Manipal: Bharti Nayak, Former Associate Producer of CNN, New York visited Manipal on the occasion of the inauguration of the Centre for Media and Marketing Communication Research by the Manipal Institute of Communication. Team TMJ caught up with her during her visit:
Q. You were working in New York. Why have you come back to India? Do you think Indian Media is better?
A. I came back to India for field work. I think CNN, Delhi does more field work than other bureaus of CNN. I am not a spokesperson of CNN so I cannot comment much. I can just say what I personally feel. Besides, I really don’t know much about the Indian Media because I haven’t worked with the media here.
Q. What did you do as an Associate Producer for CNN in New York?
A. I worked as tapes producer and researcher. It involved producing news stories, anchor packets, videos on the rundown for the next day’s shows and editing.
Q. You have worked with a big channel for your first job itself. What difference do you think a big channel makes in terms of gaining better experience?
A. I worked in my college channel before, where I was an executive producer. There is no big difference. The backbone remains the same. The only difference is that you have more equipment and more resources which is not the case in small channels. You do the same work and require the same precision.
Q. You studied IT but pursued journalism as your career even when IT pays better. Why?
A. I have studied from Stellamaris College, Chennai and finished my masters in IT. I concentrated on multimedia software which gave me an edge later on. I then went to the Texas State University, Sanmarcos. Journalism anywhere is not a well-paid field especially compared to MBA’s and engineers. It all depends upon one’s interest and passion.
Q. Why did you choose broadcast?
A. There is no dearth of journalists especially in the US. Like any other field it has cut throat competition. I like writing but broadcasting seemed more lively. With broadcast you can always work with a team. I always wanted to be in broadcast.
Q. How important is a degree in Media?
A. Your experience, rapport, everything matters. It’s all about your contacts.
And also your experience is more important than the number of years you spend in education. So you should always be on the go. What you learn in college is priceless. You should make full use of your equipment and try and get an edge over the rest.
Q. What do you think is most important for a beginner?
A. You should have a road map of what you want to do. Make full use of the internet and you should have the maximum number of internships under your belt. I applied to hundred places just to get an internship. I myself got into CNN through their website.
For anyone who wishes to contact me and get guidance my email id is bn1037@gmail.com.
Sub-edited by Nina Chengappa |
