Christian media Internship – The overview

Since graduating from the University of Lincoln last summer and gaining a 2:1 in Journalism I’ve landed myself an internship in Christian media with respected Christian Journalist and Broadcaster, Mike Rimmer, In Birmingham. Previously in the blog I wrote about my experiences three months into the Internship. The start of the New Year marks 6 months since I started the Internship and a lot has changed in the last three months, which incidentally why I have been very quiet on the blogging front.

I now have a permanent part time job in a supermarket which gives me enough money to comfortably support myself in my Internship. It has also meant that I’m not spending three days a week on my internships and three days working elsewhere. Many people don’t understand what I do, or even, what Mike does for that matter, so here’s a quick insight.

Admin

There’s hundreds of CD’s that come into the CMBC production office every month and a lot of my time is spent helping Mike sift through new CD’s finding new music that is worth playing on the radio and whether it be on Rimmerama or Independents day if they are an independent artist.

I then have to keep up to date with filing the CD’s in the CD library each week which has at least three thousand CD’s made up of Jesus Music, Worship, Pop/Rock, Gospel and Hip Hop.

Production

Becoming a radio producer has been the main focus of my internship and what I love best. It includes editing the programme Profile Special which is broadcast on Cross Rhythms on Saturdays. It’s an hour long interview programme with American artists; these are done when Mike visits Nashville each year and involves picking from a back catalogue of interviews and editing the hour long programmes together with music from their latest album

The other pre recorded programme which I edit and produce is Independents day broadcast on Cross Rhythms on Sunday afternoons; this is where Mike plays an hour of music from Independent artists and tells you how to get hold of them. This involves creating a playlist of Independent artists once we have identified which tracks we want to play from each artist’s album, and then writing scripts for the show and editing it together.

Since November I have been producing a podcast for Mike’s main show Rimmerama. For this half hour long production I scan through 9 hours of Rimmerama programmes from the previous week and pick out the best bits including Interviews, live sessions and entertaining pieces. I’ll then write the scripts for Mike to record edit the show together complete with Jingles and beds and then send them off to Cross Rhythms who send it off to Itunes.

All this production generally fills a day’s work each week.

Presentation

I’m professional sidekick (Ok! I don’t know what that really means but it sounds good) to Mike Rimmer on Rimmerama, two out of the three shows he presents each week. Which involves, what would be seen in the BBC as basic BA duties, answering the phone, talking to listeners in the stations chatroom, which is where we make most contact with our listeners, researching ideas whilst on air via the internet and sending out competition prizes.

Writing

Mike writes extensively for the Cross Rhythms website www.crossrhythms.co.uk including music features and reviews. I have written a number of reviews for the website over the last year and am gradually writing more extensive features for the main website.

The year ahead

In the year ahead, I’m looking forward to taking on a bigger role as an Intern / PA / Producer including, taking on production work for Rimmerama, Learning how to voice track and operate a BBC style sound desk and take on new projects which may come up,

The Mike Rimmer Internship

…Ok, so It’s not as big as an Internship with the BBC or Guardian Media or one of those big corporations but it’s still a great experience and what i’ve decided to call it. People ask me “What do you do?”, especially as i’m new in Birmingham so i think from now on my elevator pitch will be “i’m a Journalist and Broadcaster on the Mike Rimmer internship. I’m his sidekick on Cross Rhythms Radio in Stoke, edit some of his other shows and write features and music reviews.”

I’ve been doing this job now for almost three weeks and it’s been great, not just to learn the practical stuff and get a kick up the back side with my writing skills but hearing all the stories from a man who has working in the media for 25 years, has been presenting Rimmerama for ten years and travelling to Gospel Music Week In Nashville, every year for 10 years too. I’ve been so inspired and often excited at the prospect of where I could be at the same stage in my career in 20,30 or even 40 years time!

Changing times

I’ve been a bit quiet on the blogging front recently, I’ve had plenty to say but not much time to say it. This week is very much a transition week for me. Last Friday was my last exam at University and next Monday i’ma moving to Birmingham to work with Mike Rimmer as a Freelance Journalist, producing his Cross Rhythms programme, Rimmerama, and moving on with current Journalism project which including reviewing for the Cross Rhythms website, presenting on Erewash Sound and Web Assistant and researching for the Media Diversity Institute.

At the weekend i was at a Business conference called Catalyst where multi-million dollar business man Paul Milligan spoke about good principles for starting a business and the Christian principles of running a business which was apt for me at this stage of my life.

Larry Norman

It’s nearly a month now since the death of the pioneer of Christian Rock music Larry Norman. I’m too young to experience his music at first hand. But, i have been educated about the 70’s era of Christian music by Journalist and presenter Mike Rimmer, who presented three tribute shows to the man. You can still here Mike’s tributes on the Cross Rhythms website by clicking here. Click on the radio console and view Mike Rimmer’s podcasts from the 26th, 27th and 28th of February.

If you’ve never heard of Larry Norman before these shows are well worth a listen

Blog catch up

I haven’t been around the blogsphere for the last few weeks because i’ve been getting used to my new modules in the last semester of my degree. At the start of January i visited Mike Rimmer, Freelance Journalist, which was interesting to see how hard i will have to work in the future. You can read more about my experiences on the Facebook group, The Mike Rimmer Appreciation Society.

I’ve also taken on a new project reviewing Christian CD’s for Cross Rhythms website, you can see my first few reviews here and here

New year, New travels

Well Happy New year to you if i haven’t said it already. Last year was an imense year full of travels and jobs and interviews and articles that i never saw coming. It started off interviewing top Christian Singer/Songwriter Matt Redman, and ended featuring the up and coming band that were featured on BBC Three’s Singing with the enemy, Dweeb.

Thrown in between was an odd summer of two weeks work at New life Publishing and a security agency at a national sports event. The less said about that the better! but it’s all part of life’s experiences.

So this year is going to be even busier and more unpredictable. After writing a 10,000 word dissertation on the representation of Polish Immigrants in the press i anticipate graduating with flying colours and starting out Freelancing as a Christian Journalist and PR consultant.

But the travels all start this week, I’m down in Birmingham for a week’s work with Mike Rimmer Freelance Music Journalist who’s often heard on BBC WM on Sunday mornings and Cross Rhythms in the week. He’s not just a friend but my media mentor since giving me one of my first big breaks in festival radio at Grapevine FM in 2005

So… here’s to another exciting year!