Radio ready: Getting your foot in the door

By Krissy Ness

nesskr@mnstate.edu

Long weekdays turn into long weekends of getting coffee, pulling papers from the printer and standing on street corners holding signs during rush hour—but this is no ordinary internship.

Madison Korf, a senior majoring in public relations and minoring in music business, has been interning at the radio station Big 98.7 for almost two years and has made her mark. Not only has Korf been working as an intern, she has also had the opportunity to host the night show from 7 p.m. to midnight.

“There is always something so interesting going on,” Korf said. “You always have to stay on top, so it’s nice to know about different areas in the business.”

An intern hosting her own show was not only meaningful for Korf, but also unusual for the station.

“She got to be on the air, which is a big-time deal,” music director Alek Halverson said.

Halverson has been working at Big 98.7 for six years, and he has hosted the morning show for the last five. He began the same way Korf did—by spinning signs and getting coffee.

“Being an intern here is definitely not a job everyone can do,” Halverson said. “We kind of toss you out there to see if you have what it takes to do this job, because it is not anything like a normal job.”

Halverson has helped Korf expand her knowledge in the radio field. He also helped her prepare for her night show and has shown her the ropes along the way.

Korf has been working tirelessly at Big 98.7 by gathering stories and hosting the night show.

During the week, Korf is able to sneak away to attend classes at MSUM while doing her work for the station at night.

“I plan to stay in the radio business after I graduate,” Korf said. “I want to be in this field.”

With experience already under her belt, Korf’s future in radio looks bright.

“Madison was lucky because she got to hop up and do the night show,” Halverson said. “She’s come a long way and is doing really great. She works hard.”

Korf tailors her show to her listeners’ needs.

“You have to grab the audience,” Korf said. “I try to think of myself and ‘Am I going to want to hear that, or is it going to go over my head?’”

By now, Korf has her job at the station down to a science, but like every other intern, it has taken a lot of work to get there.

 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.