INTERSHIP INFORMATION
​
Sison Broadcasting's internship program gives students/individuals the opportunity to go beyond their classroom learning and get professional, hands-on experience. We teach interns what it's really like to work in radio, and prepare them for what to expect as they look for employment in the broadcasting industry.
​
Sison Broadcasting offers two distinct internship programs:
​
The WXXX program is based on promotions and public relations. The WVMT program focuses on news-gathering and producing for talk radio. Interns are not limited to these two concentrations. We encourage all interns to seek-out someone from each department to learn what their job duties include. It's not uncommon for an intern to start an internship in one department and then change to another to better meet their future plans.
​
Recruiting: Sison Broadcasting maintains relationships with the Career Planning Departments of all of the area colleges (Including Champlain College, St. Michael's College, The University of Vermont and Plattsburgh State). We do not actively recruited interns, but word of mouth from previous interns has provided a steady stream of excellent candidates to choose from.
​
Selection: Sison Broadcasting accepts internship requests from both students and non-students. Applications for internships are reviewed on a first come-first served basis. Most applicants are asked to come in for an interview. During the interview we evaluate the applicant to find out if they will benefit from our program. Potential interns should have a basic knowledge about the Broadcast Industry and have an idea about what they want to learn during their internship, and where they want to be once they complete it. Most interns have at least one semester of classes remaining after they complete their internship. Several of them have changed their class schedule based their experiences during their internship.
​
Referring/Retaining: Throughout the entire internship we provide feedback. Interns spend several hours each week by the side of their supervisor. They support the staff and experience the constantly changing situations a radio station faces daily. We work very closely with our interns and supervise all of their activities. Most interns require a written evaluation from their site supervisor to be provided to a school advisor at the completion of their internship. If the internship is not-for-credit we still provide feedback to the intern so they can gauge their abilities as they enter the job market. Several of our interns have started their professional careers as part-time employees of Sison Broadcasting.
​
Description: Following is a brief outline of the duties interns are expected to accomplish. WXXX 95.5-FM: • Assist on-air personalities at live broadcasts. Help set-up equipment, interact with advertising clients and listeners. • Work with the production department to create advertisements and learn proper vocal techniques. Record commercials and promotional announcements for on air broadcast. • Assist Promotions Director to brainstorm contests, write speculative proposals for contest sponsorships and press releases for news media promoting station events. • Help maintain the radio station website. Assisting with the creation of graphics and content. • Organize prize inventory and distribution. Speak to contest winners to verify information and send out prizes. Select prizes for weekly promotional giveaways at events. Speak with record company representatives to obtain giveaway product.
​
News/Talk 620 WVMT: • Assist morning show host to co-produce daily 6AM to 10AM radio show. • Research potential guests for on-air interviews. Searching the internet, reading through radio trade publications and press releases to find guests appropriate to news topics. • Enterprise reporting. Finding local newsmakers or stories to profile on the morning show. • Assist sports department to provide live updates from University Of Vermont athletic events. • Afternoon news host. (Duties involve compiling news stories, gathering business and weather reports to be incorporated into hourly news broadcasts. • Learning how to use radio broadcast equipment.
​