Inside OPB
Internships at OPB
Maynard E. Orme Internship
For 19 years, Maynard Orme served as the president and CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting. Maynard believes strongly in lifelong learning, and his vision helped shape OPB’s local and national productions, groundbreaking Web sites, adult learning projects, educational materials and community outreach campaigns. In honor of his considerable contributions to OPB, the Maynard E. Orme Internship has been established to encourage students to cultivate skills in the development and production of high-quality news and public affairs programming.
“Maynard has defined OPB’s mission in terms of providing life-long learning opportunities for Oregon’s communities. Thanks to Maynard, everything OPB does — new technology, new programs, new ways to serve communities — is about developing new ways to bring information to people.”
—CPB Board Member Beth Courtney upon presenting Maynard with the Ralph Lowell Medal
- Internship Description
- To encourage the future development of Oregon-produced programming and inspire University of Oregon journalism and communication students to develop skills toward careers in telecommunications and broadcast journalism, OPB has established the Maynard E. Orme Internship. This endowed internship honors Maynard Orme, whose 19 years of leadership as OPB’s president and CEO helped the statewide public broadcasting network achieve unprecedented growth and community service.
- The focus of this internship is news and public affairs. Interns will be assigned to a specific news and public affairs project, working closely with a producer and an identified reporter. Primary duties will consist of radio journalism, with potential online and television journalism elements. Ideally, the selected intern will complete a major project during their tenure, experiencing both radio production and reporting.
- Interns may be assigned to assist on one of the following OPB Radio productions: Oregon Considered (OPB’s daily news magazine); a new daily radio talk show that is in development; Oregon Territory (OPB’s weekly public affairs program); or an OPB special series production. All of these projects may include a web component (i.e., blog, podcast). Interns will work closely with OPB’s Radio and editorial staff. This position requires a great deal of creativity, innovation, follow-through and initiative.
- Each year, one intern will be selected for the Maynard E. Orme Internship. The internship involves:
- a 3-month commitment, typically 9/15-12/15
- a 40-hour work week
- a $5,000 stipend
- Eligibility Requirements
- Students must be either currently enrolled at or have graduated in the past year from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.
- The student must have completed University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication course J432. (Students can be currently enrolled in J432 but must complete the course prior to the internship.)
- Students from Oregon will receive preference in the selection process.
- Required materials:
- OPB Maynard E. Orme Internship application
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Recent academic transcript (unofficial or official)
- Letters of recommendation (min. of 2)
- Work sample
- 3-5 examples of previous journalism work which may include articles published in a student newspaper, audio or video production for school or professional projects, or an independent film project. Work sample items should be submitted in hard copy for print, CD for audio and DVD for video/film.
- Application and Submission Process
- University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication students will submit application materials to the School of Journalism and Communication, via Bil Morrill.
- University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication staff will ensure that the received application packets are complete, conduct a faculty screening of the packets and submit the top 3 or 4 candidates to OPB staff.
- OPB staff and a selection panel will interview the top candidates and select an intern before the University of Oregon fall registration date.
- Instructions
- Please mail application materials to:
- Bil Morrill
Career Services Coordinator
School of Journalism and Communication
134 B Allen Hall
1275 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
- Bil Morrill
- Deadline
- Application materials must be postmarked by May 1.
“It was a pleasant surprise to learn the intricacies of public radio with such a tight-knit news staff. I had a prior internship in television that nearly soured me on the profession as a whole. Nobody seemed to have a passion for their job. At OPB passion is a prerequisite. I learned that quickly from the morning news meetings. The radio staff welcomed me as a contributing member of their team from the beginning. I was not just another intern. OPB is respected across the community, and I felt compelled to live up to those high expectations through my reporting. It is an experience I will truly treasure.”
— Andrew Theen, 2006 Intern
- Previous Orme Interns
- Upon completion of his internship with OPB, the inaugural Maynard E. Orme intern will continue working at OPB as a temporary Radio Reporter.
