FOX Carolina internship puts student at the helm

“Two minutes to air.”  Furman University student Sidney Lyn ’26 is in her element in the production room at TV news station FOX Carolina. She’s a rising senior, but her internship has already helped her find her stride as a television news producer.

Originally from Athens, Georgia, Lyn said Furman Media Specialist and Instructor Mary Sturgill helped her find a golden opportunity in Greenville’s top-40 media market. Lyn originally wanted to major in sociology but switched to communication studies for the creative freedom to tell stories about people and how they interact with their communities. She enjoyed working behind the fast-paced, often hectic scenes, helping coordinate and organize breaking news stories for a live newscast.

Sidney Lyn ’26 said she’s enjoyed producing news programs during her internship at Gray Media’s FOX Carolina in Greenville, South Carolina. Photo by Owen Withycombe, Furman University.

“I knew I wanted to do an internship this summer, but I didn’t know what exactly,” Lyn said. Strugill sat down with her “and found my perfect fit, she knew I enjoyed producing in her broadcasting class.”

Lyn is among the hundreds of Furman students taking advantage of an internship this summer, including 282 who were awarded summer internship fellowships around the country; 72% of Furman students complete at least one internship during their four years. Fellows receive funding and/or reduced on-campus housing costs. Furman pays out more than $1.8 million annually in paid internship and research stipends. Some students, like Lyn, find their internships through faculty; many work through the internship office.

Internships offer students the opportunity to not only get practical experience, but they connect with professionals and build a network in their chosen field, Sturgill said.

“Broadcasting is a small industry and if students do well in their internships, they get hired in an extremely competitive field,” she said.

Feeling at home in the production booth, Sidney Lyn ’26 found she enjoyed producing a daily news show during her internship at Gray Media’s FOX Carolina. Photo by Owen Withycombe, Furman University.

FOX Carolina Executive Producer Jordan McGowen said having an intern in the office brings fresh perspectives to the newsroom, while the news team gets to give Lyn a taste of what it’s like to make the news every day.

“People don’t always understand what news production is until they see it in action,” McGowen said. “Because Sidney is such a fast learner, we quickly moved her up to producing half a show herself.”

In each day’s editorial meeting she helps the news team figure out each block of stories, pick their orders and airtimes. McGowen said she and Lyn bounce ideas off one another as they script the news program and create graphics for the broadcast.

Her first time at the production desk during a live broadcast was nerve-wracking. She had to communicate with reporters, directors and other producers while giving the cue for graphics and helping keep the show on schedule.

“After the first day producing a news block, I called my mom and told her to download the app, it’ll be on after this commercial break,” she said.

The staff at FOX Carolina extended an offer to have Lyn continue her work as an intern through the 2025-2026 academic year, and she said she’s grateful for the opportunity and the guidance that got her there.

“I don’t know if I’d be here at FOX if not for professor Sturgill,” she said.