Each semester and summer, VPR's Journalism Fund provides funding for the News Department to hire an undergraduate college intern, who learns the ropes of public radio and assists with the production of Vermont Edition. This summer, we were blessed with the talents and southern charm of Middlebury College student Catherine Clare Hays. As she begins her fall semester, we share with you some of her parting thoughts on interning, public broadcasting and what it's like behind the scenes at VPR.
Would you mind spelling that?
Over the past three months, I have served as the call screener for Vermont Edition every day. My second day of call screening was the summer book show. For anyone who thinks call screening seems easy, try dealing with six lines going off at once with each listener calling in about a book that you’ve never heard of, by an author whose name you can’t spell. You’ll just have to take my word for it that it’s harder than it looks. Amazingly enough, this hectic process actually became manageable by the end of my internship. I can proudly say I have accidentally dropped only one caller, have become a pro at spelling the names of Vermont towns (in case it wasn’t obvious by this point, spelling was one of my biggest hurdles…), and can handle all six lines ringing without breaking a sweat. But more importantly, I had the chance to speak with listeners on a daily basis and to hear the scope of their comments and concerns. It’s great that Vermont Edition takes listener comments into account and I appreciated being the intermediary to that. Plus, between call screening and pre-interviewing guests, I have become so much more adept at talking to people on the phone than I ever thought I could be! If that’s not a useful skill, I don’t know what is.
“I want to be a producer!”
Even though call screening was my constant, I spent the majority of my time producing. Two weeks into the internship, I pitched an idea for a show on museum education and it was put on the planning board. I figured I might as well start getting together a list of potential guests, and while I was at it, I might as well call a few of them for pre-interviews ... Next thing I know, the program is on the air and Jane is reading out my name in the credits alongside the other producers. From that point on, I just knew I wanted to produce as many segments as they would allow. But out of all the segments I produced, none meant as much to me as the program on English Language Learners. As soon as Managing Producer Patti Daniels called to tell me I had received this internship, I knew I wanted to produce a show on this topic. While it was fun reporting on the cheese and ice cream makers, museums, and telecommuters, with ELLs, I finally felt like I was really making a mark. I was glad to be able to give visibility to something that really mattered and that, above all else, made me feel like a rock star (or a radio star, rather).
I also loved booking guests who had never been on the show or even the radio before. It was great working with guests who were previously just huge fans of the show, and who were absolutely tickled to be on the radio. Being able to provide people with the opportunity to be on a show that they love or to talk about an issue that they are passionate about is so satisfying.
Thanks for listening
It is with GREAT hesitancy that I’m leaving Vermont Edition. Intermittently over the summer, Jane Lindholm and the producers would joke about me dropping out of school and staying into the fall to screen calls full-time. If their offers had been serious, I must admit I’m not sure I could have said no. Working at Vermont Edition has brought me so much happiness (contrary to what the producers’ self-deprecating jokes would have you believe).
Last summer, I worked on an independent month-long radio documentary. It was definitely a great way to get my feet wet, get acquainted with some important Vermont figures, and practice doing interviews. But at VPR, I got to dive into the world of public radio head first, and I was happily equipped both with mentors and a station on which to air my work. I am now more convinced than ever that radio journalism is something I want to pursue. It’s the perfect balance of creativity and structure, and, most importantly, it allowed me to geek out about new things every day. So much so that I think I bored my friends to death this summer talking about my job. Vermont Edition has given me so much and I feel I can safely say that this won’t be my last job in journalism (although it’s likely to remain the best).
It still astounds me that this producing team believed in me enough to let me produce not one but three of their shows! For a show as highly respected as this one to put their trust in the intern is rare. Especially considering that I produced my first show exactly ONE MONTH after starting. These people are truly crazy but I love them for it. They have fueled the fire and I certainly hope I have more opportunities to produce in the future! Thanks VPR! You rock! It has truly been an honor.
