When a professor at Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg requested a tour of the WITF facilities in September, Promotions Manager Jan McKnight decided to give the students an unforgettable experience.

Instead of the standard daylight tour, Jan organized an “after-hours” tour of WITF, including the FM radio studio, for the students. Jan also worked with production staff to arrange for students to see a live broadcast of Smart Talk, WITF-TV’s weekly news and public affairs program, behind the scenes. During the broadcast, students were divided into three groups. The first group was placed in the studio, the second in Studio Control and the third in the Tech Center. During available “breaks” the groups were switched-out until each student saw the three critical components of the broadcast.

WITF President and CEO Kathleen Pavelko says, “People readily identify WITF as an educational institution because of the high quality radio and television programs we provide—but they are also curious about ‘how we do what we do.’ Inviting people ‘behind the scenes’ on tours or through internships not only helps educate tomorrow’s workforce but also gives us a glimpse of the interests, media preferences, and viewpoints of the participants. Our staff learns by teaching, our participants learn by doing. It’s an invaluable exchange.”

WITF typically conducts about 20 tours each year. Most of the tours are for Scout groups or school groups. WITF also hosts a series of career days each year so that middle and high school students can hear directly from media professionals, see the facility, and ask questions about careers in journalism and media production. About 300 students have attended WITF’s career days, annually.