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Life as a ��̳ Sports Reporter

2017-05-04T10:17:04+00:00

The ��̳ Kick Off Trainee Sports Reporter scheme is a five week work placement across ��̳ Radio and online Sport teams in the UK, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

The scheme is open to sport-minded people over the age of 18. No previous media experience is necessary to be successful on this scheme. We look for people’s passion for sport and for telling great sport stories in their local area.

Watching reporters develop with the scheme each year is extremely rewarding. Some reporters come in with little-to-no knowledge of professional radio production or reporting and leave us work-ready, with increased confidence in reporting and many secure work in the industry.

From my observation, the transition is down to them taking the opportunity to develop their skills and story ideas with the scheme management, mentors and trainers. They leave nothing to chance.

Don’t just take my word for it – here are two ex-��̳ Kick Off Reporters Mary Kate Monaghan and Jamie Gambrell, who share their own experience of being on the scheme.

Mary Kate Monaghan, ex-��̳ Kick Off Reporter, ��̳ Radio Cumbria

"My experience with the ��̳ during the Kick-Off trainee scheme was fantastic and highly rewarding.

Following on from my interests in both journalism and sport, the scheme provided the perfect balance between both areas by combining the two, while also allowing the unique opportunity to have my work broadcast on ��̳ Radio.

Similarly, the practical nature of the scheme is fantastic, as it allows independence to form our own projects and ideas, while providing essential support and guidance to ensure the high quality of the radio packages we produced.

This links to the training provided by the scheme, which was highly rewarding as it included key tips and skills necessary for working within media, providing a fantastic platform to develop from to prepare for a career in journalism. Likewise, the scheme is not limited to one type of sport, and allows a variety of new experiences and abilities to try out different kinds of sport coverage, from radio commentaries on football matches to having the chance to interview inspiring local athletes.

Following my time with ��̳ Radio Cumbria, I have been able to transfer the vital skills learnt by setting up and hosting my own weekly radio show at university. Similarly, I have been able to stay in contact with the radio station and continue to receive opportunities to continue working with them.

I would highly recommend the scheme to anyone interested in media and sport as it’s provides vital information, training and experience that will develop essential skills for the future, while also giving a fantastic chance to meet with other amazing people who will quickly become valued friends."

Jamie Gambrell, ex-��̳ Kick Off Reporter, ��̳ Radio Northampton

"I choose to apply for the ��̳ Kick-Off Sports Reporter Scheme because it offered such good opportunities. The chance to work within a ��̳ radio team and help produce news over the summer seemed perfect for improving myself as a journalist.

The training days in the ��̳ Academy in Bristol were brilliant too. It was a fantastic way to meet others in the same situations as well as network with other people in the ��̳. All the staff I met, at both Bristol and Northampton (my local station), were really friendly as well, which helped me to settle in quickly and get to work.

The scheme was an invaluable experience for me. I got the chance to help write the news headlines, go out and conduct my own interviews as well as produce a couple of my own sports packages. Another bonus from the scheme is having a mentor at your local station. My mentor was a great help and working at the station would not have been as easy without him.

The last 12 months, I’ve used my time with the ��̳ to help me in my degree and gain more experience in the field of journalism, although I know plenty of my peers went on to carry on working for their local station.

Overall, working at the ��̳ through this scheme gives you all the tools you need to succeed as a journalist. It not only helps you further your journalism career but develops you as a person, which was a great aspect of it for me.

If you’re interested in journalism, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend applying."

Applications for ��̳ Kick Off Trainee Sports Reporter Scheme close on 8 May

There are plenty of opportunities available all across the UK, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.
We are looking for a good spread of talented applicants of both sexes, so particularly welcome applications from women as well as an ethnically diverse range of people.

Our scheme manager, Gareth Jones, has provided these Top Tips for anyone applying this year and you can find some extra support on our FAQ page.

Good luck to those who are applying - you never know where it may lead!

Extend: Presenting at the ��̳ Proms

2016-12-15T11:50:13+00:00

It’s been just over a year since I joined the ��̳ through the Extend scheme. For my initial six-month placement, I worked on The One Show as a researcher, and while I had previous experience as a production runner, I knew I had a lot to learn as I started my first day.

