Getting A TV Job: Know Your Current Events

What's one of the most embarrassing things that can happen in an interview with a TV station?  You not knowing some major player in a breaking news event (a commonly known president's name, or the head guy at the Federal Reserve), or you not knowing anything about some major breaking weather event that just took place.

Here is an excerpt from the book where we discuss knowledge of current events, along with the importance of that knowledge:

A common problem in news is when a new reporter or anchor doesn’t know what’s happening in the world – they just want to be famous on TV. It is important that you’ve at least heard significant people’s names and have a rough idea of what they do and who they are. That way, when breaking news happens you’ll have a good idea of who the person is and how significant the news is. What is the worst and most embarrassing thing that can happen when you don’t know who someone is and you’re anchoring or reporting? You have to ask who that person is. While it won’t be the end of the world, it doesn’t help your image around the station at all either.

Keep that in mind not just while you are applying for your first job, but also after that as well!

To find out more about this section of the book  and other related sections, please click on the "Buy Now" link at the top of this page or click here.  Remember that until April 30th you can order the book with free shipping by using the code APRILMAIL305 upon checkout.  You can also download the PDF version for about half the price as the printed book.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" along with more personal stories from the author!

~Aaron Shaffer