, something I think is a true testament to their professionalism.
Angela and I have gotten to go on some fun interesting trips all throughout southern New England. My favorite had to be when we got the chance to go to Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut and got a tour of one of New England's oldest, yet freshest, theme parks. Angela then took the footage she got from the Lake and was able to create another web video to her already vast collection. The nice part about these videos, is that not only do they go on the website, mytv9star.com, but often times some of these video's are made into 30 and 60 second commercials that frequently air on MyTV9 during the day. For me personally, I find that pretty cool, cause I'm actually in a couple of her video's, including our trip up to six Flags New England in Massachusetts. That video shoot was tremendously entertaining, even though I probably went on too many roller coasters, or at least more than my weak constitution could stomach! Oh yeah, and a quick suggestion to all those with weak digestive systems, stay away, far, far away from the Bizarro roller coaster when visiting six Flags New England. Try the water rides instead. Those were just a couple of the exciting shoot's that Angela and I were able to go on. Others were video shoots at the Berlin Batting Cages in Berlin, CT, the Goodwill store in New Haven, CT, and my first ever shoot at the Mystic Seaport in eastern Connecticut. I've been able to shoot a good amount of video for Angela and have even gotten the opportunity to practice some on air stand-ups, or shots when I am on camera talking, something that will certainly help me out considerably when I get back to school and start up some of my broadcast journalism classes again. Having a good time at News 8! Stay cool and enjoy the weather. Check back with you guys soon!
- RY