Thankfully, my new colleagues made me feel very welcome and I quickly settled into the Cardiff-based unit that makes films about the arts, history and food for the show. More often than not, a film we shot one week would be broadcast to millions of viewers the next, which was hugely rewarding… if at times slightly scary!

A few weeks before my contract was up in March, I spotted an internal job advert for a researcher on the ��̳ Proms television team. I knew instantly I wanted to apply, as I have a music degree and continue to perform and write classical music alongside working in TV.

I sent off my application, received an invitation to interview, and was thrilled when they offered me the job. I could now apply the new skills I had learnt on the One Show to a subject area I was already really passionate about, and help bring the best of the world’s greatest classical music festival to audiences far beyond the Royal Albert Hall.

And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, there was another huge surprise in store when I started there in the summer. Two days in, the executive producer took me to one side and revealed she had seen some presenting work I had done online prior to joining the ��̳. She offered me a screen test, which went well, I guess, as on 6 August at 7.30pm I made my ��̳ Proms presenting debut alongside Clemency Burton-Hill.

The live, two and half-hour broadcast on ��̳ iPlayer was the perfect way to top off my first year in this amazing organisation, and I realise now they weren’t joking when they told me on my first day that "anything is possible" at the ��̳.

Since then, I’ve had more brilliant opportunities come my way. Last month, I joined a group of C��̳ presenters at the Skills Show in Birmingham’s huge NEC, to host a series of talks, games and quizzes on the main stage. This was a great way to give something back, by encouraging others considering their future career options to join the ��̳ and follow their dreams.

You can watch Lloyd’s latest onscreen appearance when he joined Josie D’Arby and singing star Julian Ovenden to present Choir of the Year on ��̳ Four earlier this month.

Digital journalism apprenticeship: Presenting at T in the Park

2016-07-15T09:39:21+00:00

Last weekend brought with it so many new experiences – where do I even start?

I’d been asked to audition for a job as social media presenter at Scotland’s biggest music festival, T in the Park, and as if that wasn’t a big enough honour, I somehow got the job.

It’s difficult to even call it a job, when in reality it’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had. It entailed interviewing some of the festival line-up for the ��̳ T in the Park Twitter feed.

After arriving on Friday afternoon, we kicked straight off with acts like James Morrison, Fun Lovin' Criminals and Alessia Cara. To ease me in, you know? Day one was a blur of excited giggles and coffee.

On the Saturday morning, I took part in my first two-way on Radio Scotland. Stood on the windowsill of my dorm room trying to get a phone signal, I went live for the first time ever. It was a real proud moment hearing myself introduced to the listeners as a presenter. Me? Really?

The weekend was full on, with thirteen-hour shifts and an ever-changing timetable. Sometimes I think the only thing that kept me awake was the buzz I got from each interview. We spoke to some heavy hitters – Bastille, James Bay, Slaves, Travis – but as each interview passed it felt a little less surreal and more like my dream job. They’re veteran interviewees after all, and I almost feel like if ever I get the pleasure of bumping into James Morrison again, I’d greet him like an old friend.

Without even having the time to come back to earth and reflect on the experience so far, it was decided we would finish off Sunday’s coverage with a Facebook Live stream. I was given maybe twenty minutes notice, and I swear, my insides turned to soup.

Luckily, the wonderful Edith Bowman was on board to keep me afloat, and around five seconds after we started recording, I forgot all about my stresses and focussed on the reality: sitting on a couch with one of my broadcasting heroes, talking about music. I can’t imagine a more perfect way to have ended the weekend.

The beauty of being an apprentice is that it’s okay to ask a million questions, it’s okay to not get it right first time, and you’re free from the constraints of an everyday job to grab every opportunity offered to you.

Embrace your apprenticeship; it will love you back, and then some.

Find out more about the Digital Journalism Apprenticeship.

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Life as a ������̳ Sports Reporter

Mary Kate Monaghan, ex-������̳ Kick Off Reporter, ������̳ Radio Cumbria

Jamie Gambrell, ex-������̳ Kick Off Reporter, ������̳ Radio Northampton