KALW Intern Learns There’s a Lot More Than Just Talking to Make Good Radio

By Guest Blogger Lawrence Chan, KALW Summer Intern

My internship at KALW is a lot better than I expected. I got a lot of freedom and time to do my work, so my work did not seem stressful at all. I did not have to work at home which also gives me free time at home.

Everyone at work is extremely nice to me and encourages me to do well on my assignments. For my commentary assignment, it wasn’t something that was set already and I could choose whatever assignment I want. That made me feel really happy because I could choose what I want and to speak my mind on that topic.

At KALW, I was able to learn a lot about the radio about how it works. We sat in when people were working and saw how it was. We got to sit in when one of the engineers was mixing the day’s show and it was pretty fun to see how each program was put together and what music to incorporate in it. We sat in during one of the tracking sessions and it looked pretty easy.

After we did the tracking workshop, I had to think again. There is so much more to just talking regularly on the radio. To be honest, I would rather work than go to school.

Note: The KALW Summer Internship program will continue through July 31, 2014. Each intern will produce an on-air piece, along with the MixTapes they are currently producing for air. Stay tuned to hear about their experience and listen to their stories.