DEDICATION
This report is dedicated to the endless
efforts of my parents who never relents their
efforts in encouraging me to push forward and never
give up a fight. Also tribute is paid to my
spiritual mentor Bih Fon Gwannanji.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This report on my internship done at the Christian Broadcasting Service, CBS FM 95.3, is in linewith my listed objectives. Although at the start it wastough, as time unfolded, I proved tougher. It is a resume of what transpired in the course of my internship.
I would like to acknowledge the following persons in which without them, this report could not bea realization: my lovely Uncle and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Suh Christopher; while not forgetting my loved one, Gisel Gesu for her moral and financial support.
And to God who continues to give me the space, love and inspiration needed to produce such a report. I must especially appreciate His support, for when it proved tough, He sent an encouraging spirit.
Finally, to my friends and well-wishers especiallyOben Carl Ayuk Cole, Lekelefac Leonel while, not leaving out the CBS staff.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter one Introduction Background Reasons
Chapter two
The institution The technical section The conference room Journalist section The organigram
Chapter three
Activities during internship
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Live coverage News writing Interviewing Programme production Programmes and script editing.
Chapter four Difficulties encountered Solutions to constraints
Chapter five Conclusion Recommendations
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
This is a report of an internship I underwent at
the Christian Broadcasting Service Radio in Buea. The
report is all about the one and a half month that I
took with other course mates as a practical exercise
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which is a compulsory discipline to all students of the
department of journalism and mass communication to
carry out two internships within their first and second
years at the University of Buea. All words and
organizations that have been abbreviated are put in
brackets and therein are some names of programmes that
are put braces and quotation marks. Also, there are
direct speeches quoted as said by the speaker.
Background of CBS radio The present day communication department started
in the 1960s with the name Literature Department, when
radio production was only possible with the lone
government radio, the Cameroon Radio and Television
(CRTV). The department produced programmes for
evangelisation and broadcast in the government radio in
Buea. The department of communication of the
Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) also operated a
literature department in which they produced a 16page
magazine called the “Presbyterian messenger”. With the
capacity as the communication department, it could
produce newspapers, magazines, diaries and gospel
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tracks as print items, and in the electronic side it
could provide radio, audio and video production,
computers and even television as well.
The communication department of the PCC has branches
in Bamenda, Yaoundé, and its main branch in Buea. The
function of the department can be classified under
four main sections namely: radio, print, seminars and
public relation with radio being the predominant
taproot.
As time went on, plans were made to open a
church radio station. This came to effect when the
government relaxed restrictions in operating radio
stations by private individuals as well as missions.
Then the PCC grabbed the opportunity of opening the
Christian Broadcasting Service (CBS) radio F.M 95.3.
It was on the 26th of February that the Rt. Rev.
Nyansako-ni-nku dedicated the station to officially
operate.
The station produces both Christians and public
affairs programmes, and its signals cover the whole of
Fako division, parts of meme and Kupe Muanenguba
division, Litoral region and parts of Equatorial
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Guinea. CBS radio is one of the most popular radio
stations among the six (6) private and lone government
radios in the Buea municipality. The CBS radio
produces about sixty (60) programmes in its two shifts
throughout the week. The first shift being from
5:30a.m to 12noon and the last shift from 5:30p.m to
10:30p.m. The station is also blessed with a set of
volunteers.
Due to its sound qualities in upholding
journalistic ethics, the CBS radio is a radio that
provides sustainable skills in journalism to both to
be journalist and lovers of the profession. This and
many more serve as reasons why i choose to carry out
my internship at CBS radio. Secondly, CBS radio is
staffed mainly by students who graduated from UB who
undergone training from the prestigious JMC
department. Some of these students includes: Ekabe
Claudia Etiendem, Mbanda Shella Takang and Ngemda
Emmanuel
CHAPTER TWO
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The CBS radio has four technicians. They all
work in shifts during the week. They are: Njie Mbua
Solomon, General Mbah Anthony Forbit, Chick Waltas,
and Chumpchisi Florence. The technical section of the
CBS radio is made up of both an Analogue and Digital
technical equipment. At the start the CBS radio was
using only the studio A which at the time was
operating the Analogue system. But now they are using
the new digital segment that was installed in the
earlier years. The studio B is the main anchor studio
where reporters present on air. All the buttons at the
technical dash board are working properly as there are
signal buttons to alert the technician of any
eventuality.
The CBS radio also owns a conference room
where Journalists meet weekly to discuss their new
plan of how programmes will be runned. The conference
room also serves as a study room for interns to seat
and do assignments. The conference room is also made
up of five (5) tables, owns well befitting seats where
Journalists sit comfortably. Also the conference room
has got a desktop computer and a TV set which is
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connected to the internet though having technical
problems during our reign. Therein, also is a radio
set which is always tuned to CBS radio.
