Comm 203 Career Blog

After glancing through Careers in Communications by Shonan Noronha, the section that I was most interested in was titled Journalism, specifically the section about broadcast journalism.  With so many different and interesting careers in the field of communications, it was difficult to narrow it down; however, I feel like broadcast journalism would be a excellent fit for my personal interests.  Noronha mentions two separate areas for broadcast journalism including radio and television.  I am mainly interested in the television aspect, but would also consider a career in radio.  Noronha also states that their is much competition for a job in this area and it is imperative to start from the bottom.  On page 29, she says, "In radio and in television, beginners often start at small stations outside metropolitan areas and move to metropolitan stations and network stations after gaining substantial experience."  I am ready and willing to start at the bottom and work my way up in a station after I gain some experience.
Another important aspect of broadcast journalism, especially television, is the aspect of editing, which I am exceptionally interested in doing.  Noronha states, " News editors also edit copy submitted by reporters."(28) Since I am interested in reporting and editing, I would love to do my own reports and then edit them as well.  Not only would I be able to do work that I enjoy, I would be involved in making my final reports look the way I intended.
Finally, education is a very important part of becoming a broadcast journalist.  Noronha says, "College radio and TV stations continue to be a major training grounds for aspiring broadcast journalists." (28)  Fortunately, I was approached to be a part of a radio sports talk show on the Shepherd University station.  I am very excited about this endeavor and feel that it will give me crucial experience and education that I must possess in order to be hired when I am finished with college.  Although I am more interested in the television aspect, this radio show may give me new opportunities and experiences that will help me determine my dream career. 

Comm 203 Intro Blog

Hi, I'm Ashley Laspina and am currently a 19 year old Sophomore at Shepherd University.  Originally from the Pittsburgh area, my family moved down to West Virginia when I was in middle school, where I first became excited about media and broadcasting.  I became heavily involved in the morning announcements (doing everything from actual on camera work to behind the scenes works, i.e. teleprompter, sound board, camera operator) and eventually decided that I wanted to make a career out of it one day.  Throughout my years in high school, I remained interested in this field and started trying new things, such as editing video and producing my own videos.  Now that I am in college, I am very excited about gaining the skills I need and eventually finding a career that is right for me.  I am also very interested in psychology and have declared it as my minor.  My ultimate goal would be to find a career in which I can combine these two things or at least use psychology in some way; however, I have not really given this too much thought.  This semester at Shepherd, I am a part of a sports radio show.  I will be doing the weekly sports gossip.  On a lighter note, I love shopping and traveling!  I'm obsessed with football, specifically the Minnesota Vikings.  Also, my biggest achievement in the past year is buying my very first car, a 2008 silver Ford Focus.