Guwahati — A student from a northeast India university is completing one month television internship program in the United States.
Father Shyjan C. Job, a fourth semester student of Assam Don Bosco University Master’s degree programme in Mass Communication is doing one-month mandatory media house internship program at EWTN Global Catholic Media Network at Alabama.
Salesian Fr Shyjan, 40, originally from Kerala has worked in the northeast India before he joined Salesian missions in East Africa ten years ago.
The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) based in deep south Alabama is the largest Catholic Media network in the world with television (8 separate channels: English (5 channels with various time zones), Spanish (2 Channels one for U.S Spanish and another International Spanish) and German, Radio (SW, AM, FM channels in English and Spanish), Live streaming of all television and radio channels, social media presence, and publications.
Speaking to mattersindia.com Fr Shyjan says, “I get an exposure into the whole aspects of the media network here as I am introduced to television and radio productions, as well as participating in live shows.
During his month-long stay at the EWTN headquarters in Irondale, Alabama, since 1st February, Fr Shyjan has hands on experience with editing suits, online graphics, story boarding, online and social media, DVD authoring and duplication, marketing and program acquisitions, camera and lighting, set construction, audio engineering, and control room management.
Fr Shyjan quickly adds, “It is a great learning experience and the people here are extremely generous in sharing their knowledge.”
He goes ecstatic mentioning the hospitality saying, “the Fatima Guest House is very welcoming and is indeed a home away from home. At St Clare the guest kitchen Ms. Rosie and Mr. Hernandez have always been kind, never forgetting to ask me if I needed anything special.”
“The relationship with staff members is very cordial and they are available to explain their work, ready to clarify my doubts and interested to know what would be my work and future projects to make this learning time as helpful as possible.”
Commenting on the internship experience and domain confidence acquired at EWTN Fr Shyjan says, “When I get back to South Sudan I will be getting back to my media field together with my other priestly responsibilities.”
Verbalizing his long cherished dream of launching a Catholic family television he adds, “We have also a plan to upgrade the Radio Station into a Television broadcast station as the opportune time arrives.”
Before joining studies at ADBU Fr Shyjan was Director of Radio Don Bosco Tonj, a member of Catholic Radio Network in South Sudan as well as Principal of a School (with some 1,400 students of both primary and secondary) and administrator of Don Bosco Mission with over 80 sub-stations, 20 villages schools, a hospital and a youth centre.
The FM Radio with 60 meters mast had an outreach of about 130 km radius with a potential listeners of over 6,50,000 people and signal reaches to neighbouring towns of Medil, Mapel, up to Mbili territories on the road to Wau and beyond. The station has a music recording studio too at the facility.
Founded by Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA in 1980, EWTN began broadcasting on 15 August, 1981, from a garage studio at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama, which Mother Angelica founded in 1962. She hosted her own show christened Mother Angelica Live until suffering a major stroke and other health issues in September 2001.
Now, in its 35th year, EWTN has become the largest religious media network in the world, transmitting programming 24 hours a day to more than 240 million homes in 144 countries and territories on more than 4,800 cable systems, wireless cable, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), low power TV and individual satellite users.
The EWTN network also contributes in the publication of the National Catholic Register newspaper, which was acquired in January 2011 and maintains a web presence through its primary website, EWTN.com, and commerce site EWTN ReligiousCatalogue.com.