I want to start a show about current events (specifically politics, if possible), on TV or radio. I don’t need to be paid, I just want the experience so in the future I might be able to move into a paid position. I’ve interviewed people before for academic work (and put my interviews online), but I have no experience in professional journalism or communications. What would be the best way to get a start? I was thinking about looking into public access TV, but there might be some other possibilities, so just wanted to get the perspective of the teeming millions.
(It’s a long story why, but there are four cities I could do this in: Atlanta, New York, Boston, or DC. So area-specific advice would be appreciated as well.)
I was part of a multi-year cable access show in Florida. The cable provider was glad to have us, and for us it was a fantastic deal: they provided the studio, basic set, cameraman and engineer, and even access to an editing suite if we wanted it (though they edited it in real-time well-enough for our needs). Plus, they gave us the master tapes after they were used.
Beyond just the utility of it, I found observing and participating in the process very interesting and enlightening (they had just one cameraman, but a 3-camera setup).
I would definitely explore that possibility, especially if you have access to the cable providers in multiple cities.
If TV or radio doesn’t work out for you at first, what about a podcast? I don’t know exactly how they work, but I think if you can create one, you can upload it to places like iTunes and then publicize it so people can subscribe.
Or for TV, what about putting something together for YouTube? Not sure if the cost of equipment for that would be too high, but I don’t think it takes much gear beyond a computer, a mic, and a free program like Audacity.
Find a sponsor and you can get on local radio stations. It can be remarkably inexpensive. But I think cable access is a better route. It should cost nothing and give you a chance to try things out and produce some demos for later employment.