INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE WITH CENTRAL PA

What is Central PA magazine?

Central PA magazine is a monthly regional magazine with more than 50,000 readers that publishes articles about interesting people, places, cultural and social issues, and activities that relate to life in Central Pennsylvania. Topics also include theater, music, news, food, sports, outdoors and books. The magazine is published by WITF, Inc., which also produces the region's public television and radio stations.

What does an internship at Central PA magazine entail?

Editorial interns at Central PA magazine assist a small team of editors in the creation of a widely respected monthly magazine with more than 50,000 readers. Duties include short writing assignments, fact-checking, proofreading, copy editing and data entry, as well as the coordination of special mailings and research projects. Interns attend editorial meetings and are encouraged to contribute story ideas as well as keep up on local, national and international news. Interns work on Macintosh computers and may also work with a variety of publishing software. Interns are also expected to be proficient users of the Internet and e-mail. Editorial internships are available fall, spring and summer, and typically consist of 15-20 hours per week.

What qualifications must an applicant have?

Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. We do, however, prefer students to have some prior journalism experience. Applicants are expected to have skills both in the area of writing and proofreading, and we request applicants bring writing samples to their interview. Knowledge of word processing programs such as Word Perfect and Microsoft Word is also helpful.

Where have past interns come from?

•   Bradley Academy of Visual Arts, York, Pennsylvania
•   Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
•   Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania
•   Harrisburg Area Community College, Pennsylvania
•   Hollins University, Virginia
•   Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pennsylvania
•   Messiah College, Grantham, Pennsylvania
•   Penn State University, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
•   Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
•   Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
•   Tufts University, Massachusetts
•   York College, York, Pennsylvania

Whom should I contact about applying?

Send a résumé, three work samples and cover letter to WITF's Human Resources Department, humanresources@witf.org.

Central PA Magazine
4801 Lindle Road
Harrisburg, PA 17111
(717) 910-2814 Tel
(800) 366-9483
(717) 704-3678 Fax

What do past interns have to say about the program?

“My time with Central PA was extremely beneficial; I was given the opportunity to gain experience in a professional environment and learn how a magazine is put together. I gained skills that I wasn't exposed to in college courses — fact-checking articles, communicating with PR representatives, writing articles and brainstorming for story ideas. I felt like I was part of a team and was very lucky to have worked with supervisors who were focused on my getting the most possible out of the experience. Internships are essential to learning your likes and dislikes, not to mention obtaining and honing important skills for a future career, but an internship at Central PA was also fun; I got to work with great people and see the results of my efforts in print.”
— Leslie Goldsboro, summer 2005 intern

"In the internship world, few experiences are as hands-on as Central PA magazine. I felt like I got a chance to really be part of what goes on there. Working at a magazine now, I know for sure that my experience at Central PA not only helped me get the job but also helps me do my job by having given me a greater understanding of how a magazine comes together."
— Shira Billig, fall 2004 intern

“My summer internship at Central PA magazine helped jumpstart my career. From a mechanical stand point, I had three great editors helping me with my writing. Steve, Gail and Noreen were easy to approach and had good suggestions for tackling an assignment. The clips, covering a litany of topics, also helped diversify my portfolio and showed prospective employers my range as a writer.”
— Doug Moser, summer 2003 intern

“My time with Central PA magazine spoiled me on all other internships during my college career — from the opportunity to write and publish a few articles, to the feeling that I was part of a team and not just watching from the stands, working with Central PA was easily the most well-rounded and rewarding of my collegiate internships.  As a fan of both arts and culture in the region and a viewer of PBS, Central PA was truly my launching point into a career in public broadcasting. Leaving the internship with a handful of actual, tangible pieces of work was the icing on the cake — it immediately helped set my portfolio apart from my peers.  Today, working in PBS Media Relations, I look back at my time with Central PA magazine fondly — I learned more about writing for publicity by sorting through real press releases than I ever did in class.”
— Jake Landis, spring 2003 intern