The Arkansas Educational Telecommunications Network has a variety of internship opportunities available in several divisions. Internships are open to students thinking about a career in Public Television. Student interns experience first-hand the operations of a local PBS broadcast facility. Supervisors are flexible and work with students according to each student's schedule, experience and internship requirements. The intern position is non-paid. Therefore, AETN understands the need for outside employment and works to accommodate individual work schedules.

Research Division

Broadcast Management Intern (10-15 flexible hours a week)

The Broadcast Management Intern works with the Senior Management team including the Executive Director and Deputy Director, reporting to the Director of Research, Grants and Special Projects; attends management and team meetings; performs general administrative duties; and assists in various management and grant research projects.

General Duties:

• Attend monthly Session Director's Meeting and assist with distributing meeting notes
• Review Trade Publications to highlight General Reading Articles
• Help maintain files - public file and grant files
• Assist in preparing statistical and graphical reports
• Attend and help keep notes for selected Team Meetings: Special Events, New Building, Programming, Budget, Pledge, Production Planning, Computer, etc.
• Assist with planning and implementing selected Special Events
• Assist in data gathering for Web site updates
• Assist in various research for grants, political concerns, new technologies, demographic and viewer trends.

Operations Division

Administrative Intern (10-15 flexible hours a week)

Assist Director of Operations or Facilities Coordinator with written correspondence, scheduling state vehicles, telephone calls and reports, and record keeping.

Field/Studio Intern (10-15 flexible hours a week)

This intern will have the opportunity to work and train in the following areas:

• Lighting
• Setting up sets and props
• Assist in directing and floor directing
• Teleprompter operation
• Studio camera work
• Assist videographers on remote shoots
• Assist in the editing process

Production Division

Production Intern (10-15 flexible hours a week)

This intern will assist in general office duties in the following areas:

• Answer routine viewer calls
• Screen and transcribe videotapes
• Assist various producers in preparing programs for broadcast, including setting up interviews, reasearching background material for scripts, transcribing video, program development and preparing FCC reports.
• Assist producers with phone supervision during live broadcasts, including greeting guests at the front door, escorting them to the proper area, answering phones, collecting questions and handling other requests made by the phone supervisor.

Interns in this area will complete their internship by preparing a 30-second program promo for statewide broadcast. Working with a production supervisor, the intern will develop the promo concept; prepare the outline, script and storyboard; select music and video for completion. Final editing of the project will take place on an AVID editing system. The intern may supervise the editing process.

Programming Division

Programming Intern (10-15 flexible hours a week)

Interns are invited to participate in any or all of the following areas of work:

• Write and produce promtional materials for use on-air, including the completion of at least one videotaped promotional spot.
• Preview and log promotion tapes from PBS's and AETN's promotion library
• Research and update program promotion files
• Create VOCAs (voice-over credit announcements) for the AETN broadcast logs
• Dub promotion materials from one format to another for broadcast
• Review viewer correspondence and draft responses
• Research reference files and program schedules in order to respond to viewer questions and comments
• Develop special interest mailing lists by general program topic (example: environment, women's health, etc.)
• Review broadcast schedules and send notices to viewers of specific programs to be broadcast
• Assist in establishing databases
• Preview tapes and write synopses
• Assist in data entry for producing program schedule
• Research background information for program reports

Accounting processes:

• Work with accounting staff to process payables, research invoices, code and key payable vouchers, copy supporting materials, and prepare vouchers for mailing.
• Assist with reconciling funds and bank accounts
• Help to provide various financial reports
• Maintain files
• Assist with processing payroll vouchers
• Help prepare tax reports
• Work with inventory coordinator to process inventory updates of fixed assets and take physical inventory

Personnel/payroll duties:

• Work with Human Resources staff to maintain and calculate biweekly payroll
• Collect time sheets and key leave time accrual updates on data base
• Maintain personnel files
• Collect and report employee statistics
• Compose and place job advertising
• Log and report applicant statistics
• Provide applicant resumes for hiring team review
• Assist with contracts for professional services
• Assist with scheduling employee training
• Help with new employee orientation

Purchasing activities:

• Work with purchasing agent to maintain vendor data base
• Collect quote bids by phone
• Help key and distribute purchase orders
• Research products and proposals
• Assist with writing specifications for sealed bids
• Key updates to vendor data base
• Solicit new vendors
• Assist with orders and inventories of contract print and supply items