You have to be a special type of person to be a News Production Assistant. Like every job, it has its pros and cons, but it's a fantastic experience to be a part of an on-air broadcast. Here is what I learned about the behind the scenes side of broadcast television.
Production is often overlooked when it comes to news. People associate the on-air talent to news and not necessarily the people behind the scenes making things happen. But that's okay because we choose the jobs we want to do. Back in high school, I was apart of production for my school district student newscast, and in college, I helped the journalism department with their newscasts. Although I somewhat had some experience from school to prepare me for the television production/broadcast industry, some things completely caught me off guard, whether good or bad.
Weird Work Hours
If you're looking for a regular 9 to 5, working as a news production assistant isn't for you. Compared to other jobs, I've had to make many sacrifices. I've had the opportunity to work for both mornings and night side of production. Brace yourselves for these hours. The morning shift started at 4:00 am and ended at noon. The night shift started at 2:00 pm and ended at 11:00 pm. Just when you think it's time to go home, you're told to stay late or come in early for severe weather or any extended coverage. Don't expect a set time to be in and out for work when working in news.
Working on Holidays and Weekends
The show must go on! Yes, even on holidays and weekends. You will still work five days a week (if you don't get called in), but your work weeks might be slightly different from the norm. My weeks started on Wednesdays and ended on Sundays. I've also had to work on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Independence Day. You get the point. I don't even know if anyone ever gets used to the fact that they will either miss or have to leave family gatherings early. It's just another sacrifice you have to make when being a news production assistant, especially starting out.
You Meet Great People
I've built some fantastic networks as a news production assistant. I've connected with my co-workers throughout all departments. It's not necessary to network with them. Your job is to do production after all, but if you want to explore other departments in the news eventually, make sure to put yourself out there and learn from others. Everyone's end goal is to inform the public, and it's incredible to meet people who all have the same mindset as you but have different ways of doing so. Did I mention they are probably the coolest people you'll ever meet?
No Day is the Same
This can be a good thing and a bad thing. In production, you're constantly exposed to news stories. You learn something new every day and see some of the most interesting videos. On the other hand, anything thing can go wrong while you're on-air. When you have to deal with technology every day, something is bound to crash. A clean show is always a win in news, but when something does go wrong, and trust me, it will, it's best to learn from the mistake and move on because there will be plenty of other shows to do in the future.
Breaking News
I'm the type of person that likes things to go according to plan. The unexpected tends to happen when working in news. Breaking news occurs, and scripts change. You have to adapt to those changes quickly and do your best. Every day before a show, production assistants get acquainted with the rundown to prepare for each show. Breaking news throws that entire flow off. But as scary as this may sound, it's not that bad.
The Set
I don't know about anyone else, but it's nice not to sit at a cubicle for 8 hours. Don't get me wrong, the newsroom has cubicles, but at least you don't have to sit there the entire day. Depending on what you will be doing for that day, e.g. audio, prompter, graphics, or cameras, you will either be in the control room or the studio. The control room is the place in a television studio where the composition of the outgoing program takes place. The studio is an installation room where video productions take place, either for the recording of live television to videotape, or for the acquisition of footage for post-production. Wherever you go, it's nice to move around and have a change in scenery from the computer screen.
The On-Air Tally Light
There's a bit of anxiety I get from seeing that red, on-air tally light turn on. You go from a chill state of mind to "oh snap, it's happening!". When that light turns red, you know you're on-air, and if any mistakes are made, they're there for the audience to see. Thankfully, the anchors are professionals and can explain to the public when things don't go as planned. It can get stressful during the times we are on-air, but if you can handle the times of stress and do your job to the best of your ability, you'll be just fine.
The Production Crew
When you sign up for production, you sign up to be apart of a team. That team you work closely with is the production crew. The crew includes a director(s), floor director, camera operators, audio operator, teleprompter operator, and graphics operator. You all feel the stress of the live broadcast. You all want to have a clean show. You all want to do your job flawlessly and go home. It's in your best interest to be a team player because you are all working on the same broadcast and have the same end goals.
Times are Changing
Society went from getting news from newspapers to radios to television. We are still in the climate of constant change. Cameras don't have to be set manually. Teleprompters don't have to be operated manually either. There are more than likely some completely automated news studios out there. People don't even depend on television for news when they have constant news coverage at their disposal with social media. This is definitely a vital aspect to think about if you are considering a news production assistant job.
In conclusion, being a news production assistant is one of the most stressful, demanding, and coolest jobs. You learn the ins and outs of news, and it's only fast-paced when you're doing a show. A social life as a production assistant in the news is pretty much nonexistent, but you work with some really cool people. If you didn't have a passion for journalism before joining the industry, you would likely gain one. Best of all, you're part of a team creating an on-air newscast for the public to enjoy.
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