Everyone always says it's not how good you are, but who you know. That may be overstating it, but making professional connections, especially in the media world (which tends to be insular and often sees people moving from job-to-job), is incredibly valuable. In short you need to know how to network because it can help get your career started and keep it going.
If you're going to put the effort in to network, you should make sure you're putting your time to good use. Go over these networking essentials to make sure you're networking right.
A basic intro to media industry networking: what media industry networking is and how to do it well.
One way to network is to scope out media parties. At media parties, whether you have a job or not, you'll be able to mingle with potential colleagues...and potential employers.
If you're a recent grad, a good way to network is to start mining almuni connections. First, you need to do some research though to find those connections.
