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| Overview: The Media |
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'The media' covers a broad range of publications and programmes - everything from local radio to feature films, from tiny newsheets to the national newspapers and the publishing industry. It is unsurprising to discover that the range of jobs and demands vary hugely as well, from the relatively high chance of success in applying to join a local newspaper or radio station to the enormously competitive national media and top TV jobs. One advantage in working in the media, however, is the ease of crossover between broadcast, print, and web fields, and additionally within organisations. There will be many chances to try your hand at a range of assignments and fields, if you so wish.
Apprenticeship remains popular in the media, with an expectation of lower level experience before application to the upper echelons is made, and most learning of the trade is done 'in house' and on the job. In these ways, though working in the media is often hard and difficult work, it has the potential to be fulfilling work from day one. Publishing offers longer-term projects in more regular and stable conditions, whilst preserving creative freedom and potential. In addition, all branches of the media (be they print, broadcast, or web) will have opportunities for energetic freelance writers, on an article-by-article basis. While this line of work is somewhat unstable in the job security stakes, the rewards reaped from an effecient and consistently delivering freelance operation can be significant, and freelancing (in any field) will certainly give you a great deal of freedom within the sector.
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| The way in |
Media firms tend to avoid the milkround like the plague, and in-house traineeships at the bigger national newspapers and broadcasting networks are scarce and immensely competitive (The Times, for instance, only recruits 2 graduate trainee places per year). Trainee places on local newspapers and radio stations are a safer bet, possibly following a period of work experience (which is an essential prerequisite, as the skills learned in a newsroom are unique). City and Cardiff Universities both run respectable journalism courses, offering training in shorthand and media law among other things. Imperial College offers a scientific journalism course, indicating the rapidly emerging market demand for subject-specific journalists. IPC and United Newspapers run training schemes in publication management for aspirational publishers, and Watford College, the London College of Printing, and Oxford Brookes University all run postgraduate courses in publishing. The best move, as with broadcast and print media, especially if you want to avoid further study, is to write speculative applications to publishing houses and get trained on the job.
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| Key Skills |
Flexibility is one of the most important facets of your personality that will be hard tested in the media sector. Hours, pressures, and pay vary from month to month and year to year, and if you decide to freelance don't be surprised to find weeks of inactivity closely followed by a 50 hour week, as deadlines are often short. Publishing has slightly more fixed hours, but the demands of projects still varies, and as the market is generally quite small and poor, financial flexibility will certainly be required.
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| Pay & Lifestyle |
The stereotype of the hard working, no-earning hack is no longer gospel in the media, but it is nontheless true that the hours you can be expected to work can be somewhat unsociable (especially if you end up being a night editor!), and the pay will never be in the management consultant league. In the print and broadcast media, there is enormous flexibility and scope for travel and other opportunities, and plenty of occasions when you can abuse the expenses budget!
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| Roles |
Reporter
Responsible for the collection and initial presentation of raw stories. Though editors will be on hand to oversee the final presentation of output, reporters are responsible for the copy, or in the case of broadcast journalism, the piece-to-camera or tape. An ability to 'sell' a strong story is crucial.
Editor
Responsible for the overall cohesion of a publication/programme, editors take the broader view, and must have a strong perception of the target audience and the priorities thereof.
Producer
Exclusively in the broadcast media, the producer is responsible for putting the programme together, in its most basic terms. The producer will book guests, commission features (in tandem with the editor and reporters), and generally make sure the project runs to budget.
Off-screen reporter/researcher
Responsible for the effecient delivery of news and background content for editors and reporters. Researchers will often also brief interviewees and monitor newswires in addition to providing adhoc people power as and when required.
Technical staff
An array of camerapeople, subeditors, pagesetters, sound recordists and printing staff ensure the logistical operation of the industry, enabling hard copy to be efficiently presented and produced. The technical staff of any firm in the media sector is responsible for moving the content of the publication from theoretical to physical.
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| Departure |
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