Jared Watson

December 5, 2022
COMM 495 Final Paper
Dr. Burns

When I started my internship for credit in the Communication Department at Salisbury

University, I had no idea what to expect. I say this because it was my real first taste of the

workforce. It was not only my first opportunity at pursuing a career in the communication field,

but it was my first time in an office-type setting. To say I was a little nervous would be a huge

understatement. But nevertheless, I was excited to show off my skillset to my city’s biggest

outlet for news, radio and production: WBOC-TV. I was brought on to be a video editor in their

Marketing and Promotions Department. This paper will cover multiple topics related to my time,

work and personal growth and experience at WBOC-TV. It will go over what I have learned

about the communication field, what I am most proud of from my time there and what some of

my downfalls were and how they affected my performance.

I learned numerous things about the communication field during my tenure at WBOC-

TV. The most notable aspect being just how vast the field truly is and how each path intersects

at some point. As noted earlier, I was in the Marketing and Promotions Department, which had

its own office area inside the building. Although I was somewhat excluded from other

departments, I was always filled in on what each section was working on at the time. The

representatives of each department exemplified transparency and were quite efficient with

keeping everyone in the company informed about each project, plan or idea presented.
 They would show these qualities by having weekly meetings with each department,

usually held in my department’s office space, which was very helpful because I was able to listen

and soak up all of the information they were presenting first-hand. In these meetings were

representatives from each department, typically two representatives from Marketing and

Promotions, one from Digital, one from WBOC News, one from WRDE News, one from

DelmarvaLife, one from the Delmarva Sports Network and one from Radio. The representatives

would take turns presenting what their goals, projects and assignments were for both the current

month and upcoming month. They primarily used Zoom to conduct the meetings, and a Google

doc was viewed with key pieces of information for each department to present. These would

usually take anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes. I found them to be very helpful and

informative.

Regardless of what department you were a part of, you felt like you were a member of

one big team working together. For example, at one point I worked on a project based on the

Accomack Arsons that happened in 2012. My task was to make a promotional commercial for

the TV special based on the tragic events that happened 10 years ago. Once I completed the

promo, it was sent to the Production Department, where it would be broadcast on WBOC, FOX,

NBC and DSN. Radio ads were also made to promote the special, as well as social media posts.

Everything was intertwined to make sure the information was distributed properly and

effectively.

The one thing that surprised me the most about my prospective career field is just how

detailed and precise it can be. There is a reason for everything in this field. Whether it was, in

my case, adding legal information at the bottom of a video promotion or adding a bug or liner in

a specific spot, there is a reason to have it included.

close. I can not tell you how many times I had to go back and add or touch up my projects,

regardless of if it was a video promotional advertisement, infomercial or even writing a topical

for the evening newscast. And I am complaining when I say that. I learned each time I was sent

back with revisions and feedback. It helped me so much, especially from month to month. I

began noticing that I was not getting as many revisions in November as I was in September. I

took the revisions and feedback as a positive growth learning opportunity, not an insult to my

work. That ultimately made me a better worker in the long run.

Another example was when I was learning about radio and what it takes to be a radio

personality/host near the end of my internship. I learned that phrasing and using correct verbiage

was important to not only you giving the information but especially for the listener on the other

end. Saying one wrong or misleading word can have your listener confused. Luckily, thanks to

tracking, if you slip up when recording a bit, you can just go again without anyone knowing. So,

there really is not an excuse when it comes to giving accurate information and correct verbiage

as a radio host, unless you do it when you go live.

I was also surprise by just how many people work for WBOC-TV. Over 200 people

work for Delmarva’s News Leader. When they say it takes an entire team to produce everything

you see on television and hear on the airwaves on your favorite radio station, they certainly are

not lying. I feel like I met a bunch of interesting people over the past three months, but in all

reality, I barely made a dent. That is not even including the hundred or so people who work for

WRDE as well. It is a collaborative effort to give Delmarva this amazing product.

would be an understatement. My life has never been easy. Being diagnosed with a rare

neuromuscular condition at the age of two and being in a wheelchair unable to walk ever since

can certainly take a toll on you, emotionally and physically. Heading into the first day of my

internship, I was a little nervous and skeptical of what was to be asked of me. I thought about

the possibilities of my arms being too weak, whether or not my wheelchair will allow me to

reach something, things like that.

