In my last post here, I talked about some things to expect if you want to start out (and stay) in big market TV. This post is going to take a look at the ins and outs of starting in smaller market news, and moving up.

Getting a starter job at a big station usually takes some kind of insider knowledge – maybe an internship, a special contact, or prior involvement in the company. By contrast, it’s usually easier to get a job in a smaller market with little or no experience, and few or no contacts. You’ll be asked to work hard for very little money, it’s true, but your range of motion, so to speak, greatly increases.

Often you still have to pay your dues at a smaller station – working a less-than-desirable shift, or covering the less-than-exciting beats – but you’ll often find that time spent on these less-than-desirable tasks is not as long as it could be.

At one of my first stations, I started out producing the morning show, which meant my hours were roughly 11 pm to 8 am. I was on this shift for about nine months – which can seem like an eternity when you’re working those hours, but I came to find out it was a drop in the bucket. After my stint at that station, I moved on to a top 5 station. Of course, I started down at the bottom again – on a morning show. Talking to the producers on that show, I came to find out they’d been in mostly medium to large markets throughout their careers, and had spent most of those years on some sort of overnight shift. One guy had been in the business 15 years!

In a smaller market, you’ll probably be able to take on more responsibility and special opportunities if you’d like. At the same station I mentioned above, I always volunteered for special projects. I produced live post-game football shows, one-hour specials, and even got to play reporter by writing and voicing a story that went to air.

Resources at a small or medium sized station tend to be stretched thinner. This may mean longer hours, but it also means you have a lot more opportunity to do what you want.

*alexis (www.10thfloorpr.com)