By Tiffani Golding
Being an intern at WSHU was an opportunity that I truly enjoyed being apart of. At first I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to produce scripts for the radio but with the help of Terry Sheridan I learned quickly. It was a very hands-on internship, I didn’t sit back and watch others do the job. On the very first day I was sent out to cover a story with one of the news fellows. Being there only twice a week for four months was enough to teach me how radio journalism works. I learned the ins and outs and how to produce story’s for listeners.
The main thing I learned when writing a script for radio is to write conversationally. Once I learned not to complicate, over use or add extra words in my script I became better at writing and uncovering a story within 45 seconds or less. To accomplish this Terry taught me to use my five W’s to uncover the story. The five W’s encompass the main things the story should tell. Once I learned all of that my few months as an intern was no long difficult until I had to voice my script.
Voicing a script taught me a lot about inflecting my voice and pronunciation all while talking conversationally. Terry was sure to help me notice my mistakes and teach me how to properly voice. I popped my p’s a lot and sometimes would to talk to fast that I slur. Terry taught me to memorize my script that way it flows better when I voice it. There were times that I became frustrated that I couldn’t voice certain words properly and having to constantly re-record. But after re-recording multiple times when I finally got the voicer downpact and approved to be filed, it was a relief to know that my voice would be heard by many on the radio.
Although I only went to a press conference one time during my time as an intern at WSHU, I learned enough to get through any future press conferences that I might have to report on. I learned how to properly use the equipment, where to place my microphone and how to record notes while the speakers talk. Even though all these things seem simple, it’s something valuable that I never knew before.
All in all with the help of Terry Sheridan and his reinforcement on advice helped me to become a better radio journalists. He was kind, patient and understanding and taught me many key details while interning there. Because of his patience and willingness to teach my experience at WSHU was fun, special and helped me to grow as a radio personality. To future interns I would tell them to not worry or be nervous about writing for radio or voicing. It takes some time but after a couple weeks the rest of the internship becomes a breeze.
