NBC Nightly News
On election night, Rapetti was stationed in the control room at NBC Nightly News headquarters in New York City as reporters and producers surveyed the state and national election results pouring in and forged ahead with the program’s news coverage. It was a night she’ll never forget—one of many from her co-op experience that provided her an up-close look at how a TV news program comes to life.
“It was incredible to work in that environment,” Rapetti said. “I had no idea how much effort goes into producing a show like this. I learned so much about everything that goes on behind the scenes.”
Her July-to-December co-op overlapped with several significant news events, including the Summer Olympics and the fiscal cliff crisis. During that time, Rapetti worked alongside producers to assemble the program’s daily news coverage by logging videotapes, assisting on shoots in Times Square, and even serving as an extra on one segment. The experience, she said, convinced her that she wants to ultimately work behind the scenes in TV news production.
“It opened my eyes to all the possibilities available in broadcast journalism,” said Rapetti, whose passion for the news industry began in elementary school when she would tune into news programs as her friends were glued to morning cartoons.