Carole Fleming – Course leader at the Centre for Broadcast Journalism at Nottingham Trent University.

After years working in radio as a news reporter and producer, for both the BBC and ILR, Carole Fleming is now the course leader for the BA (Hons) in Broadcast Journalism and the MA in Radio Journalism at the Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism in Nottingham Trent University (Visit the website by clicking here). Among her publications is The Radio Handbook (3rd Edition), published by Routledge, which examines the radio industry in the UK.

What does the Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism (CBJ) at Nottingham Trent University offer people who wish to work in radio?

CBJ offers a range of journalism courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, but the two that are most suitable for anyone wanting to work in radio are the BA (Hons) in Broadcast Journalism and the MA in Radio Journalism. Both give you the skills to work in a range of jobs within radio and also help you to get contacts within the industry.

What are the key areas you can study at the CBJ?

As well as radio skills – recording, interviewing, making packages, news reading and operating a studio – our courses give students a thorough grounding in media law which is needed whether you work as a journalist, a presenter or a producer. Our courses also train students to be able to service radio web sites, so as well as radio skills they’re taught video recording and editing skills, and training in writing for an online audience. Increasingly radio stations need people who can provide material for their web site so this gives our students experience in how to do that.

Does the CBJ cater for people who only wish to be journalists?

The main focus of our courses is journalism but the skills students learn are transferable, and many of our graduates work as broadcast assistants or radio producers, mainly on speech-based stations.

So you also teach people how to be presenters/producers?

While there’s no specific training to be a presenter, there are lots of opportunities to do presenting. As well as being given voice training and taught how to drive a studio desk, students get the chance to be presenters through the student union radio station, Fly FM, and through CBJ’s own internet station – Norman Radio – which broadcasts a couple of times a year. Several of our graduates who did shows for Fly and Norman have gone on to be presenters using their student shows as demo tapes to show what they can do.

Pages: 1 2