I will admit, I exceeded every expectation I placed on myself. Everyone was very

accommodating when it came to easily accessing everything I needed. The moment I entered the

office space, they had a special desk set up and ready for me, which was very comforting to see.

Whenever I needed help reaching something, someone always offered their help.

However, it was the fact that I was able to complete each assignment without needing any

physical assistance that really made me feel the most accomplished. Being able to navigate a

new place is always an adventure, but it is even more so to someone with a disability like myself.

Challenges are always present, but it is how your power through and navigate them that shows

the type of person you are. Overcoming those initial feelings and emotions is what I am most

proud of from my experience.

Obviously, I am also very proud of the work I completed while interning at WBOC-TV.

The first week or so was the most challenging because of all the new material I had to learn from

the different software programs I would be using. I was familiar with some of the Adobe

software programs I would be using, so that was reassuring. However, there was an entire new
Adobe software program that I had to learn from scratch called Adobe After Effects, which is

something I now know and am comfortable with using and putting as a skill in my resume.

Seeing the approved message my supervisor, Rob, put on my work file whenever I completed it

was very satisfying. But I think the proudest experience when it came to my work was seeing it

broadcast on television. The number of times I have seen my work on any WBOC-TV television

channel has to surpass the hundreds. That is a truly gratifying feeling to see your hard work pay

off and get showcased for the entire Delmarva peninsula to see.

When you think about it, you really do spend hours upon hours working, revising and

producing these video promotional advertisements. So when you see that the work you spent so

much time and effort on appear on your television screen, it gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling in

your heart. You say, “Hey, I did that. That’s my work.” It is certainly one of the best feelings I

have had in my life.

Although there were plenty of proud moments during my tenure at WBOC-TV, there

were a few personal downfalls I experienced. The biggest was the fact that I feel like I did not

ask enough questions. I went into the internship thinking that I would be asking everyone I

could any question that popped into my head. Unfortunately, I did not do that. For a month and

a half, I felt like I did nothing but sit at my desk all day. And although I feel like I got a lot of

work done during that time period, I also feel like I secluded myself.

The final month of my internship, the month of November, was the month that I feel like

I truly branched out and got to get a glimpse or taste of different operations, most notably radio.

I can not help but think if I branched out a month earlier, maybe I would have obtained more
knowledge and made more memories with the group in radio. But overall, asking questions is

important. I always have been a visual learner. I learn better and faster when watching someone

else do the same task.

For example, I was helped by a man named Freddie, who basically oversaw me the first

two weeks I was at WBOC-TV. He was an intern earlier this year, and he eventually got hired

after he graduated. I had to watch him do certain things for me to fully grasp them. I did ask

him quite a bit of questions, but we became friends instantly. However, not going up to people

like Steve Hammond, Jimmy Hoppa, Lisa Bryant, etc. and asking questions about how they

entered the field or what tips they have for broadcasting and speaking was the one biggest regret.

It is something I will look at doing a better job of in the future.

Another downfall of mine was not making myself present in things like meetings or

group conversations. The very first day I was at WBOC-TV, they had one of the production

meetings. One of the topics discussed was social media presence for the radio stations. I was

able to chime in and explain to the group how I, along with my writers, boosted our follows on

Twitter for our Baltimore Orioles blog website, The Baltimore Battery. I explained how we

went from 100 followers to over 700 in a few months by retweeting, following certain profiles

and sharing our articles with a specific group of people.

That was the only time I spoke up during those meetings the entire time of my internship.

I do not know exactly why I did not speak up more often, especially after going for it and

jumping right into the deep end on the very first day. If I could go back, I would speak my mind

more often. I know I could be viewed as “just the intern,” but a variety of perspectives and
opinions is always welcomed in this company’s workplace environment. That is something that

is encouraged, not frowned upon. It is definitely something I could work on in the future.

My time at WBOC-TV was some of the best times I have experienced in my 22 years of

life, and that is not an exaggeration. The people I have gotten the chance to meet are honestly

some of the nicest, personable, humble and down-to-earth folks I have ever gotten the chance to

know. I have learned about their families, what hobbies they like to do outside of the workplace,

etc. I could not have asked for a better overall environment than the one I entered in August. I

have nothing but great things to say about this special group of people. Their professionalism is

top notch. Their knowledge of the broadcast and sales industry is phenomenal, which is, again,

why I wish I could have interacted with them more and asked more questions.