WCVB Intern – Spring 2025

Description

WCVB-TV has several paid internship opportunities available for Spring 2025.  Internship programs run for 12 weeks. You must be able to work between 16-24 hours a week and in 8-hour shift increments.  Days vary by your schedule and the need of the department.
The Internship program will run from approximately from January 21st, 2025, through April 11th, 2025.  These are approximate dates and could vary by department as well. Must be a Junior or Senior enrolled in an accredited college or university at the time of the internship to apply.  Application deadline is November 20th, 2024. 

To apply for an internship at WCVB, please submit the following: 

1. Application (Required)
2. Resume (required)
3. Cover Letter (required)
4. Writing Sample (Required for some positions)
5. Any other samples of your work relevant to the internship you are applying for.

Your cover letter should include:

• Department preference
• Available start and end dates
• Days and hours available to intern
• Briefly state your main objectives for participating in WCVB-TV internship (please be specific)
• What are your strongest areas of interest

Application Deadline

• Spring: November 20, 2024

Newsroom interns will spend 10-12 weeks shadowing and gaining experience in the following departments:

Assignment Desk

• Assist team members in gathering news and information. This includes taking and placing telephone calls from reporters, sources, governments agencies and general public.
• May also assist in research and other tasks.

TV News Production

• Practice writing and formatting scripts for broadcast.
• Time in the field shadowing reporters or anchors at a live report when available.

Digital News Production

• Help research and write content for WCVB digital platforms including the WCVB app, WCVB.com and various social media platforms.
• When appropriate, the opportunity to help with photo and video production for digital platforms may be available.

Photographers and Logistics

• Assist team members with field work and news gathering.

Internships are scheduled based on mutual availability and academic schedule and requirements, but typically consist of three, 8-hour shifts per week

CityLine is Channel 5's award-winning urban news and feature magazine program. The program focuses on the issues, concerns, and news affecting the Commonwealth's communities of color. The topics can range from social justice inequities to ethnic restaurants and everything in-between.

• Learn to research story ideas for weekly show production.
• Pre-screen and book guests: may include pre-interview phone calls to guests or communications with managers.
• Assist with field productions.
• Learn to write program promotions and in-studio interview questions.
• Accommodate guests on Wednesday morning tape days.
• Learn to create smooth transitions between recorded segments.
• Learn to write web summaries for upcoming shows.

The most unique part of the internship is the semester long guidance resulting in producing your own half hour show at the conclusion of the internship

Shifts are normally 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Thursdays are show days and are a highly encouraged shift to include in the internship. CityLine is not staffed on the weekends. *Writing samples are required.

5 Investigates

The intern in 5 Investigates is supervised by the Executive Producer of Special Projects. The individual for this position should have an interest in investigative journalism and be prepared to experience the deadline pressure of the investigative team. Familiarity with newsroom operations or television production is a plus. Must have strong writing ability and computer knowledge. Special consideration is given to applicants who have worked on a student newspaper, radio, or television station.

Interns will learn to:

• Assist in creating content for medical and consumer reports and investigative stories.
• Assist producers in story research, public documents.
• Learn to log video footage and find appropriate archival video. The intern will also have the opportunity to observe interviews.
• Practice writing, story selection & promotion choices for broadcast or digital.
• The opportunity to accompany crews in the field when possible.

Internships are normally scheduled between the hours of 9:00AM and 6:00 PM weekdays depending on academic schedule and requirements.  5 Investigates is not staffed on the weekends.

Sports interns should be well versed in both the Boston and national sports scenes (college and professional). The ability to converse about the hot sports topics of the day is a MUST. Interns should have working knowledge of the local sports scene (i.e., aware of managers, head coaches and star players of the four local professional teams) and be conversational on major national sports stories and events.

Interns will learn to:

• Monitor national insider twitter sports feeds/accounts for any breaking sports news.
• Log all sports events recorded by the Sports staff.
• Write scripts for daily sportscast.
• Research team and player statistics.
• Pitch story ideas to sports department.
• When appropriate, the opportunity to accompany reporters on location shoots may be available but not guaranteed.

Internships will typically require afternoon and evening availability.

• Learn the fundamentals of writing and producing effective news topical promotion.
• Explore broadcast and digital marketing and learn the responsibilities of the Creative Services Department.
• Gain production experience on promotional and commercial shoots, both in-house and on location.
• Observe unlimited newscasts and editing sessions.
• Draft topical copy for NewsCenter 5 and for Chronicle, our nightly newsmagazine show, as well as other special news segments.
• Gain an understanding of WCVB's commitment to the community through PSA production.
• Apply writing and communication skills in a professional environment.

Shifts are normally 9:00am - 5:00pm, but we try to work with students on a case-by-case basis on setting hours. We are not staffed on weekends.

Sales Marketing intern will develop a working knowledge of the business side of advertising. How the sales department can help come up with creative concepts for advertisers and sponsors.

Interns will learn to:

• Develop sales promotional pieces, client mailings, contest fulfillment and on-air production assistance.
• Gather research and ratings data for the development of sales marketing literature.
• Attend sales meetings and sales calls when appropriate.
• Assist in sales promotion video production.
• Generate client specific reports.

Internships are normally 9:00am - 5:00pm, but we try to work with students on a case-by-case basis on setting hours. We are not staffed on weekends.

Chronicle is WCVB's nightly news magazine and is the longest running, locally produced news magazine program in the country. Chronicle presents a mix of features on the people, places, and stories of New England.

Interns will learn to:

• Conduct research, including researching footage from old shows and news tapes, as well as via the Internet and phone calls.
• Update repeat shows for re-air.
• Answer viewer calls.
• Archive nightly shows.
• Assist producers with logging video footage from shoots.

Interns may have the opportunity to attend field shoots with producers

Chronicle is looking for candidates who can commit to at least 24 hours a week. Internships are normally 10:00AM-6:00PM but will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on students' schedules. Chronicle is not staffed on weekends.

Interns will learn to:

• Provide administrative support to the HR/Payroll Coordinator and Business Manager.
  i.e time & attendance, petty cash, tracking volunteer time.
• Check HR voicemail box weekly.
• Prepare onboarding folders for all new employees and interns.
• Manage employee photo board.
• Take employee/intern photos for badges.
• Assist with internship program:
  • organize potential candidates for departments to review.
  • help review resume's and cover letters.
  • organize intern orientation.
• Assist with coordinating community service days:
  • find and schedule group volunteer activities employees.
  • coordinating transportation.
• Help create monthly Wellbeing newsletter.
• Assist with any special events happening as part of Wellbeing program.
• Post pics to LinkedIn page.
• Assist with EEO preparation by meeting with various departments to track recruiting activities, on-air talent participation in community engagements and educational events.
• Enter qualifying information into Broadcast One, WCVB's EEO database.
• Any other projects that may be assigned.

Human Resources is looking for candidates who can commit to 24 hours a week. Internships are normally 9:30AM-5:30PM but will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on students' schedules. Human Resources is not staffed on weekends.

Interns will learn to:

• Assist with the dissemination and interpretation of audience viewing data from the television research company, Nielsen.
• Conduct WCVB-TV's exclusive, annual consumer market survey of the Greater Boston Marketplace which examines purchase behavior, demographics, and media usage of Boston viewers.
• Track local and network specials on WCVB-TV and competitive stations.
• Generate viewership data for sales, news, and Chronicle.
• Assist with projects that deal with audience viewership trends.

Internships are normally 9:00am-5:00pm, but we try to work with students on a case-by-case basis on setting hours based on students' schedules. We are not staffed on weekends.

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