Broadcast media is way different than print media. Aside from the fact that broadcast media is simulated via television or radio, and print in newspaper form, magazines etc, the two also differs on procedures and most especially on their way of treating news sources and delivering it to their viewers or audiences.

On my first internship, I was able to go to Manila Bulletin. The experience there was really great and I had a blast working with the people you grew up reading their articles and considered as pillars of Philippine Print Media. But this second semester, I was able to make it to the country’s biggest and the leading television network in the country, ABS-CBN Corporation.

My experience there was so surreal. From the cut throat process of filing your application up to the dreaded interview, their medical process that was nerve-wracking because you will never know what might show up on your results, but all of these things won’t go to waste once you passed all of it, there are so many applicants but only few were chosen, and I am glad to tell you I am one of them.

I can still remember the very first day of my being an intern in ABS-CBN, it was February 04, 2012 and I was deployed to the News and Current Affairs Division, Failon Ngayon Department. The HR Account Manager of your department introduces you to your bosses and co-workers, the feeling was like happiness engulfs you but at the same time nervousness shuns everything out, I got my bearings back when I officially started. First impressions last so you better make a good impression for them to think that you are one big catch, and that they are so lucky to have you as their intern.

All of the staff and crew of Failon Ngayon were very warm and welcoming. They won’t treat you as someone who’s way below them, instead they will see you as someone that can help them big time, but at the same time, teach you on every bit of information you probably want to learn from doing transcriptions up to the shooting of each and every episodes and editing it.

In the past few weeks, I learned how they shoot their re-enactments. It is done in two ways, the first one is called black-backing, it is quite literal, you will be shooting in a small room backed with a big black cloth. It is used when you want to shoot a simple re-enactment for a certain scene. The second is the normal re-enactment shoot. It is done outdoors in any places that suit the required scene and place of the episode you are doing. These two are some of the basics in production.

One of the things I enjoyed was the spiels shoot. Aside from you get to go out in different places, you can actually interact and learn from the veteran broadcast journalist and considered as one of the pillars of Philippine Broadcast Media, Sir Ted Failon. He’s a very hands on host and you will learn a lot from him for he is a multi-awarded media practitioner. I was able to come in three different spiels shoot and I learned a lot. From the cameramen, audio man, lights man and up to the director. It was a great experience for someone like me who wants to be involved on things like that.

Aside from spiels shoot, observing on the editing and mastering of videos was the coolest part. As some of the students of our college says, “In PUP, we are deprived of good facilities.” Being able to actually use a MAC Final Cut Pro computer – that is quite a privilege you got there.

There in the office, every 8:00 in the evening, Sir Ted actually comes for the daily meeting with all of the staff, and including us interns. The meeting actually lasts for an hour. Just by listening to them, you will learn a lot, most especially on national issues here in our country. Sometimes, Sir Ted also conducts a crash training course on Investigative Journalism for his employees for them to be able to be efficient on what they do and to carry out their roles as public servants.

One of the things that I will probably miss are the in between moments where you get to know each and every staff and learn a lot from their experiences in the media industry. Talking with them opened my heart and mind that this place and in this line of work is where I am supposed to be, though I’m not closing my chances of getting a job on other industries, but in this kind of job, I see myself as a medium that will help my fellow Filipinos to open their minds and show them what is really happening not just in the country but in other places in the world as well, as the new slogan of ABS-CBN says, “In the service of the Filipino people.”

Being an intern for ABS-CBN and Failon Ngayon made me realize what I really want to do in life, and that is to impart my knowledge and to influence the people through the use of broadcast media.  As Isaac Asimov once said, “It is the writer who might catch the imagination of young people, and plant a seed that will flower and come to fruition.”