Life is a party for B94.5 interns
The internship at B94.5 is no ordinary internship; in fact some would say it’s one of a kind. PJ Mullen, co-host of the morning show for B94.5 came up with the idea that has taken off and set the mold for other internships in the College of Communications. In 2009, Mullen had the idea to get Penn State students involved in the community by having them work on the morning show and be involved in community events. It started off with nine students who had an interest in radio and has now progressed with over twenty-five interns per semester.
This internship isn’t typical. Interns aren’t taking coffee orders or sifting through a bunch of paperwork; they’re actually getting to experience what it’s like to work on a morning show and be part of it at the same time. Most of these students are sophomores, juniors and seniors at Penn State University and are taking full time classes. They get up at four in the morning two times a week for the show. Not only are the interns involved with the show itself, but they also get to see what Centre County is like outside of campus by attending remote broadcasts at local businesses.
These remotes occur 3-4 times a week for 2 hours each at local businesses throughout the county. These businesses are all clients of Results Radio, who own B94.5, and pay the company to have Mullen and his interns promote their business. This is a very important part of the internship because Mullen says his interns have the reputation of bringing the party wherever they go, therefore making them in high demand to bring attention to the business and their product.
Students learn different positions, including being on air, throughout their three-month internship at the station. One of these positions is producer where the interns coordinate the entire show and make sure all of the stories for that morning are in the hands of PJ and his co-hosts, ready to be read on air. The gopher position, or phone producer, is where the interns get to interact with callers and take their song requests. Another very important position is the audio producer. This person is in charge of pulling all the sound clips for the day’s show and also updates the Facebook page with pictures and posts.
Probably the most fun position is being one of the two intern co-hosts for that day’s show. This is one aspect that makes the internship interesting because you actually get to talk on air and see what it’s like to be a staple in the dynamic of the show. All of these positions really help the interns learn and, according to Mullen, prepare them to work at any radio station in the country.
One thing that people might not understand about the B94.5 internship is the amount of commitment these interns have to make. They are full time students fulfilling twelve to twenty one credits a semester on top of completing this internship. The morning show runs from 6-10 a.m. Monday-Friday, but the students have to be at the station no later than 5:15 a.m., with many getting up at 4 o’ clock to get ready and catch the bus to the station or drive there, along with competing a full day of classes after their internship.
Overall Mullen is happy with the success of the morning show and the internship at B94.5. Each semester the show continues to grow with more and more students becoming involved in the community. The internship at B94.5 is a chance to really get to know what radio is all about and is a chance for Penn State students to have their personalities shine on air.
Up close with an intern
John Patterson, a fall 2012 intern at B94.5 is not only learning a lot, but also getting to show his true personality on and off air. Patterson says that the experience allows him to really be himself. Getting up as early as 4 am usually doesn’t have people dancing, but at this internship the energy is in no short supply.
