I’ve always freelanced for the BBC alongside running VideoHQ – and it’s been an amazing experience

As the BBC turns 100 years old today, I’m properly proud to have worked there for the last five of those years.

I did a journalism degree at the University of Winchester, and a couple of months before graduating I was lucky enough to be accepted for a two week placement at BBC Radio Stoke.

If I’m honest, I’d never considered radio before. As you can probably tell from my business, I’m a massive video fan!

But the BBC is the BBC, and you’re always going to just jump into it.

 

My time at BBC Radio Stoke

From the second I walked in I realised I love the immediacy and creativity of radio, and that I have a passion for telling people’s stories.

I was immediately writing content for news bulletins, editing interviews for other reporters, and doing voxes on the streets of Stoke about Brexit (it was 2017, what else would it be about).

One placement led to another during the Easter holidays, and soon I was plucking up the courage to ask to be paid as a freelancer post-university.

In that sense, I was lucky Teresa May called a general election when she did – it meant that they needed all hands on deck.

All in, I worked for BBC Radio Stoke for nearly 18 months before moving across to BBC Radio Shropshire…

 

 

My time at BBC Radio Shropshire – still being written!

This was where I got my first break as a radio producer, as previously I’d just been a reporter.

And while I enjoyed reporting on different stories each day and heading out into the community, being a radio producer is just incredible.

I’ve produced the Sunday Breakfast show at BBC Radio Shropshire for the past four years now – which means four years of 4am alarms!

The moment the news jingle sounds and control is switched over to your studio, you’re just in the zone.

I’m in charge of the production of the show; checking the news at 5am to see what’s breaking; making sport montages from yesterday’s footie action; and answering the phones on the morning quiz (“no Sharon, have another go, you’re way off on that one.”)

And I’ve had some incredible opportunities – such as producing the overnight results show when there was an important by-election in North Shropshire; and being responsible for the first breakfast show on air after the passing of Prince Philip.

 

 

Video killed radio? Not really.

Though I absolutely love video with all my heart, there’s just something so wonderful and immediate about radio.

You can find out about a story, ring the main person up and have them on air over the phone in minutes.

And for things like the flooding across Shropshire over the last few years, you really feel the connection of a community tuning in to find out the latest news.

I may only have been a small part of the BBC for 5% of its existence, but I’ve enjoyed every second. Long may it continue…even if it does mean my Saturday night social life is non-existent…