One of Sacramento’s public access channels is asking local youth to create news reports for its channel and websites — and the company is willing to pay them for their efforts.
Access Sacramento (Comcast Channel 17, Sacramento) is looking to hire individuals between the ages of 16 and 23 who reside within Sacramento County to create news reports and community stories for its cable TV channel and its website, AccessLocal.TV.
The channel says it is seeking youth “who can express their thoughts both with the written word and through other forms of digital media to tell the tale of modern day Sacramento.”
“There is so much more going on in the city of Sacramento than what we see on the nightly news,” a job listing for the position said. “Beyond the crime and the drama, there are the stories of real people making a real difference right now in our neighborhoods and throughout our communities. For a number of various reasons, those stories more often than not are overlooked, leaving the casual observer with a distorted view of our world.”
Youth reporters would be tasked with creating digital content, blogs, videos and audio recordings “about topical issues in and around the Sacramento region in a timely manner,” responsibilities that mirror those of traditional print and television reporters at for-profit companies.
The job listing said youth reporters would work part-time for the station at a rate of $12 an hour. It did not say how many hours were being offered or how many youth reporters would be hired.
Applicants who are interested are asked to download and fill out a questionnaire form and email it to Isaac Gonzalez, Access Sacramento’s Youth Media Programs Manager, at [email protected].
Access Sacramento is part of the AccessLocal.tv group, which includes the television station as well as KUBU (96.5 FM), a low-power non-commercial community radio station that features “alternative news, talk and just about every format of music.” The group is operated by the Sacramento Community Cable Foundation and is funded by the Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission.