Tales to tell

When Cameron Welburn, Inna Volovich, and Mary Crandall return to their post-Vineyard lives, they will have plenty of tales to tell. These three young women had a glorious time interning at MVY radio this season. I connected with them during their very first week on the job and again at the end of their stay to see what they made of their experience.

“It’s really cool to learn what goes on behind the scenes of what people hear,” Welburn said. She is no stranger to the Island, having vacationed here every summer of her life. Welburn is a rising senior at Liberty University, studying digital media and sports journalism. “I heard about the internship, and it sounded really cool,” she says. While working on “Vineyard Happenings,” MVY radio’s podcast covering events and people of interest to the Black/African American summer community on Martha’s Vineyard, Welburn applied editing skills she’d acquired in college. She and her co-host, Kameron Harris, released new episodes every Wednesday from June 25 through August (mvyradio.org/vineyard-happenings).

The first part of the job was to identify which events would be of interest to newcomers and residents, and to compile a list of those that were occurring. Welburn and Harris did this by scouring the Vineyard Legacy Instagram, TikTok, and local newspapers. After gathering all the information, they collated it by date into a single document. “Then we wrote a script and recorded it in the studio. We always have an interview on the podcast about the biggest event. It can be someone hosting it, or even someone on the street. We’d talk to them about who they are and what people could expect to gain from the experience. Then I would edit for hours. The podcast would go live on Wednesdays.” 

The most memorable interview was with a 13-year-old storyteller whom the Cottagers brought in to read to young children. Welburn recalls, “She was dressed in costume and had the words memorized. She was in the zone. It was cool to see how a 13-year-old could do that.”

Welburn — who wants to be a sideline reporter for the NFL or NBA, interviewing coaches and players, getting to know people and learning their stories — found the internship valuable for her future career: “I really enjoy the broadcast world. I want to be on camera, but it’s nice to know what goes on behind the scenes, so you’re familiar with what it takes to get news on the radio. A lot of people don’t know how much it takes or what goes into broadcasting. I have a deeper appreciation for it.”

Inna Volovich just graduated from Fordham University, and enjoyed her first summer on the Vineyard: “I worked in the production department, audio-editing the four-hour-long ‘Sunday Morning and All That Jazz’ show, removing time-sensitive material, underwriting spots, and the weather report so they could be rebroadcast if necessary. It was a good way to keep working on my audio-editing skills, which I practiced a lot in college, and want to continue in my career.’

Volovich will be returning to Brooklyn, where she lives, and will look for a job in audio editing in the music industry, but on the speaking side: “I really like making people sound their best and helping them get across what they want to say most clearly. It is about making it sound live, even though it’s been edited a little bit. That’s really interesting to me.”

One of her takeaways, she says, is that “there’s a lot of work that goes behind the scenes to create the shows people listen to, and how much research the hosts have to do for them.” What was surprising was not the work itself but rather, “being on the Vineyard, it’s really such a small Island. I feel like everyone I meet knows someone at the station. It’s been really nice doing something that’s part of the community.”

Mary Crandall is a communications major and a rising sophomore at Florida Atlantic University. When we first met, she said, “I want to go into sports interviewing, so I want to learn all about the behind-the-scenes of radio, all the technical things.”

Crandall was very pleased with how many MVY radio events she ended up attending, including helping out at lunches, a concert, open houses, and parties. “I increased my conversational skills with people more than I thought I would. My initial thoughts going into the internship were to get more familiar with the behind-the-scenes of radio, learn how people become so confident speaking live, and make connections within the business. It did an even better job than I expected. I went in with just a faint idea of where the summer would take me. I ended up with new best friends for the rest of my life, and great connections. I was surprised by how many awesome people surround MVY radio. Every single person I could talk to and have fun with.”

Regarding the internship’s impact on her career plans, Crandall reflected, “It reassured me that I’m on the right track for sports broadcasting, sideline interviewing, and media. It goes hand in hand with radio. You have to be very confident when you speak and when you meet new people. You also have to know the technical aspects behind the scenes.”

Executive Director PJ Finn credits Slough Farm Foundation’s grant for enabling the station to bring on extra help this summer. He says about the interns, “I think there is sometimes a perception that radio is not for young people. Even if none of these kids become DJs, there is so much we do day-to-day that’s transferable, which is ideal for this up-and-coming generation. Learning how to write and edit, for instance, as Cameron did, is transferable to all kinds of industries.”

The comment Finn hears from the young people about what they take away from the internship is about what it’s like to be in a working environment. “It’s not so much ‘Wow, I learned how to edit,’ but ‘Wow, I am learning how to be with people — how an office functions,’ whether there’s a hierarchy they need to navigate. And learning how important it is to ask questions rather than forging ahead and guessing what you’re supposed to be doing.’”

Finn continues, “We try to provide a nice workplace for everyone, including interns, where it’s collegial and fun. I hope they take away that some workplaces are like that, and that you may want to seek those out — a place where you feel comfortable and enjoy yourself beyond just working.”

All the interns remarked on how welcoming the staff was. Welburn commented, “The moment I walked in, I was welcomed with a lot of hellos, and I knew it was going to be a place I loved. Everyone is very nice, helpful, and very chill.”

Finn clearly enjoyed having the interns around: “Young people are cool. I think letting them come in and see what you do, regardless of your industry, is important. It’s beneficial for young people and for you. And maybe your perception of one another will change.”