Just as any radio, the CBS radio has a station
manager. The Rev. Ebai Gustav Tabi serves as the
station manager. A man who is always on duty and
randomly assigns interns to go out for coverage and
develop feature stories from a news bulletin. The
producers of programmes on the CBS radio are always
identified on the programmes they produced. In fact,
when we started internship at the CBS the first
producer of the “Holiday Fiesta Programme” was, Metuge
Stanley Lah Ngallameh. Programmes like “Profile and
Focus on issues”, are produced by Ekabe Claudia
Etiendem. And she is still the main producer and
reporter of the station.
The CBS radio has five trained Journalists
and many other volunteers who opt to learn and achieve
skills in the station. The Journalists in CBS include:
Triphine Atoh, Mbanda Shella Takang, Bih Fon
Gwannanji, Ekabe Claudia, and Ngemda Emmanuel. These
are those who report news at the 95.3 F.M, CBS radio.
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The CBS radio also owns a service car that
usually carries the station manager and Journalists in
and around town. The station manager also has a
special driver who drives him. The driver at service
of the CBS is Mr. Ngwa Benjamin.
CHAPTER THREE
Throughout the internship, we did preproduction,
production, post production and live reporting. When
my internship began on the 12 of August 2013, the
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supervisor of interns Madam Ekabe Claudia, brought out
press releases and gave each and every intern, a
separately different story to bring out a lead from
the press release. After collection and reflection, we
were called upon to develop the body of the story as
though we were on air. The repeated stress on how to
read without fright was the call for consent. This
went on throughout the first week as we were taught on
how to write a radio script and report on air though
in the conference room.
During the second week of internship, we were sent on
coverage to go and interview the interim Mayor of the
Buea council Mr. Ekema Patrick Esunge. After the
interview which was on the Holiday job initiative and
the scholarship scheme granted by the Buea Municipal
council to the students of the municipality. The story
was then used as a feature story on the Holiday Fiesta
Programme.
Still on the second week, the Supervisor for
interns ordered that we should be given the chance to
participate on the “Holiday Fiesta Programme”.
Throughout the programme we were given a task to carry
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out each day. Since the programme begins at 10:30A.M
and ends at 11:45A.M, it had slots such as reading of
news, beauty tips, health tips, quizzes , and Bible
readings or lessons at the end. The various slots were
given to us by the producer but all of us were to
write news on either of these topics; human interest
stories, education, health, religion and sports. Every
day, we made sure that each and every one of us had
his or her work done.
At the end of the second week, a press release
was sent to the station by the Presbyterian Church in
Cameroon (PCC) on the World International Day for
Prayers to Prisons at the Buea central prison premise
to take place from the 20th of August to the 25th of
August 2013. The days were being schedule to us so
that we should go and cover the event individually. I
was the first to go out on the 20th. I went and
covered the event, wrote the story and it was edited
and reported by Bih Fon Gwannanji on the next day’s
news cast.
After this, the next we started on the production of
programme “Profile”. Profile is a weekly programme the
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gives information about a country in the African
continent. We did profile by dividing ourselves in to
factions. My group took Ethiopia and we downloaded
information about Ethiopia and wrote on Ethiopia’s
facts, politics, economy, media and Ethiopia’s
international relations with the outside world.
As time went on, we also did “Focus on
issues”. The topics were “Divorce and smoking”. My
group chose “Divorce” and we did “Divorce” on
the content of its definition, causes, consequences\
effects\impacts, remedies\ solution and advice. Then
later we did another profile on Mali, Mozambique and
Cape Verde. My group chose Cape Verde and we did the
Cape Verdean economy, politics, media, international
relations and facts about Cape Verde.
On the course of these programmes we did editing as
we were taught on how to edit a programme to be played
on air. When we recorded these
programmes, they were taken to the editor for editing
and we were present. We gained tremendous experience.
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Difficulties encountered Meeting a different staff:
It is often said that “a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step”. The very first day of my stay at the CBS was not very easy. No matter how the people proved friendly, it was not just working. Different from school where I met different faces, someof which are passersby but there at CBS, I came in contact with absolutely different people of whom I havenever met them by chance. So, it was really an uphill task for me to freely cooperate with the new staff.
Interaction with mates:
Next was getting along with my fellow interns. Though most of them were from UB, I knew none of them. This istrue mostly with the level 300 students who were carrying out their second internship on the radio. At times when we are given group exercise, I use to find it very difficult to collaborate with them especially to raise my own point of view because I was ashamed to get it all wrong.
Problems in writing radio leads:
Again, another pivotal point of stress to me at CBS wasabout writing good leads for radio reporting. I tried several times but the supervisor will cancel my script and order me to redo it. At times, I will get angry andthink of leaving it all along, but “who am I hurting?”
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I will ask myself. So, I will just succumb to the rulesof the supervisor.
Fright during interview:
One of the greatest heartache I ever had was the day I was assigned to interview the Lord Mayor of the Buea council-Mr. Ekema Patrick Esunge. Before the interview,the process through which we got to his office already shattered my strong will power. Though as a man I triedto pluck up courage like someone visiting an enchanted hood, when the Mayor, who already knows why we are there asked “can I help you?” I took a deep breath, paused for a few seconds and answered “No…yes Sir” thenhe offered us seats. After the interview it was as if Ishould explode into pieces. That was the most tedious encounter I ever had.
Mic fright
In addition, during programmes like the “Holiday Fiesta” in which we interns were those running the programme it wasn’t very easy especially the first two days. At times when I am called up to report my script,I will take about five seconds to get ready, when on mymind I had already said I am very prepared to start
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anytime. As mic fright did not kill me, I don’t think anything in broadcasting can. When talking on the mic, my lips will be shaking as if I was feeling acute cold inside my system.
Coverage on unthinkable places
The most devastating experience I encountered during internship was the one I saw at the Buea central prisonyard. I never thought that broadcasting can take me there but I found myself in the midst of prisoners, conducting interview with them. The suffering and acutepenury of inmates, almost ran me nuts. The difficulty and protocol from the gate and from one office to the other also serve as headache to me.
Financial problemsFrom Malingo Street where I live to the CBS radio is 200FCFA and 200FCFA back. So each day I used to spend 400FCFA and even more in order to go to workplace. There times in which I never had transport to go to work.
At times the supervisor will see that as a baselessexcuse, but thanks be to God that she was a very fabulous woman with a discrete character.
Solutions It only took me few days to become adapted to mynew tutors. When I become relaxed and cooperative,
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things were very exciting because the whole staff were very open to help us with whatever problems we had. Since I was very zealous and develop a craving desire to know a bit of everything, I was always the target for silly gossips.
As for the case with the Mayor of the Buea council, I believe that I was distorted because it was an impromptu interview. So during the interview, I seized the opportunity of booking another interview with the Mayor at the end of the month. Good to hear was the fact that immediately the Mayor heard I was out, he ordered for my turn. There was also a great flow during the interview because I was now relaxed andhaving a cordial relationship with the interviewee.
As concerns mic fright during programmes, this feeling left as soon as we were given the chance to usethe studio B to record programmes repeatedly. During these sessions, I gradually find myself getting use to everything. With regard to writing concise radio leads, since in each day I was given about 20 press releases, with corrections from the supervisor and helpfrom other Journalists and mates, I finally became justthe best.
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CHAPTER FIVE
Conclusion:Throughout the one and a half month that I stayed
and worked at the CBS radio I gained life-lasting
experience that I uphold with no doubt that it will
contribute greatly to my journalism career. With the
laborious and time-straining assignments often given
by the supervisor, I was made serious. With the
famous maxim of Rev. Mokoko Mbue Thomas, in his
welcome speech that “You should remain steadfast in
any endeavor being professional or personal, that
you undertake.” By the special grace of God, things
went on to be more than what I, with my limited
knowledge was thinking. The pace at which work was
done in producing programmes and reading news, gave
me the readiness to work and practice anywhere and
at any place in the world.19
RECOMMENDATION
Work at the CBS Radio is very organized
and it is very difficult to find a situation where
reporters fail to present their programmes and time
of shifts. They are very devoted and duty conscious
at work. If there is one thing I have learnt at CBS,
it must be their punctuality, frequency and turn out
at work.
In spite of all those praises
mentioned above, the CBS Radio is facing lots and
lots of financial breakdown. The internet connection
is bad and little or nothing is given for expenses
for research. Also, nothing is given to Journalists
to fern for their transport cost for coverage beyond
Buea community. Though at times I used to consider
it as part of laziness to the reporters, I realized
that it was a fault from the station due to lack of
fund.
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The CBS Journalists also
practice bad journalism. This seen in their
continual transcription of news from CRTV, and other
media organs to make their morning and evening news.
This is due to their nonchalant attitude to
coverage.
On the whole, CBS Radio is a
radio beyond expectation as they are very concise in
production and uphold if not all, the greater part
of good journalism.
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