Expectations and Realization

When I tell people that I intern at 95.7 WBEN I always get the same response.  “Wow, a radio station? That must be awesome! You must have so much fun.” Verbatim. Everytime.  And I’ll admit, I thought the same exact things when I first started.  Orignally I had applied to the rock stations in the area as a promotion intern because they were the stations I listened to.  Since many Philly stations are owned by Greater Media Philadelphia, I was offered an interview for the spot I have, promo intern at BEN.  I jumped at the oppurtunity and couldn’t wait to work at a radio station, a cool concept for someone who loves music like myself.

Unfortunately, this internship wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be.  First and foremost,  I have gained experience.  I have written promotional postings for the website, contacted tons of contest winners, had my first experience filing (see: hell)  and helped with various aspects of the radio stations social media presences.  I have also played the role of intern, running out and grabbing various items for the staff members here.  And while all of this is well in good, it was nothing new.  I wanted to learn alot this summer, I wanted to see how a full promotions department works, and I’m not sure whether I have gotten that opportunity. I very well may have, and maybe just didn’t realize it or expected more.

What I did get however was office experience.  The office next to ours, belonging to 99.3 WMMR, was a lot “busier” in terms of decorations, with pictures and other various things everywhere on everyones cubicle.  In essence, the office looked like what I thought a radio station office would look like.  BEN was different.  There were much fewer decorations, mainly personal items and decorations left over from a open house event.  I think being introduced to this environment before I have to dive headfirst into the workforce was a good thing.  I know what it is to come to a cubicle and work at a computer for hours, something I have not done on a consistent basis for awhile.

All in all, I did gain a lot from this internship.  I do believe that I had higher expectations, but that was mostly due to my imagination getting the best of me about how “cool” working at a radio station.  I came out with experience, and I met some great people, especially my bosses Jenny and Liam, who were very helpful, and very flexible with my changing schedule, which helped so much.  I’m glad I spent my summer at BEN, and now know some of the things I’m looking for, and not looking for, when I finally start looking for a job.