My FMC needs a starter job at a news station or a talk show (like a Morning Show, the Today Show, or even a late night show like Jay Leno, David Letterman, etc.) What would be a position for her for having a degree in Journalism or Media Broadcasting? Like, maybe an Assistant PA or ?? And what would be her responsibilities and duties for that job?

Any help would be greatly!!! appreciated :)

Well, I'm pretty sure the "A" in PA stands for assistant, so I dont' think you could be an assistant PA. But that would be a normal place for someone to start a job. PAs basically run errands. The most common and well-known duty is to make coffee. We tease a freind of mine for having to make coffee on the movie shoot he's working on now. Though honestly, I don't know what else he does. I do know that he's very upset that no one listens to him. :) PAs don't really count, as far as opinions go. We don't know what our freind expected on this shoot. That's the thing, we all know he's an awesome shooter and can make beautiful beautiful images, he's still a PA for them so he doesn't count and all his talent and skill and knowledge means nothing. He just runs errands and makes coffee

I knew that.. sorry for that... That's like saying ATM Machine.... But a PA would be a good starter job? Even if it is getting coffee and running errands, it's something. Any idea what someone might move up to from PA?

I actually did an internship at a TV station, and a PA is basically a glorified intern who gets paid. On the production side of things, I reported to the technical director, who in turn reports to a show's executive producer. Most of my days involved setting up or taking down studio equipment (lights, cameras, cables), preparing graphics for the chyron or text for the teleprompter, and lots of sweeping the floor.

If she's focused on journalism, though, perhaps she could be a writer's assistant, copy editor, fact checker, logging tapes/transcribing interviews. Basically someone who does all the menial tasks that no one else wants. I suppose she could move up to being a producer or someone in charge of guest bookings or perhaps the director in the booth telling them which camera to take when (aka "God"). Responsibilities and duties aren't set in stone; depending on a show's budget/size/union considerations, people tend to be flexible and do whatever's necessary to get the show on the air and on time.

Good luck with your writing, and don't get too worried about the details.

Wow, Thanks! That definitely helps! I am still debating between Journalism or Broadcasting... But Thanks for info on both!! On to the writing...