Career Options in Broadcast Journalism

To become an eligible broadcast journalist you need to have, either loads of experience on field or the back up of a good learning institute or media school. Videographers and cameramen require a basic knowledge of media and a full term course in videography.

Though the stress level in television industry is very high, the financial relief is also substantial. Any upcoming journalist should cater to high performance levels and proficient in the particular language that they converse or communicate. The pay packages vary from channel to channel. Some channels pay around 1 Lakh rupees annually while joining, whereas some channels start off with 10 Lakh rupees as annual pay.

Working hard is the only mantra that works right for a budding broadcast journalist. This hard work paves way for a well-paid career and a more professional outlook. Mr. Ashok Ogra, Director, Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication advises you to put your full efforts for lucrative career prospects. Broadcast journalism may not be very high paid profession in the initial stages, but over the years it may match up with any high paid corporate job. Broadcast journalism refers to both, television and radio news reading. Some of the common parallels and differences between radio and television news are:

• Similar News Concepts- The suppositions and analysis for social, economic and cultural issues of the country are more or less the same, including the current events and happenings.
            
• Difference in Approach - In television journalism the main focus is on imaginative writing for visual effect. The personality of the reader and the background also create an effect along with reading skills. Whereas in radio journalism the main emphasis is on voice modulations and the ability to speak the news more than the writing skill. The real gamble in radio journalism is to virtually transport a listener to the scene by the power of your voice.

The modern way of online news broadcast is the latest addiction for the net savvy public. It is emerging as an important feature of broadcast journalism. Mr. Charles, Correspondent, CNBC is working on a top class portal for his company. He transforms the news shows and their scripts into writings for online reading. Fresh contents are also added to attract net browsers. Portal news is an upcoming and interactive way of communication. Many multinationals and even smaller firms have realized their potential and are working towards launching more and more online portals.

When you are thinking of a career in broadcast journalism, there are numerous institutes offering various course modules in broadcasting? Ensure that you end up with the right institute, which has trained faculties and all necessary training tools. Training programmes for faculty members should be given first priority before actually training the students. Beware of institutes that merely sell beautiful dreams to attract prospective pupils based on a weak foundation. 

Some of the lists of top colleges or institutes are:

• Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi- It offers training in print journalism, photo journalism, radio journalism and television journalism. All India Entrance examination is conducted for those aspiring to gain admission in postgraduate diploma courses. It is then followed by a personal interview test.
          
• Xavier's Institute of Communications, Mumbai- The course offers full time postgraduate diploma programme.
          
• Asian College of Journalism, Chennai- It offers one-year diploma course in print broadcast and Internet journalism. The college also presents a 10-week BBC course for broadcast journalism students.
             
• Sophia College Polytechnic, Mumbai- A Government Recognized College offers 1-year full time course syllabus and a one-month placement scheme after the completion of the course.
          
• Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, Pune- It was established in the year 1990 and offers a two year post graduate diploma in mass communications with specialization in cyber, print and television journalism. It also offers a BA course in journalism.

The above list provides a comprehensive details of the best places to have this degree.