Don't forget your blog during the break!

Yo! Don't forget to drop in an entry for your blog at least updating your projects and your semester duirng the Thanksgiving break!!! You get weekly points per blog entries!

PROJECT UPDATES, PLEASE

We’re heading into mid-November. It’s a couple of weeks away from the Thanksgiving break. For BC 601 students it was the final time to pre-register for classes at Westminster. So how was it? Is the reality of finishing college finally sinking in?

Meanwhile, what's going on with your senior projects?
This week in your BC 601 blog entries, I would like you to concentrate exclusively on providing a thorough update (give specifics) on your projects. Don't worry about the career update or the topical news/link. Focus on giving me (and the world) a progress report on your project.

Let the updates begin!

Alex Trebek’s Short & Sweet Advice for Young Broadcasters

I was going through the Sunday Pittsburgh Post-Gazette which has some features on Jeopardy as it pre-recorded shows at the University of Pittsburgh recently. In a section labeled Q&A with Alex Trebek, a recent college graduate in the audience asked him if the game show host could get him a job. Trebek responded by pointing out that he’s been in the business for 44 years. The newspaper quoted Trebek as saying, “When I'm asked how best to prepare, I say get a good education and pay your dues. Start in small markets and work your way up.”

CNN Visitor on Campus

I wanted to back track here and offer my appreciation Meg Camardese for visiting us at Westminster. I’m a bit late on this entry but I wanted to offer some details about our visit with her back on October 25, 2004. She serves as an assistant to Aaron Brown for CNN’s Newsnight with Aaron Brown. She graciously agreed to visit campus for a Q & A session with our students. I’ll try to summarize what you missed if you were unable to attend.
Meg started out of college as a page at NBC. From that she moved into a position as an assistant to Tom Brokaw at NBC Nightly News and then had a brief stint with a subcontractor production company at the Food Network before moving to CNN. She loves the business and had the following advice for students who are passionate about it:

• Remember the value/importance of writing in this business.
• Be prepared to struggle with money when you start out—even if you begin in New York City.
• Double major if you can in areas like political science if you’re interested in jobs at CNN or the networks.
• Do the internships and network with people in the business because it’s a highly competitive business.
• Get involved in the internships and ask to do as much as you can-- don't be shy.
• Be prepared for long hours, but the time flies when you’re covering breaking news.

I could definitely identify all the themes from Dr. B's Checklist for Success coming through LOUD & CLEAR in Meg's comments.