By Malik Newson
Year in School: Senior
Major: Journalism and Mass Communication
Internship: Promotions and Marketing Intern, Cumulus Media
Why This Internship Working in broadcasting, whether radio or television, has been my goal since I arrived at the Greenlee School. I always feel so comfortable using a camcorder and/or a DSLR. Thanks to working as my fraternity’s public relations chairman, taking courses such as JLMC 462 (Media Ethics with Dr. Michael Bugeja) and JLMC 307 (Digital Video Production with Jeff Ames) and my past experiences as a writer and anchor on ISUtv, I knew that I was equipped for television. But I needed to know more about radio broadcasting. So, applying with Cumulus Media was the opportunity I needed to learn more about radio, and I like to seize any opportunity I can to learn something new.
How I Landed My Internship Once I updated my resume, I attended the Jump-Start Internship and Networking Fair, an event I had become familiar with when I wrote a blog post about it for CycloneLife.net prior to attending. But actually, attending the fair was initially intimidating as I saw all these professionals standing around. And it was my job to impress them. And impress them I did!
Three days after the fair I received a call and an email from Cumulus Media asking me to schedule a follow-up interview at the office. I headed to the office in Urbandale, spoke with their recruiter and was asked the question that is music to any applicant’s ears: “When would you like to start?”
A Day in the Life of a Cumulus Intern Now every internship will be different, and no day is exactly the same as the previous. My day would usually require me to stay up-to-date on music news and regularly post stories to the corresponding stations’ accounts (i.e. hip-hop news to the 98.3 The Vibe’s Facebook page). I would also sit in on recording sessions with the disc jockeys (we call them “jocks”), help write scripts for ads for clients, look for potential new clients who would like to advertise with Cumulus Media and attend sales meetings with staff. I even once got to sit in on a meeting with the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce and meet some clients whom I later wrote ads for. So, a lot of my job is very full-circle.
My favorite days would be going to remotes, meeting with people who listen to the stations and seeing them win prizes. The thing that I had to learn quickly is that while the jocks are what many would call “celebrities”, but their celebrity has nothing on the jocks. People are able to connect so easily with them because you hear the jocks everyday: when you are driving to and from work, on the road between stops, as your alarm in the morning or when you just want to jam in your car. Remotes like Indianola Bike Night, Zoo Brew (after hours at the Blank Park Zoo) and Local Bites were so cool to be a part of and I can’t imagine a summer without them.
But what is really cool is the video packages I have been able to create. I found a way to take my knowledge of video production and put it to use, making videos for our bigger events like 2017 Big Country Bash and NASH Next, as well as cliental videos for Big Al’s Barbeque, Scotty’s Body Shop and more. Here is a video I created for the Big Country Bash along with a fellow intern.
From attending the Jump-Start Fair to prepping for the Iowa State Fair, I can honestly say that working with Cumulus Media has been an absolute blast. I would highly recommend an internship here. While I did take this internship on for the 499A credit, the experience would’ve been a blessing either way and I might even apply for a part-time position there after graduation. Then I need to come up with a radio name. Time to do some thinking.
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Vote for this entry in Round 2 of the 2017 Greenlee School Summer Intern Blogging Contest.
Voting begins at noon on Aug. 10 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 17. The winner will be announced Aug. 18 by noon.