Alastair R.
About me
| Alastair R. | |
| Philosophy | |
| Philosophy | |
| Undergraduate | |
| James | |
| 2002 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Broadcast Journalist/Commentator | |
| United Kingdom |
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A day in the life of a Broadcast Journalist/Commentator in the United Kingdom
Football commentator.
My career goals when I graduated
Get into radio. It's a congested industry.
My career history
Freelanced for 18 months, became the news editor at a small commercial station, moved to the local BBC where I moved into sport as well and then went freelance as sport-only.
What has helped my career to progress
Luck and a supportive wife.
Courses taken since graduation
MA Broadcast Journalism, Falmouth.
If you want to be a journalist, you need the "bit of paper" (As it's often called) that shows you're not a legal liability
How my studies have helped my career
How the MA in journalism helped should be obvious.
Philosophy at York helped show me HOW to think, which questions were the right questions and gave me a grounding in Ethics, which is very useful in News.
What surprised me about my career so far
The difference between the world of commercial and BBC radio, though the gap is narrowing.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
Genuinely no clue. I'm happy where I am, but will chase any employers I think might be interesting!
My advice to students considering work
Qualifications are good. Being a good co-worker is better. Manners, punctuality, a willingness to work hard - these will all help.
My advice about working in my industry
Opportunities are limited. Show yourself off. Get yourself noticed and be 1-2% better than the next person because at interview, there's only one job and winner takes all.
Other advice
Ask questions of as many people in the industry as you can.
Even more importantly, listen and take on board the answers.
Contacting me
Anything broadcast, news, sport or journalism more broadly. I may not know the answer but I may know someone who does.
What I do
Journalist in radio news and sport. Football commentator. Bulletin reader, presenter, producer and reporter. BBC World Service and others.
How I started my business
Worked for the local BBC, built my contacts, and left when the time was right to move to the next level.
What inspired me
University Radio York - that's where it all started and why I'm trying to give back via this scheme.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Started with a postgraduate (which York sadly doesn't offer) in journalism and then got myself into newsrooms. Watch. Learn. Do yourself. Repeat.
What I like most
Live broadcasting. Still a thrill.
What I like least
Doing work which never sees the light of day. A necessary evil of the industry.
What surprised me most
How audio in the right hands can be crafted into something beautiful (though rarely my own hands!)
Next steps...
If you like the look of Alastair’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Alastair a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Alastair to be your mentor.