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IBA announces the 2021 IBAcademics Student Silver Dome Awards Competion is now open!
Download the Call for Entries brochure below or visit the contest platform at: https://betternewspapercontest.com/login
All passwords have been reset to: BNC You will be asked to create a new password upon login.
Congratulations to the 2020 Student Silver Dome finalists!
To watch the virtual awards presentation on Tuesday, December 16th at 2 pm, use one of the following links:
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/491435825
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"One of the most common questions I get from young aspiring journalists is… “how did you get in to the business?” My answer inevitably comes around to that one internship… the internship through the Illinois Broadcasters Association. I took off a whole semester from U of I and interned full-time in the newsroom at WBBM-TV, Ch2, in Chicago. But it wasn’t just working in the newsroom. I was working for the one and only Walter Jacobson, dean of political commentary in Chicago! Was it scary? You bet! Did I gain the confidence and determination to go out and get a job in television news afterwards? Absolutely! By the way, without the IBA program, I’m not sure I would’ve gotten the much-sought-after intern position with Walter. And let me tell you, if you can survive Walter (sorting through his daily news tips by the hundreds and going out on an all night undercover shoot as an intern)… you can survive in this business! All internships, like jobs, are what you make of it. The IBA program will give you a wonderful opportunity to get to the starting line. Now, it’s up to you to separate yourself from the crowd and finish the race!"
Judy Hsu
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"I interned at WREX-TV 13 in Rockford, in the fall of 1992. At the time it was an ABC affiliate. I nervously left my first semester of my senior year at the University of Illinois, and rented an apartment in Rockford. I would have never been able to afford that apartment if it weren’t for the MIP. Throughout college, I received zero financial assistance from my family. My father was unemployed and my mother worked at a cafeteria. I got by on scholarships awarded for good grades, and part-time jobs I picked up along my journey. There were two people at that station who changed my life. Dennis Horton, the news director who took me on as an intern. And Mike Robinson, the main anchor and eventual news director who would offer me my first job immediately after I finished said internship, a full a school year before I would finish earning my degree. At WREX, I shot, edited and wrote my own stories. Back then the gear was heavy – I carried a camera on one shoulder and a large 3/4 inch tape deck on the other. On weekends, I did the weather. We had no computers. Scripts had to be typed. My experience here was invaluable because I learned how to do everything, and to this day, even as a -veteran- network correspondent, I can still edit. And I know good or bad editing or shooting when I see it."
Steve Osunsami
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“I was very fortunate to be awarded an internship grant from the Illinois Broadcasters Association for the summer of 1990, as part of their Minority Internship Program. I am eternally grateful to Gene Dybvig for convincing me to spend three months working in the sports department at WGN Radio in Chicago, instead of at a television station. Without question, this opportunity cemented my passion and propelled me into a career in broadcast journalism. I gained invaluable experience as a writer, producer, and reporter under the direction of industry greats such as Chuck Swirsky, Wayne Larivee, and Randy Minkoff. The lessons I learned working in the studio and covering the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, and Bears still resonate with me 23 years later. It is a joy to know that the MIP has evolved into the Multicultural Internship Program. I truly hope that other aspiring journalists are being inspired and more importantly, prepared through this tremendous initiative by the IBA.”
Ryan Baker
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"Deciding late in my education to pursue a degree in Broadcast Journalism meant that I had missed out on several opportunities to intern in my chosen field. Thankfully, it wasn't too late to apply for and be awarded an IBA Minority Internship my Senior year. Those few months spent in Quincy, IL at the NBC affiliated WGEM News Channel 10 helped to build the foundation of my career. It was there that I got my first real world experience in reporting and producing. It was during this time that I learned how to go into the the field each day and come back with a story for air. Here, in a little town across the the Mississippi River from Mark Twain's birthplace I wrote the first chapter of my adventure in journalism. Since then, I've reported from the wild tribal areas of Pakistan for CNN, uncovered corruption and fraud for an award-winning investigative unit and covered everything from politics and government to health and the environment for PBS. It's been a fascinating journey - one that began unforgettably with the Illinois Broadcasters Association."
Ash-har Quraishi
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The Illinois Broadcasters Association’s Multicultural Internship Program is a nationally recognized program. IBA has nurtured a diverse group of future Illinois broadcasters, offering them opportunities to work and grow with some of the most dedicated professionals in broadcasting. IBA MIP interns work at radio and television stations throughout Illinois. The experiences they report and the successes they achieve reflect the time and resources IBA has committed to the Multicultural Internship Program.
Students selected for IBA internships are the cream of the crop. They are chosen by their schools as applicants in a highly competitive process that ultimately whittles down a pool of quality candidates to just a half-dozen or so finalists for paid summer internships. Candidates come from state universities and colleges that are Academics members of the IBA. Applications are reviewed by IBA's MIP coordinator, a broadcaster and broadcast educator, who interviews applicants at their schools and visits them on site during the internship. MIP interns receive a stipend from IBA through the sponsor station to help underwrite their experience. Students will develop a work schedule in conjunction with the sponsor station and the IBA Coordinator. The MIP coordinator monitors the intern's progress, debriefs the interns at the conclusion of their internships and serves as a mentor before, during and after the internship.
Potential candidates should work with their IBA Academic Committee member on campus to begin the process. Check with your department chair, counselor or college internship coordinator for information.
