Blue Hen reporters
UD undergraduates intern with Fox 29 Junior Reporter program
1:26 p.m., March 14, 2016--For many communication or journalism majors, broadcasting on-air is a long-term career objective, but for University of Delaware seniors Briella Tomassetti and Richard Raspa, this goal has already become a reality through the Fox 29 Junior Reporter program.
Tomassetti and Raspa auditioned and were selected by the Philadelphia television station to work in the competitive program, which offers an experiential learning experience to supplement their undergraduate studies.
People Stories
'Resilience Engineering'
Reviresco June run
Tomassetti, of Massapequa, New York, is a communication major with minors in journalism and Italian, and Raspa is a communication major from Sewell, New Jersey. Both became involved in the Channel 29 program after two producers from the station spoke in one of their classes, seeking students interested in reporting news from Delaware, a sector often underrepresented in Philadelphia media coverage.
The program, which treats the students as freelance reporters, allows Tomassetti and Raspa to pitch human-interest stories, often from the UD campus. Once given the green light on a story they’ve pitched to executive producers, the students have a week or two to shoot, edit, frame and write a story. Fox 29 then airs the stories that they find suitable.
Tomassetti’s first story to air was the one that served as her original audition reel, about a colorblind UD student who tried on special glasses created in California that enabled him to see color for the first time.
Both Tomassetti and Raspa have broadcast several “Athlete of the Week” stories, in which they created a segment about an athlete from the Philadelphia metro area and presented him or her on the air with a certificate of achievement.
Both students are optimistic about their participation in the program translating into post-graduation career opportunities.
“For anyone that’s interested in going into this field, it is important to get as many internships and junior reporting experiences as you can get to get your foot in the door,” Tomassetti said. “With entry-level reporting positions, it’s important to utilize what you’ve already done to secure a position.”
Developing story ideas and pitching them to producers is valuable experience, Raspa said, and those that are selected for broadcast are good for building resume strength in the communications field — especially with a major market such as Philadelphia.
“It’s great to have airtime in one of the top four markets in the nation,” he said.
To see a few samples of the UD students’ reporting, visit these websites:
http://www.fox29.com/good-day/59002056-video
http://www.fox29.com/athlete-of-the-week/94343841-video and
http://www.fox29.com/fox29weekend/55918595-video.
Article by Chris Razzano
Photos courtesy of Briella Tomassetti and Richard Raspa